కజ్జికాయలు: Kajjikayalu

Preparation time: 1 hour
Makes around 15 kajjikayalu



Ingredients

2 cups maida/all purpose flour
½ cup sugar / grated jaggery
½ cup sooji / bombay rava ( Or putnala pappu/ roasted chick peas powder Or gasagasalu/khus khus)
1 tsp cardamom/elaichi powder
¼ cup desiccated coconut powder / fresh grated coconut
2 tbsp Ghee
pinch of salt
Oil for frying


Method:

Mix all purpose flour, salt, 1 tbsp ghee and enough water to make smooth and soft dough (not too soft). Cover with a cloth and let it sit for at least 45 min.

Meanwhile, heat a pan, add ½ tbsp of ghee and roast the sooji till it changes color.
Keep aside and now roast coconut in ½ tbsp of ghee till it changes color. Fresh coconut needs more time than dry coconut.
Add it to the roasted sooji.
Add sugar and elaichi powder to this mixture and let it cool. The filling is ready.

Divide the dough into lemon sized balls.
Now, roll each ball into a thin puri ( use flour to roll out).
Spread a tablespoon( or less) of filling mixture in the center, wet the edges of the puri and close the filling with the puri to form a semi circled shape as shown.
Press the ends firmly with finger tips.



Use kajjikaya moulds to shape it into a kajjikaya.
If you don’t have it, use the edges of a fork and press it gently across the semi circled edges to give it a kajjikaya shape as shown (I use this procedure).




Heat enough oil in a pan for frying. Gently take each rolled kajjikaya without disturbing the edges and slide it into the oil. Oil should be hot enough. Try to fry 3-4 once and deep fry till they are golden brown.

Let the kajikayalu cool and then store in an air-tight container. Can be stored up to 2 weeks.


Note: Instead of 2 cups of maida, you can also use 1 cup of atta and 1 cup of maida. If putnla pappu is used instead of sooji, use jaggery instead of sugar.