Welcoming 2012 with Sanjeera (Sweet Bread stuffed with Rava Kesari)

Sanjeera is a sweet flat bread which has a stuffing of rava kesari. Sanjeera is very similar to Puranpoli. I got this recipe from a cook book written by Jaya V Shenoy. I have made slight variations. 
Making this sweet is little time consuming and requires lot of patience. Hence I have given in detail with pictures, so that it helps the beginners. This is my first try and it tasted good. We all loved it. 

Sanjeera characterizes sweet inside a cover. As you eat, you enjoy the stuffed sweetness till the end. May the year 2012 uncover sweet times for all of you! Very Happy New Year!

Ingredients:

For the outer Covering:

• All Purpose flour/Maida- 1 1/4 cup+ 2 Tbsp for dusting
• Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
• Oil- 4-5 tsp
• Water- 1/2 cup (minus 1-2 tsp, adjust accordingly)

For Stuffing:

• Sooji/Semolina/Rava, fine - 1 cup
• Ghee/Clarified butter- 1/4 cup
• Water, piping hot- 2 cup
• Sugar- 1 1/2 cup (adjust accordingly)
• Saffron strands- Few
• Cardamom powder- 1/2 tsp

Procedure:

Take All purpose flour in a mixing bowl along with turmeric powder. Mix well. Now add water in small amount, to get a soft elastic dough ( It has to be soft, otherwise it becomes difficult to roll). Then add oil and knead it for 3-4 minutes. Rest this dough in a closed container for 3-4 hours. 

For making stuffing-

Take rava in a pan. Add ghee and start frying it on a medium flame, until a nice aroma is got.

Now add piping hot water to the fried rava and mix well. Also add saffron strands dissolved in warm milk.

Once the water gets evaporated, add sugar and mix well. Once everything comes together, turn off the heat and add cardamom powder. Mix well. Allow it to cool completely. Stuffing is ready.

Now the assembling part:

Take the dough and knead it few times. Divide the dough into 14 equal parts.

Now make 14 equal sized balls of the stuffing as well.

So now, we are ready to make the sweet stuffed bread.

Now take one portion of the dough and start rolling it by dipping in all purpose flour. Let the size of the poori be 5-6cm in diameter.

Now place a ball of the stuffing , at the center of the poori.

Now start sealing the stuffing with the poori as shown below.

Once this is done, press it slightly.

Start rolling it carefully (with the sealed edge facing you,till it is done). Use flour as required, for dusting. The final size of the rolled bread is of the approximate size 15-16cm, in diameter.

Fry this bread on a tawa, on a medium-high flame, as soon as it is done (If you want to make many before frying, then close the rolled bread with a damp cloth, so that it doesn't get dried).

Apply ghee on either side while frying. Look how it puffed up! My happiness knew no boundaries looking at it! This moment makes you forget all your effort:-)

Fry on both sides, until you get brown spots (I usually spread hot Sanjeera on a news paper/paper towel/cloth. This prevents it from turning soggy because of the steam, when piled up).

Sanjeera  is ready!!

Serve it hot with generous amount of ghee. Above measurement makes 14 big sized Sanjeeras.