Peragi

Wishing everyone a Happy Holi. Play a healthy, safe and colourful Holi.

Peragi is fried pastry filled with a khoya & nuts mixture and soaked in sugar syrup. Though its traditional and a must have treat during festivals like Holi / Diwali it can be prepared at home any time.

Here is the recipe for Peragi. The method of preparing the sugar syrup, kneading dough and stuffing is almost same like lobongo lotika. Only difference is in the style of folding and sealing the peragi.

Ingredients:

• 250 gms (2 cups) plain flour (maida)
• 500 gms (4 cups) mawa / khoya kheer
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 100 gms (1 cup) sugar
• 100 ml (1 cup) water (as required)
• 2 tbsp white oil / ghee (for kneading dough)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cardamom powder
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
• 3 tbsp raisins (kishmish)
• ½ cup (100 gms) chopped almonds
• white oil, for frying

Sugar Syrup

• 2 cups sugar
• 4 cups water
• 4-5 green cardamom (chhoti elaichi)

Procedure:

Preparing sygar syrup:

1. To make the hot sugar syrup, take a deep pan, mix the 2 cups of sugar to 1 cup of water. (ratio is 1 part of sugar to 2 parts of water) and bring to a boil.
2. Add 4-5 cardamom pods (crushed).
3. Mix with a spoon until all the sugar is dissolved in water. (Do not overheat, or else sugar will get caramelized / hard).
4. Boil the syrup and then simmer to reduce the water by half. Keep aside.

Mawa / Khoya Kheer Filling / Stuffing:

1. Crumple the khoya kheer / mawa with hand.
2. Take a heavy bottomed non-stick pan, add the crumpled khoya kheer / mawa, add nutmeg powder & cardamom powder and raisins and stir on low flame for 3-4 mins.
3. Remove from heat and keep aside to cool.

Preparing the dough:

1. Take a bowl, sift flour and baking powder. Add 1 tsp white oil and boiling water.
2. Mix well and knead to form a soft dough (but not too loose). Keep aside covered for 30 mins.
3. Divide the dough into small round balls.
4. Take a rolling board and roll out one ball into round thin pancakes (like puri / luchi, only slightly bigger and thicker).
5. Put 1 tsp of the khoya kheer / mawa filling in the center of the rolled out pancake.
6. Dip a finger in water and lightly coat the edges of the pancake.
7. Fold the puri in half, lightly press the edges together with fingers and make small & neat pleats and seal the edges carefully (so that it forms a half moon shape).

Frying:

1. Heat oil in deep bottomed kadhai / pan. Lower the flame.
2. Slowly release the prepared peragi (one or two at a time) to oil and fry on slow heat.
3. Deep fry in a frying pan until golden brown (evenly fried on all sides). Flip to other side and fry till even light brown.
4. Remove peragi from oil and drain the excess oil by keeping the peragi on a paper towel / tissue paper.

Coating in sugar syrup:

1. Dip the fried peragis in the warm sugar syrup, ensure even coating on all sides (Use a strainer).
2. Immediately remove from sugar syrup and refrigerate.
3. Serve cold / warm as per taste.