GULGULA

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This Indian Recipe Makes ± 15 Gulgulas

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Gulgula – also known as Goolgoola or gugula is an Indian doughnut which is shaped as balls & deep fried in vegetable oil.

These doughnuts are usually made for Hindu prayers & are accompanied by Veda’s. Apart from auspicious celebrations, these are also enjoyed by many on a daily basis with a cup of tea. They are super easy to prepare & tastes absolutely delicious.

There are many variations for gulgulas, but this recipe is how my mum & her mum always made them – & I love them this way. Gulgulas do not contain any yeast, they do however consist of baking powder to allow for them to puff up in the oil. The recipe below is sufficient for 1-2 people, it can be doubled or tripled according to your preference.

This is also a great bake to gift someone & also perfect for those Eid & Diwali/Deepavali parcels.

 

Gulgula Ingredients:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• vegetable oil for deep frying
• ¼ cup white granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon cardamom (elachi) powder
• 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 170 ml cold milk
• bowl of water for dampening hands

Method:

1. Add the all purpose flour to a mixing bowl.
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3. To the flour, add in the baking powder. Alternatively, 1 cup of self-raising flour may be used instead of all purpose flour & baking powder.
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5. Add in the desiccated coconut, granulated sugar & the cardamom (elachi) powder.
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7. Mix well.
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9. Add in the vanilla essence.
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11. Pour in the cold milk.
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13. Mix well until it forms a batter.
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15. The batter shouldn’t be too runny as this will prevent it from forming the ball shapes when frying.
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17. If the batter is too runny (weak) add in a little flour & if the batter is too thick, add in a little milk.
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19. Fill a bowl with water & set aside – this will be needed to wet your hands before grabbing portions of the dough for frying.
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21. Heat the vegetable oil in a pot for deep frying on medium heat.
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23. Once the oil is hot enough, wet your hand in the bowl of water & scoop a portion of the mixture in your hand.
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25. Thereafter, drop the dough into the hot oil. Some people use a clenched fist to form the balls but I watched my grandmother when I was younger & she always did a pushing motion with her thumb – taking her thumb into her palm & pushing out towards her fingers to release the dough. (Watch the video below).
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27. Allow the Gulgulas to fry until golden.
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30. Once golden, use a slotted spoon or a spider utensil & remove the Gulgulas from the oil.
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33. Place them onto paper towels to drain off the excess oil.
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35. They are best served whilst hot.
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39. Gulgula’s are best eaten on the same day as they tend to harden if kept for a longer period of time.
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43. They are soft & fluffy on the inside.
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