Festive time!!When you rack your brains to come up with a variety of sweets and savouries!!
This sweet treat is delicious, can be prepared in advance and generally loved by most people!
It requires a bit of planning, patience and execution!!!
DRY INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Roasted gram dal (Pottu Kadalai)
3/4 Icing Sugar Or Powdered Sugar
¼ Cup Skinned Raw Almonds
¼ Cup Raw Cashew nuts
1 Cup Grated and Dry roasted Copra (coconut)
(Copra is dried kernel of the coconut)
1 Tbs Cardamom Powder
1 Tsp Nutmeg Powder
Grind the above dry ingredients and mix it thoroughly
FOR THE DOUGH
2 Cups Fine Semolina
¼ Cup Plain Flour
¼ Cup Water (add less or more to make a soft dough)
FOR THE STICKY PASTE
4 Tbs. Rice Flour
2 Tsp. Ghee (More ghee if it is necessary to make the paste)
2 Cups Oil (for deep frying)
Sweet Somasi
Preparation
Add the water to the semolina little by little and knead it to form a soft dough and keep it aside for about ½ an hour.
Make it into medium lime sized balls.
Fold through the rice flour and ghee to make a sticky paste to seal the dough when you are ready
Roll out the dough circular in shape to 6 centimetres in diameter patting it with rice flour so it does not stick
Smear the paste around the corner of the dough.
Roll out some more of the dough in the similar circular shape and size
Place it over the first one and repeat it for 4 rollouts
Roll the above into a straight line and cut it into small pieces
To prepare the Somasi just before frying
Roll out each cut out piece into a circular shape of about 2-3 cm in diameter
Place the filling (powdered mixture) in the centre.
Smear the sticky paste around the corner of the dough
Cover one half of the dough on to the other and paste it firmly with the sticky paste
With the help of the grated pastry cutter, cut around it, placing the spoon around the pasted edge.
(ensure that the pastry is completely sealed – the extra dough can be mixed with the remainder of the dough to be used)
Heat the oil in a deep frying pan.
Slide each pastry gently into the oil and fry till the pastry turns golden brown.
Drain it on a paper towel. Repeat this process till done.
Note: The sticky paste made with the rice flour and ghee should be made fresh as and when it is used up.
Do not make it in a larger quantity as the paste will dry up and will not prove useful in pasting the dough.
You may dust the finished Somasi by sieving through icing sugar!
Dried Copra is preferable to use for the mix – alternatively you may also roast grated coconut!