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Kusli
Semolina-filled Diwali pastries
कुसली: Chhattisgarh's Diwali pastries filled with roasted semolina, coconut and sugar
Kusli are the crimped half-moon pastries that fill tins in Chhattisgarhi homes before Diwali and Chhath, close cousins of the gujiya and karanji but filled with semolina roasted in ghee, dry coconut and sugar rather than mawa. They keep for a fortnight and are handed to visitors with thethri and khurmi. The common mistake is frying them in very hot oil; they blister and brown outside while the pastry stays raw within. Chef's tip: seal the edges with a dab of milk and a firm pinch-and-fold twist so not a crumb of filling leaks into the oil.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 9 oz plain flour (maida)
- 3 tbsp ghee, melted
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ cup waterapproximately
For the filling
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 3 ½ oz fine semolina
- 2 ⅛ oz desiccated coconut
- 3 ½ oz powdered sugar
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 1 ⅜ oz chopped cashews and raisins
- 2 tbsp milk for sealing
To fry
- 2 ½ cups oil for deep-frying
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Rub 3 tbsp ghee, melted into 9 oz plain flour (maida) and 1 pinch salt until it holds together when squeezed, then add ½ cup water slowly and knead to a firm, smooth dough. Cover and rest 20 minutes.
25 minStep 2: Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a pan over low heat and roast 3 ½ oz fine semolina 6–7 minutes, stirring, until it smells nutty and turns pale gold.
7 minStep 3: Add 2 ⅛ oz desiccated coconut and roast 2 minutes more. Cool completely, then mix in 3 ½ oz powdered sugar, ½ tsp ground cardamom and 1 ⅜ oz chopped cashews and raisins.
15 minStep 4: Divide the dough into 20 balls, roll each into a 9 cm round and put a heaped tablespoon of filling on one half.
15 minStep 5: Brush the edge with 2 tbsp milk for sealing, fold over, press firmly and crimp with a twist or a fork. Keep finished kusli under a cloth.
10 minStep 6: Heat 2 ½ cups oil for deep-frying in a kadhai. Pour in oil no deeper than a third of the pan's depth and heat it over medium heat; it is ready when a pinch of dough sinks and rises within 2–3 seconds with steady bubbles. Never leave hot oil unattended. Then lower the heat to medium-low.
6 minStep 7: Fry 4–5 kusli at a time for 6–7 minutes, turning, until evenly pale gold and crisp. Drain on paper and cool completely before storing airtight.
25 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kusli take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour (maida)?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of ghee, melted?
- Butter, same amount (keep the heat a little lower, butter burns sooner).
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