Karanji with Coconut Filling (Sweet Indian Empanadas)

Today I am sharing a very simple and easy method of making Karanji which is like a sweet empanada. It is made with a delicious sweet coconut filling. This sweet is also traditionally made for Diwali Faral (feast) in Maharashtra. This is yet another one of our family favorites.

Ingredients:

For the cover: take 1.5 cups wheat flour or maida/all purpose flour (your choice), 1/2 cup fine rava/sooji/cream of wheat, 2 tsp hot oil, pinch of salt.

For the filling: 2 cups shredded coconut, 1&1/2 cups sugar (adjust according to sweetness of sugar), 2 tsp rice flour, 1 tsp crushed cardamom, 1/4 tsp saffron (optional) or few drops of rose essence (optional).

Method:

Add a pinch of salt to the flour and then pour hot oil (2 tsp) over it and knead the dough with water and keep it under wet cloth for 1 hr. You have to keep kneading it after every 20 mins to make it soft.

In a thick bottom pan, mix the shredded coconut and sugar and cook it till the coconut is soft. Then add the rice flour to it and cook for 3-4 mins. Turn off the heat and add the crushed cardamom and saffron or rose essence. Let it cool.

Then make lemon size balls of the dough and roll out little discs. Put about 3 tsp filling and fold it over to make a cresent shape and cut off the edges with a karanji cutter (pinwheel cutter) or you can seal them with maida paste (add some water to maida or all purpose flour and make semi thick paste), if you want.

Deep fry them in hot oil. Cool and refrigerate for extended shelf life. Personally I like to add rose essence to the filling. It gives it a very distinct and interesting flavor.