SOJJAPPALU

Sojjappalu- a traditional Andhra sweet made for many festivals. Also called the sweet puri, this recipe is surely one of the best traditional sweets. Puri is filled with the kesari(suji halwa) and then deep fried to golden perfection. One cannot stop eating one. You will want to have one after another. Give it a try for the next special occasion.
INGREDIENTS

• Maida                     2 cups
• Salt                         a pinch
• Ghee                      2 Tsp.
• Water                     to make the dough

for the filling

• Sooji                      1 cup
• Sugar                     1+1/2 cup
• Ghee                       4 Tsp.
• Dry fruits               2 Tsp.
• Water                     2+1/2 cups

oil for deep frying the sojjappalu
PROCEDURE
Add ghee and salt to the maida and mix well. Add enough water and make a soft dough, just like the puri dough.
Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.
Mean while make the sooji halwa.
Heat ghee in a pan and add the dry fruits. Fry them and remove them into a bowl.
In the same ghee fry the sooji for a minute and add the water. When all the water is absorbed by the sooji add the sugar.
Cook on a medium flame till the halwa is thick.
Add the fried nuts and remove onto a plate.
Let the mixture cool. The halwa becomes even more thicker after cooling.
Heat a deep frying pan and add enough oil to fry the sojjappalu.
Take a small portion of the dough and gently press it on a banana leaf or polythene cover. Use oil or ghee so that the dough do not stick on to the hand or the cover. Make a small sized puri.
Take a lemon sized ball of halwa and fill the puri with the halwa and bring all the edges of the puri together so that the halwa is fully covered.(just the way you make  aloo paratha)
Again make the ball into a flat thick disk.
Make all of the sojjappalu and deep fry them on a medium high flame till they are golden brown and crisp on the out.
Remove them onto a paper towel to remove excess oil.
Enjoy them hot or cold.
TIPS

• The halwa should be covered fully with the maida layer, otherwise the halwa will come out while frying.
• Add more sugar to suite your taste.
• If you are making a big batch of sojjappalu, make sure you cover them before they are fried, otherwise the maida layer will dry up.
• Use as much of oil or ghee while pressing the sojjappalu, so that they remain soft ever after a day or two.
• You can also try frying the sojjappalu on  a tawa with little ghee or oil.