Eggless
Peraki is a seasonal Bengali dessert that resembles a turnover with a rich stuffing of milk solids or khowa, grated coconut, chopped nuts and date palm jaggery. These are deep-fried and then dipped in warm sugar syrup to get a crunchy texture on the outside while the centre remains juicy.
Also known as Peragi, it resembles the North Indian popular Holi sweet known as Mawa Gujiya, which is also made during the spring season. The only difference is the use of date palm jaggery in peraki recipe, whereas sugar or normal sugarcane jaggery is used in a mawa gujiya recipe. All in all, this is a jaggery and coconut gujiya recipe, which has loads of dry fruits in it as well.
This Indian sweet recipe is particularly very popular during the spring season when the festival of colours, Holi is celebrated. Often families make a huge batch of Gujiyas to serve to their friends and family. Bengalis make Peraki during the winters when the fresh nolen gur or date palm jaggery is available. During rest of the year, either normal jaggery is used or totally skipped and replaced with sugar.
So, let’s check out how to make Bengali Perakis or Mawa Gujiyas.
Table of Contents
How to make Peraki or Mawa Gujiyas – Ingredients list
- Nolen Gur or Date Palm Jaggery – alternate would be sugarcane jaggery or sugar
- Freshly grated Coconut
- Dry Fruits like Cashew, Almonds
- Raisins
- Khowa or Milk Solids – alternate would be Condensed Milk
- All-purpose Flour
- Ghee or Clarified Butter – alternate would be Butter
- Refined Oil to Fry
- Sugar & Water for Syrup
How to make Peraki or Mawa Gujia at Home?
- To make the perakis, there are basically three steps to it. First, the filling is prepared using freshly grated coconut mixed with grated date-palm jaggery, khowa and chopped nuts & raisins. Everything is cooked together on a very low heat which helps it bind. Once it is done, it is allowed to cool down completely.
As I mentioned, if you do now have Khowa in your pantry, you can try the Milkmaid Gujiya recipe version. Simply make some instant khowa by mixing 1 cup Powdered Milk with 1/4 cup Condensed Milk and cook it on a low flame till a dough is formed. Once it cools down completely, crumble it and use it as khowa. With this, you can try this gujiya recipe without mawa.
Also, if you do not have Date Palm Jaggery in your pantry or don’t know where to find some, don’t worry. Skip it and use any other Jaggery instead. If you do not want to use jaggery, then you can use Brown Sugar or normal Granulated Sugar as well.
- Meanwhile, the pastry dough is prepared using flour, fat (ghee or butter) and water. Small thin circular discs are rolled out which get stuffed with the filling and then folded to make a crimped pattern at the edges. This is deep-fried and then dipped in thick and warm sugar syrup. It is then immediately taken out and allowed to dry. Once it cools down, it gets a crunchy and flaky outer shell with a soft and oozing centre.
Make-ahead or Freezing Option
These Coconut & Mawa Gujiyas have a decent shelf life as they are deep fried and then sugar syrup coated. So, keep them in an air-tight container and they will remain good for over a week. Provided they last last that long, mine doesn’t because we just cannot stop eating them!!
If you are planning to make a big batch of these gujiyas for your Holi celebration, then you can prepare them ahead of your party. You can make the stuffing ahead and refrigerate it in an airtight container. Before using, allow it to thaw and warm it in your Microwave oven so that it becomes easy to handle.
You can also fold the gujiyas and freeze them ahead. Later you can deep fry them and drop them in the syrup. In that case, line a baking tray with parchment paper and place the gujiyas on it. Cover the tray with a clingwrap sheet and freeze it.
List of popular Bengali Sweets Recipes for you to try!
- Instant Malpoa recipe
- Khaja or Chiroti
- Chanar Jilipi or Paneer Jalebi
- Chitrakut
- Nikuti
- Pranhara Sandesh
- Ice Cream Sandesh | Bhapa Sandesh Recipe
- Bengali Misti Khasta Goja Recipe
Have you tried this recipe?I would love to hear about it.
Tag me on Instagram@priyankabhattacharya.saor Facebook@hashdiariesand I will share it further.
Peraki | Bengali Mawa Gujiya Recipe
Prep Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr 15 mins
Peraki is a seasonal Bengali dessert that resembles a turnover with a rich stuffing of milk solids or khowa, grated coconut, chopped nuts and date palm jaggery. These are deep-fried and then dipped in warm sugar syrup to get a crunchy texture on the outside while the centre remains juicy.
Course:Dessert
Cuisine:Bengali
Keyword:Bengali Sweets Recipes, Coconut Recipes, Gujiya, Happy Holi Sweets Recipes, Indian Sweets Recipes, Jaggery Recipes, Peraki
Servings: 18 pieces
Author: Priyanka
Ingredients
For Stuffing
- ½cupCoconutFreshly grated
- ¼cupDate Palm JaggeryGrated
- ⅓cupKhowa or Milk Solids
- 1cupChopped NutsAlmonds & Cashew
- ½cupRaisins
For the pastry dough
- 2cupsAll-purpose Flour
- 4tbspGhee or Butter
- A Pinch of Salt
For Sugar syrup
- 1cupSugar
- ½cupWater
Instructions
First, the filling is prepared using freshly grated coconut mixed with grated date-palm jaggery, khowa and chopped nuts & raisins. Everything is cooked together on a very low heat which helps it bind. Once it is done, it is allowed to cool down completely.
Meanwhile, the pastry dough is prepared using flour, fat (ghee or butter) and water. Knead it into a tight dough. Divide it into 18 equal portions. Keep them covered using a damp towel
Roll a dough ball into a circular disc of 3 inches diameter. place a teaspoon of filling onto one half and fold the other half over it. Bring the edges together and start pinching them in to make a crimped pattern.
Repeat with the rest of the dough.
Now, prepare the sugar syrup by heating the sugar with water till it comes to double string consistency. Check by taking some of the syrup between your index finger and thumb and pinch. While pulling back if it forms double strings, then it is read. Be very careful, the syrup is very hot so handle with care.
Heat the oil and deep fry the perakis or gujiyas on medium low heat till they run golden. Take them out and drop them in the syrup. Turn them over once and then take them out and keep them on a wire rack. Allow them to cool and harden before keeping them in a container.
