Recipe: KARANJI (சோமாசி)

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Diwali is around the corner and all Indian households must be preparing for the celebration with a variety of sweets and farsan. I bring you the recipe of Karanji, a yummy sweet that I learned to make from my friend Asha. She’s an excellent cook. I just love Karanji and how many ever times I have made it after that it was the best when I made it along with her. Thank you Asha!

Karanji is called சோமாசி (Somaasi) in Tamil. While it looks the same, the taste varies as the filling is different.

INGREDIENTS

For the filling

Grated Coconut – ½ cup
Rava – ½ cup
Powdered Cardamom – 1 tbsp
Powdered Sugar – 2 cups
Almonds – ½ cup
Pistachios – ½ cup
Cashewnuts – ½ cup

For the shell

Maida – 1 cup
Rava – ½ cup
Ghee – 2 tbsp
Salt – 1 pinch

Oil for frying

METHOD

1. Run the almonds, pistachios and cashewnuts in the mixer to make a coarse powder. Alternately, you can chop them into fine pieces.
2. Heat a kadai and roast the rava till golden in colour.
3. Add the coconut to it and turn around for a couple of minutes before switching the gas off.
4. Take the rava-coconut mix and add it to a mixing bowl.
5. Add the sugar powder, cardamom and the dryfruits to it.
6. Mix well and the filling for the Karanji is ready.
7. Take another mixing bowl and add all the four ingredients for the shell.
8. Sift them together before adding some water and making a tight dough.
9. Take the dough in small balls (the size of a lemon) and roll it out in circles.
10. Add a spoon of filling on one half of the rolled out circle.
11. Fold it in the middle and join the edge in a semi-circle.
12. You can fold the edge and shape it with your hand or press a fork and ensure the edge is completely sealed.
13. Get all the karanjis ready before deep frying them till golden brown in colour.

ALTERNATELY….

You can bake your karanjis in an oven at 180 degrees C for about 30 minutes or till they turn golden brown in colour.

I promise that you will have the yummiest Diwali!