Somas/Karanji/Karjikai - Diwali sweet

Somas is a sweet made out of maida stuffed with coconut which is one of the favorite for most of us. This is also called as Karanji in North side. This is mostly made during festival seasons like Diwali, Christmas seasons to disturibute among the relatives and neighbors. Kids use to wait throughout the year to enjoy theses recipes during festivals. This will stay good for around a week if the coconut is roasted and the outer layer is fried properly.

 

Preparation time: 1hour

Cook time: 15mins

Total time: 1hr 15mins

Serve: 18-20nos (depending on size)

Cuisine: Indian

Type: Sweet

Author: Nivi Marshal

 

Ingredients:

For coating:

Maida/All purpose flour- 1cup

Salt- as required

Hot Ghee/hot oil- 1tsp

Water- for kneading

 

For stuffing:

Desiccated coconut- ¾ cup

Rava- ¼ cup

Sugar- ½ cup

Roasted gram - ¼ cup

Cardamom- 2nos

Ghee- 1 tbsp

 

*1cup=250ml

Optional ingredients:

Cashewnut- 5nos (crushed)

Raisins- 8nos

Badam- 5nos (crushed)

 

How to prepare Somas:

• In a mixing bowl add maida, oil and salt, add the water gradually and knead a stiff dough. Knead this dough for 8-10mins and rest it for 10mins.
• In a pan add ghee, roast the nuts till colour starts to change then add raisins and fry. Now add rava and roast till aromatic and remove from flame.
• Power the sugar along with cardamom and roasted gram. Add this powder with the roasted rava and mix well along with desiccated coconut. Filling is ready now.
• Divide the dough into small portions and spread it to thin round sheet. Spread this sheet on the Somas mould fill with stuffing, apply water along the edges and seal it, remove the extra dough and use it for next Somas.
• If mould is not available spread the round sheet, fill with stuffing in half side, apply water all over the edges, close the sheet and seal the edges by placing fork impression all over the edges.
• Heat the oil and fry the Somas in medium-low flame till the sizzling of oil reduces and attain golden. Remove from flame cool down completely, place in a polythene bag and store in an air tight container.

 

Tips:

• Add a tbsp of rava while kneading the dough for the Somas to be more crisp.
• Vary the stuffing with the ingredients of your choice, can skip the rava, else reverse the quantity of rava and desiccated coconut.
• If using more rava as a major ingredient for stuffing, powdering the sugar is not required instead roast the rava and add hot rava directly to the sugar.
• If desiccated coconut is not available dry roast the Coconut in low flame till the moisture is absorbed completely.
• Don't fill Somas with more stuffing, it will be difficult to seal also filling may spill out while frying.