Madata Kajalu or Tapeswaram Kajalu

Happy Diwali to all of you :)

Madata kajalu are very popular in Andhra and they are also called Tapeswaram kajalu. Tapeswaram is a village in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh and is famous for this sweet.
Let's see how to make them.

                                         

                                                                       
                                         
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

What you need:

For the Dough:

Maida or all purpose flour-4 cups
Baking powder or cooking soda-a pinch
Hot ghee-3 tablespoons

For dusting:
Bengal gram flour (besan)-1/4 a cup
Ghee-3 tablespoons

For the syrup:
Sugar-4 cups
Cardamom powder-1 teaspoon
Lemon juice-1 teaspoon

Oil for deep fry

                                                       
                                             

      Preparation:

1. Sieve the flour into a large bowl and add baking powder, hot ghee and mix it well. Make a soft dough (like poori dough) by adding water a little by little.
2. Cover it with a wet cloth and leave it for half an hour. Kneed it well and divide the dough equally into four balls.
3. Roll two balls into big circles (not too thin) using a rolling pin and on one circle, apply the ghee and sprinkle the gram flour over the surface.
4. Cover it with another circle evenly and start rolling it upwards like a mat. You can refer to the picture. At the edge, wet with water and close firmly.
5. Now cut the tube into one inch pieces using a knife and keep aside the two uneven edges (from the top and bottom of the tube). You will see layers from the side view of each piece.
6. Press lightly on the top of each piece with your finger or rolling pin. Do not press them too hard, otherwise the shape will be ruined.
7. Boil the sugar in a heavy bottomed vessel and make a syrup of one string consistency. Add the cardamom powder and lemon juice to it and turn off the stove. Cover it with a lid.
8. Heat the oil in a pan or wok and fry 4 or 5 pieces of the dough on a low to medium flame.
9. Once they turn golden in colour, remove them and immerse in the syrup for 1-2 minutes until they absorb it. 
10. Transfer them onto a large plate and allow them to dry and do like-wise with the rest of the dough.

Once they dry, store in an air tight container.You won't be able to resist eating them one by one :)

Note: Avoid frying the kajalu on a high flame because they will not get cooked well on the inside. If you are making small circles, you can place three circles on each other and roll into a tube. Adding lemon juice prevents the crystallization of the sugar syrup.