
Gangaur gune
Fried dough shapes in syrup
गणगौर के गुणे: small ribbed shapes of ghee-rich dough fried crisp and dipped in syrup for Gangaur
Gangaur, Rajasthan's spring festival for Gauri, is when women fast and pray for their husbands and married daughters receive a sindhara of sweets from home, and gune are always in it. A ghee-rich dough is rolled thin, pleated or pressed into ribbed shapes and fried crisp, then dipped in sugar syrup or jaggery. They are crunchy, flaky and lightly sweet. The common mistake is under-rubbing the ghee into the flour, which makes them hard rather than short and flaky. Chef's tip: rub until the flour holds a clear fist mark when squeezed; that is when the gune will shatter, not crack.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Serves
- 10
- Per serving
- 330 kcal
Ingredients
For the dough
- 9 oz plain flour (maida)
- 2 ⅛ oz gheemelted
- ½ cup wateras needed
For frying and syrup
- 3 cups ghee or oil for deep-frying
- 7 oz sugar
- ½ cup water
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
Tick what you have; the rest goes in the basket.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Rub 2 ⅛ oz ghee into 9 oz plain flour (maida) for 4–5 minutes until it holds a fist mark when squeezed.
5 minStep 2: Add ½ cup water a little at a time and press into a firm dough. Cover and rest 20 minutes.
22 minStep 3: Roll out thinly (2 mm), cut into 8 × 4 cm strips, pleat each strip like a fan and press the base to seal, or press over a fork to make ribs.
15 minStep 4: Heat 3 cups ghee or oil for deep-frying in a kadhai, no more than a third full, to about 325°F: a scrap of dough should rise slowly with fine bubbles. Never leave the oil unattended.
5 minStep 5: Fry the gune in batches on medium-low heat for 5–6 minutes until pale gold and crisp right through. Drain and cool.
20 minStep 6: Boil 7 oz sugar and ½ cup water to a one-string syrup, about 6 minutes, and stir in ½ tsp ground cardamom.
6 minStep 7: Dip the cooled gune in the warm syrup for a few seconds, lift onto a rack and leave until the glaze dries. Keeps airtight for 2 weeks.
5 min
KrazyBadal
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Chana masala
A North Indian staple that comes together from the store cupboard. Toasted cumin, slow-softened onion and a good spoonful of garam masala give tinned chickpeas real depth. Serve with rice, naan or a stack of warm rotis.
Kaju curryCashew curry
Walk along any wedding buffet in Pune, Mumbai or Ahmedabad and there is usually a chafing dish of kaju curry near the paneer, with guests going back for seconds. Whole cashews are fried in ghee until golden, which makes them crunchy outside and buttery inside, then folded into a rich onion and tomato gravy thickened with more cashews, finished with cream and kasuri methi. The gravy is orange, smooth and rounded with a touch of sweetness; it should taste of roasted nuts and gentle spice, not fire. Gujarati restaurants often serve a spicier Kathiyawadi version, but the wedding style here is the mild one. Eat it with butter naan, tandoori roti or jeera rice. Common mistake: adding the fried cashews too early; they soak up the gravy and turn soft, so fold them in just before serving. Chef's tip: keep a few fried cashews back and scatter them on top at the table so every spoonful has some crunch.
Bagara bainganBaby aubergines in peanut sesame sauce
Bagara baingan is a Hyderabadi wedding dish of small aubergines cooked whole in a dark, tangy gravy of roasted peanuts, sesame, dried coconut and tamarind. Unlike a Gujarati stuffed brinjal, the aubergines here are only quartered at the base and fried until silky, then left to soak up a thin-but-rich sauce that is finished with a tempering, the 'baghar' that gives the dish its name. It's sour, nutty and gently spiced, and is served with biryani, bagara rice or plain rice. Chef's tip: choose small, glossy purple aubergines that feel heavy for their size; soft, light ones are full of seeds and turn mushy before the gravy has a chance to cling.



