Sajjappa
Sajjappa is a traditional Karnataka festival sweet — soft maida-rava dough wrapped around a fragrant filling of fresh coconut, jaggery, roasted poppy seeds, and cardamom, then sealed and deep-fried until golden and crisp. The contrast between the crackly fried shell and the warm, sweet, coconut-poppy core makes sajjappa a Krishna Janmashtami and Ganesha Chaturthi favorite across Udupi-Mangalore and Kannadiga homes. Stored in an airtight container after cooling, sajjappa keeps fresh for two weeks — making it ideal for festival hampers and post-prayer prasad.
Ingredients
- Ghee — 1 tbsp (whole)
- Chiroti Rava (Super Fine Semolina - North Grade) — 1 cup (ground)
- Fresh Coconut — 1 cup (grated)
- Cardamom Powder — 1 tsp (ground)
- Jaggery — 0.5 cup (whole)
- All-purpose Flour — 0.5 cup (ground)
- Poppy Seeds (Gasagase) — 2 tbsp (whole)
- salt — 0.5 tsp (whole)
- Sunflower Oil (optional) (whole)
Method
- Make the DoughTo prepare Sajjappa Recipe (Fried Sweetened Coconut Pastry), prepare the dough.
- In a wide bowl take maida, fine rava, ghee and salt.Mix nicely with the tips of your fingers.It will become like breadcrumb.Next add enough water to make a soft dough like chapathi dough.
- The dough has to be little loose than poori dough but not too soft.Cover it with a wet cloth and keep it aside for 1-2 hours.Make the StuffingIn a shallow fry pan, dry roast poppy seeds for 1-2 minutes till they are aromatic.
- Dry roast chiroti rava for 1-2 mins.Take a kadai.
- When it melts a little, add grated coconut and desiccated coconut powder.
- Mix well .Cook till it becomes little dry and all the moisture evaporates.
- Add cardamom powder, roasted rava and khus khus.
- Allow the prepared stuffing to cool.To fry sajjappaKnead the dough well again to make the it soft and pliable.
- Divide the balls to small lemon sized balls.Take a deep kadai and heat enough oil to deep fry.Take a lemon size ball and flatten it into a disc using hand or rolling pin.
- Keep little coconut stuffing (hoorna ) in the middle .Close all sides with the extra dough (as we do for paratha) .Roll gently into a small poori.
- Make sure the stuffing does not ooze out.Deep fry in oil, on a medium heat, till the outer covering is golden brown and crispy.
- Remove onto a paper napkin to remove excess oil.
- Continue the process with the remaining dough.Crispy Sajjappa recipe is ready to enjoy.
- Store them in an airtight container after it cools and you can store them for 10-15 days.
Common questions
- What is ಸಜ್ಜಪ್ಪ (ಸ್ಟಫ್ಡ್ ಸ್ವೀಟೆನ್ಡ್ ತೆಂಗಿನಕಾಯಿ ಪೇಸ್ಟ್ರಿ) in English?
- ಸಜ್ಜಪ್ಪ (ಸ್ಟಫ್ಡ್ ಸ್ವೀಟೆನ್ಡ್ ತೆಂಗಿನಕಾಯಿ ಪೇಸ್ಟ್ರಿ) is written Sajjappa in English.
- How many calories in one plate of Sajjappa?
- 219 kcal per plate.
- How much cooking time?
- 80 min — 60 min prep, 20 min cooking.