Kajji Kayalu

Ingredients:
Maida 250gms
Unsalted Butter 55gms (At Room Temperature)
Water To Knead the Dough (125gms)
Grated Coconut 200gms
Sweetened Condensed Milk 200gms
Ghee 15gms (1Tbsp)
Cardamoms 5
For Syrup:
Sugar 150gms
Water 75gms (75ml)

Preparations:
For Dough:
Take a mixing bowl and add maida. Use butter which is kept at room
temperature. If the butter is not at room temperature and is hard, soften it in
a microwave oven on high power for 30 seconds. Add the softened butter
to maida and mix well. Mix the butter by rubbing between fingers so that
butter gets incorporated well into maida. Add water little by little and make
a firm yet soft dough. If the dough is too soft and sticky it will be difficult to
roll it. If the dough is hard then also the kajjikayalu will not puff up. So take
care while preparing the dough. The dough should be firm yet soft to touch.
Cover the prepared dough and keep it aside for one hour. Meanwhile let us
prepare the stuffing.
For Stuffing:
Crush cardamoms and remove their skins. Powder the cardamom seeds in
a mortar & pestle. Cover the cardamom powder to retain the aroma till use.
Heat a pan and add ghee to it. When ghee is melted add grated coconut
and fry stirring on low flame. Fry the coconut till it loses some moisture and
becomes dry. Stirring while frying the coconut is important otherwise
coconut gets burnt at the bottom of the pan. When coconut is dry add
sweetened condensed milk and mix well. Cook stirring on low flame till the
mixture gets halwa texture. Add cardamom powder and mix well. Cook
stirring for a minute and then transfer the coconut mixture to a bowl and
keep it aside for cooling.
Method:
Make equal sized oblong shaped balls of the coconut mixture. The m
mixture makes 14 balls. Similarly make equal sized 14 balls of the prepared
dough. Before making balls knead the dough well. Then make 14 balls of
the dough. Heat a pan and add oil for frying kajjikayalu. Spread a paper
napkin in a plate and keep it ready. After frying the kajjikayalu we will place
them on the paper napkin to soak excess oil. Similarly place a wire rack in
a plate to drain excess syrup from the syrup coated kobbari kova
kajjikayalu.
Now let us start rolling. Take a ball and roll to a small discroll it in even
thickness. Place a coconut ball in the center of the disc and fold the disc
over the coconut ball. Press and seal the edges and stretch the sealed
portion slightly to enable to make a design. Start folding to give a design to
the folded edges. Fold a small portion starting from a corner. Observe a
pointed edge and start making the second fold holding the pointed portion
of the edge. Observe that for every fold we get a pointed edge. Fold the
pointed portion to form the pattern. Like this fold till the end and make a
designer kobbari kova kajjikaya. Similarly make three more kajjikayalu and
arrange them separately in a plate. When oil is hot enough we will fry these
kajjikayalu. But before frying, let us prepare the syrup. In a pan take sugar
and add water to it. Heat this pan of sugar and water and stir to melt the
sugar. Cook the sugar solution till the syrup reaches one-thread
consistency. When the reading on candy thermometer shows 110
o
C then
the syrup reaches one-thread consistency. While the syrup reaches its
consistency, let us fry the kajjikayalu. Drop kajjikayalu carefully into the hot
oil. After some time when one side is dry turn them carefully with a ladle.
Do not overcrowd the oil by adding too many kajjikayaluleave enough
space for the kajjikayalu to float in oil. Fry the kajjikayalu on medium heat
turning the sides till they are golden in color. Remove them from oil with a
slotted ladle and place them on the paper napkin which will soak excess oil.
By this time if we observe, the syrup is thick. Insert a candy thermometer
into the syrup and measure the temperature. When the reading on candy
thermometer shows 110
o
C, switch off the flame and add the fried kobbari
kova kajjikayalu. Coat them evenly with the syrup and take them out of the
syrup with a slotted ladle. Place the syrup coated kobbari kova kajjikayalu
on the wire rack to drain any excess syrup.
On cooling the syrup becomes thick. Add some hot water to the syrup and
boil till it reaches one-thread consistency.
Repeat the process of making, frying and coating with syrup of kobbari
kova kajjikayalu. Place all the kobbari kova kajjikayalu on the wire rack till
they are completely cool. Once they cool down the syrup on them thickens
and will not be sticky. Then store or serve the tasty kobbari kova
kajjikayalu.
Points to Remember:
Use ghee or oil to rub into the flour, if butter is not available. However
adding butter makes the kobbari kova kajjikayalu soft and flaky.
Another option for a better tasting filling is using milk and jaggery instead of
condensed milk. However using condensed milk saves time.
Allowing rest period for the dough will make the dough soft and stretchable.
Fry the kobbari kova kajjikayalu on medium flame only for even browning.
Using a candy thermometer is much easier than checking the thread
consistencyso invest in a good candy thermometer.
Act fast while coating the fried kobbari kova kajjikayalu with syrupas
syrup thickens on cooling. The thickened syrup when coated on the kobbari
kova kajjikayalu further thickens on cooling and appears as if they were
sprinkled with some white powder. The consistency is very important. At
the given consistency it just coats well. If the consistency is thin, the
kobbari kova kajjikayalu will soak the syrup and becomes soggy. If the
consistency is thick, the sugar appears as white powder on cooling on
kobbari kova kajjikayalu. So, if necessary, heat the mixture to not allow the
syrup to crystallize.
Last but not the least, involving family members while making this dish not
only eases the work but it will also be fun.

Enjoy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!