Chandrakala (festival sweets)

• Servings: 
• Preparing sugar syrup time: 6-8 minutes.
• Preparing stuffing time: 3-4 minutes.
• Preparing dough time: 3-4 minutes
• Preparation time: 1-2 minutes(each).
• Frying time: 12-15 minutes(per batches).
• Dip into sugar syrup time: 2-3 minutes.
• Total time: 36 minutes.

Chandrakala is a traditional Indian sweet, popular in North India, especially during festivals like Holi and Diwali; when I eat with my family and friends, it is a moment of real pleasure.

It’s shape like a crescent moon, which gives it its name, Chandrakala is made with a crisp outer pastry filled with a rich stuffing of khoya (milk solids), dry fruits.

The delicate pastry is fried to golden perfection and then dipped in sugar syrup, giving it a beautiful glossy finish. Chandrakala is similar to its cousin, Gujhiya, but often has a thicker, more elaborate filling. It is loved for its crunchy exterior and the soft, melt-in-mouth filling, making it a favorite festive treat.

It is very tempting and delicious too.

Ingredients  for stuffing:

• Khoa (Mawa): 200 gm
• Sugar: 100 gm (powder)
• Green cardamom Powder: 1 teaspoon
• Almond: 10-15 no. (Cut into thin slices)
• Dry grapes (kismis): 20 gm
• Cashew nut: 20 gm (Cut into pieces)
• Pistachio: 20 gm (Cut into pieces)
• Ghee: 1 tablespoon

For dough (outer layer):

• Maida (refined flour):200 gm
•  Ghee: 50 ml
• Ghee: for deep frying

For sugar syrup:

• Sugar: 250 gm
• Water: 100 ml

Preparation:

For sugar syrup:

1. Take a large pan, put sugar and water; add cardamom powder and saffron and bring it to boil.
2. Let this (syrup) boil for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat, sugar syrup is ready.

Method:

For stuffing:

1. Take a non stick fry pan. Pour 1 table spoon of ghee, when ghee become hot add Cashew nut, Almond, Dry grapes, Pistachio all together and fry for 20 to 30 seconds.
2. Add Khoa and fry on medium flame. Stir continuously till it become light brown in colour.
3. Keep aside, allow to cool to room temperature, add sugar powder and mix properly.
4. Now, stuffing is ready.

For making dough:

1. Take a wide vessel; pour Maida, ghee. Mix well by rubbing between palms.
2. Add water in small quantity and knead them, if required put some more water till the dough become soft.
3.  (The dough can be made in food processor also)
4. Cover and Keep aside, to be used after 20-30 minutes.

For making Chandrakala:

1. Take dough, make small balls (~ 0.5 inch dia).
2. Roll the balls in 3 inch diameter circle like small Poories.
3. Take one poori, Place 2 teaspoon stuffing in the centre of the poori
4. apply wet finger around the edge of the poori.
5. Cover it with another poori.
6. Press the edge of the poori, so that edges stick properly.
7. Fold the edges with finger.
8. Now, the raw Chandrakala is ready to fry.
9. Heat ghee in a fry pan on medium heat (to check if oil is ready, put a little piece of dough in the oil it comes up slowly).
10. Deep fry it on medium to low heat.
11. Note: if it is fried on high heat, it will be soft. It will be not crunchy.
12. After it starts to puff slowly turn over.
13.  Fry till it becomes golden brown from both sides( it takes about 6-8 minutes). Take it out, let it be room temperature.
14. Dip it into the sugar syrup. After 1-2 minutes, take out pieces on strainer.
15. Now Chandrakala is ready.

Garnish:

1. with almond, Pistachio slices and saffron threads.
2.  Now, awesome and delicious Chandrakala is ready to eat.
3. While serving, on the top a small tea spoon sugar syrup can be added by making hole with finger (optional).
4.    Yummy Chandrakala is ready to serve for any festive occasion.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

Chandrakala (festival sweets) by Nag Ratna Sahu is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.