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Recipes
4 Servings
This karanji recipe gives you crisp, flaky half-moon pastries filled with a fragrant coconut and sugar stuffing. Fried in King's Soyabean Oil, the golden shells turn out light and layered, with a soft, sweet filling inside. Karanji is a favourite in every Maharashtrian Diwali faral platter, and it makes the Deepawali celebrations feel complete.
This Maharashtrian karanji uses a simple dough of maida, fine semolina and hot oil that gives the shell its flaky, crisp bite. The sweet karanji filling of coconut, sugar, cardamom and dry fruits is easy to prepare and stays moist inside. Frying in King's Soyabean Oil gives an even golden colour and keeps the pastry light, so this Diwali karanji recipe works well every time.
Karanji has a gentle sweetness from coconut and sugar, warmed with cardamom and nutmeg, wrapped in a crunchy shell. The dough is kneaded firm, rolled thin, filled, sealed tightly and fried in King's Soyabean Oil over low to medium heat so the layers puff, crisp up and turn evenly golden.
Follow these simple steps to prepare this recipe with balanced flavor and texture.
Dry roast 2 tablespoons of fine semolina (sooji) on low heat for 1–2 minutes, then keep aside.
Lightly roast 1 cup of grated dry coconut (or fresh coconut) for 2–3 minutes until fragrant.
Mix the coconut with the semolina, ½ cup of powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon of cardamom powder and a pinch of nutmeg.
Add 2 tablespoons of chopped almonds, cashews and raisins, plus 1 tablespoon of roasted poppy seeds if you like.
Let the filling cool completely.
In a bowl, mix 2 cups of maida, 2 tablespoons of fine semolina and a pinch of salt.
Add ¼ cup of hot King's Soyabean Oil and rub it in until the flour holds together when pressed.
Add milk or water a little at a time and knead into a firm, smooth dough.
Cover with a damp cloth and rest for 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into small lemon-sized balls and roll each into a thin circle, about 3–4 inches wide.
Place 1½ tablespoons of filling in the centre.
Brush the edges with water, fold into a half-moon and press firmly to seal.
Trim with a fluted cutter or crimp the edges by hand. Keep the shaped karanji covered while you work.
Heat King's Soyabean Oil in a deep kadai over low to medium heat.
Slide in 3–4 karanji at a time without crowding the pan.
Fry for 5–7 minutes, turning gently, until golden brown on both sides.
Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
Filled fried sweets like karanji need a cooking oil that heats evenly and holds a steady temperature, so the shell cooks through without darkening too fast. King's Soyabean Oil is a dependable edible oil for Diwali faral recipes, helping you get a flaky texture, a clean golden colour and consistent results batch after batch.
Mustard oil has a strong, pungent flavour, and groundnut oil adds a nutty note, which can mask the delicate cardamom and coconut in a sweet filling. Soybean oil has a neutral taste, so the flavours of the karanji shine through. This makes King's Soyabean Oil a good cooking oil for karanji, chakli, shankarpali and other festive snacks.
