Ingredients:
Dough
300 gramsall-purpose flour
3 teaspoonsghee, or vegetable or sunflower oil
Filling
175 gramsfresh coconut, grated (you can use dried unsweetened coconut if you can’t find fresh)
6 green cardamom pods, crushed with a pestle and mortar and husks removed
1 teaspoonfennel seeds, crushed with a pestle and mortar
100 gramsgranulated sugar
3 teaspoonsghee or vegetable oil, plus extra for frying
35 gramsraw pistachios, finely chopped, divided
Directions:
First, make the dough. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl, then add the ghee and combine. Slowly add 150 milliliters of water and knead until it all comes together into a flexible dough. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave it to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the filling. Combine the grated coconut, sugar, crushed cardamom seeds, fennel seeds and 30 grams of chopped pistachios in a bowl and mix well to combine.
Heat the ghee, add the mixed filling ingredients and cook in a frying pan over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and combined with the other ingredients, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool before you begin to make the gujiya.
Divide your rested dough into 20 equally-sized balls. Dust a work surface with flour and roll each ball into a thin circle, between 3 ½ to 4 inches in diameter, one at a time. Place a heaped teaspoon of the filling in the centre of the circle then, using your thumb and forefinger, pinch together around the filling to seal the parcels so the filling doesn’t escape. Repeat until you have made all 20.
Half-fill a heavy-based, deep pan with ghee or vegetable oil and heat to 345 to 355ºF (175 to 180ºC). Once hot, drop in your gujiyas in batches and fry for 3-4 minutes until crispy and golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain the excess ghee. Repeat until all of the gujiyas are cooked, then sprinkle with the remaining pistachios to serve. Store in an airtight container.