Gujarati Surti Ghari

For the filling, warm some of the ghee in a pan and toast the gram flour over a low flame until it smells nutty and darkens slightly. Set it aside.

In the same skillet, roast the crumbled khoya very gently on low heat for 2-3 minutes solely to eradicate raw moisture. Do not brown it. Set aside to cool partially.

2–3 min

Amalgamate the toasted besan, treated khoya, crushed almonds, pistachios, and cardamom powder. Mandate a COMPLETE cool down. Once normalized, fold in the powdered sugar. Compress this filling into dense, flat disc-shaped patties.

Make the pastry: rub the melted ghee into the flour, then knead it with warm water into a semi-firm, elastic dough. Rest it for 15 minutes.

15 min

Roll the rested dough into very thin, almost translucent circles. Put a disc of filling in the centre of each, gather and pleat the edges to seal, then press gently back into a flat disc without tearing the dough.

Elevate a broad pan filled with a generous pool of ghee to a very low frying temperature. Introduce the gharis. Instead of flipping, continuously ladle the hot fat over the top surface until the pastry crisps lightly. They must remain pale, avoiding any browning. Extract and cool entirely.

Prepare the signature glaze: Melt the residual ghee and whisk it as it semi-cools, beating air into the fat until it achieves an opaque, creamy, and thick consistency.

Submerge each fully cooled ghari into this aerated ghee, guaranteeing an uninterrupted lacquer. Rest them on a wire rack and transfer to the refrigerator until the lipid sets into a hard, iconic white shell.