Light, Crunchy Kulkuls Recipe

How to Make Crunchy Kulkuls

Today we’re making delicious, crunchy kulkuls, a classic Goan bite-size pastry that is a traditional fixture on Christmas sweet platters in Goan homes. My recipe makes light and crunchy kulkuls that puff up and expand in the oil as they get fried, but without losing their shape. In the video, you’ll also find all the tips you need to learn how to make kulkuls that are crunchy and not dense.

You might want to make a large batch because the Goan kulkuls are that delicious. In that case, you’ll have to get the others in your family to help out in shaping the Christmas kulkuls. But why wait just for Christmas? You could make them at any time of the year and enjoy gorging on them.

Interested in some more tasty Christmas recipes? Do check out my recipes for super-tasty Goan baath cake, delicious bolinhas, healthy Christmas box cookies, yummy Goan milk toffee, flavourful Goan coconut candy, and original recipe for decorative, baked neoreo (karanjis).

Ingredients

1 ½ cup (190g) maida (all-purpose flour)

1 ½ tbsp pure ghee / butter

¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar, powdered

½ egg yolk

½ tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp salt

Milk as needed

Oil for deep frying the kulkuls

Procedure

1. Sift the maida. Mix in the salt.
2. Add the warm ghee. Rub it into the flour.
3. Add the vanilla extract and the sugar and mix everything.
4. Lightly whisk and intact egg yolk (volume approx. 1 tbsp). Transfer 1 ½ tsp of the yolk to the flour mix.
5. Add the milk a little at a time, adding enough to make a pliable dough that’s not too hard or too soft.
6. Cover the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes.
7. Knead the dough for a few seconds and then divide it into four parts. As you shape one of these into a ball, keep the other three parts covered so the dough won’t dry out while you’re making the kulkuls.
8. Now draw this dough ball into a long rope around ½” thick. Cut it into segments at intervals of around ½ inch. Keep the dough segments covered in a small bowl as you begin shaping the kulkuls.
9. Use either the back of a fork, a clean comb reserved only for making kulkuls, or a plastic paddle with ridges. Lightly grease these first.
10. Press a dough segment on your kulkul mould and apply light pressure and spread it out using your thumb and fingers. Roll out the kulkuls and then seal the rolled-out end with the tips of the teeth of comb/tines of the fork, so the kulkuls won’t uncurl too much when they puff up in the hot oil when they’re being fried.
11. Place the shaped kulkuls in a tray or plate and cover them with a napkin to keep them from drying out.
12. Deep fry the kulkuls on medium-low / low heat for around 5 -7 minutes so that they get fried gradually without turning brown quickly on the outside and remaining uncooked inside. Keep swirling and turning them around in the oil, till they turn golden brown. The kulkuls will continue to get fried (and become a darker shade of brown) even after you take them out of the oil because of the residual heat inside them. So don’t fry them till they’re dark brown in colour.
13. Once they’ve fried properly, remove them to a plate or bowl lined with an absorbent kitchen paper towel.
14. Let the fried kulkuls cool completely and then store them in an airtight container.
15. They’ll stay good at room temperature for over a month. If they last that long, that is!

Enjoy!