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I believe that salt is to food, what food is to life. In right proportions, it can heighten the taste of what you eat..and in the wrong - destroy! Even the most delicious sweets come added with some salt...to taste!

As for me, I've never enjoyed cooking. And as contrary to my owning a food-blog as it may sound, I always think about daily, routine cooking as a chore. But my tryst with the pots and pans began when I got a kitchen all to myself...I began experimenting and exploring new worlds in my own home. Some outcomes were excellent and some plain disasters. Then sprouted the need to keep track of all those good ones...and hence this blog!

Here, I share those experiments that pleased more than one palate!




December 8, 2011

Karanji | Sweetened Coconut Filled Deep Fried Crescents

We're landing head-on into Christmas, and here I am, still blogging about Diwali goodies. Call me lazy, but hey, goodies are goodies - no matter when they're eaten. So, perhaps, you could make these sweet treats for your family and friends for these holidays, after all!

Now that you bought my excuse I feel a little lighter and free of guilt for not having these up around Diwali. But they're here now and they're still as good. These beautiful, crunchy crescents stuffed with sugar, coconut, cardamom and couple other things will have you clean up the platter and lick the left-over crumbs.


You can store these for over a week in an air tight container. No better reason than to stash away some right on your counter-top!




Ingredients 

For the Crescents
1 1/2 Cup Maida/All purpose flour
1/4 Cup Rava/Sooji/Semolina (fine variety)
2 tbsp ghee
2 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Salt
Oil and Water, to knead the dough

For the Filling
1 Cup Freshly grated coconut (You may use thawed frozen grated coconut as well)
3/4 Cup Sugar (Use more if you like it really sweet)
1/4 Cup Split Chana Dalia/Putane, powdered
1 tsp Cardamom seeds, crushed
1 tbsp Raisins, roasted in ghee until plump
A handful of Cashew nuts, roasted in ghee until golden and chopped
1 tsp Salt

Others
Oil, for frying

Method
- In a large non-stick wok, dry roast the maida and rava on a low flame and remove into a wide bowl for kneading
- Add sugar and salt to the roasted maida-rava mixture
- Melt ghee and pour it over the flour and knead to a stiff, yet pliable consistency (much like chapathi dough)
- When it comes together into a ball, add about 2-3 tbsp of oil and knead well
- Cover and set aside
- Mix all the ingredients for the filling in another bowl and set aside
- Now, pull out one inch wide balls of dough and roll into thin,round discs
- Spoon about 1 tbsp of filling into each disc (placing on one side helps with the next step)
- Fold over to form a crescent and seal the edges using your fingers to make 'pleats'
- Set oil on a medium flame, and when heated slowly drop karanjis/crescents into the oil
- Fry until golden brown
- Set aside fried karanjis on paper towel and allow to cool completely (They harden on cooling) and place in air-tight containers to store.

TIP - Make about 5-8 crescents at a time before frying, else they will tend to dry out

Makes around 30-40 karanjis

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