Gavvalu - Sweet Shells from Andhra / ಗವ್ವಲು - ಆಂಧ್ರ ಸ್ಪೆಷಲ್

ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಓದಲು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕ್ಲಿಕ್ ಮಾಡಿ.

Gavvalu is a famous snack item from Andhra. Few months back, one of my Andhra friends offered these lovely goodies to us. We were wondering about the shape of these goodies! They look alike small shells and tastes very nice.Then, she told me the recipe of these sweet shells.

But there was a small confusion. She told that she had used the Gavvalu board, a small board with zig zag surface to give that shape to the Gavvalu. Then, I searched in Google for an alternative for the Gavvalu Board. I ended up with two easy alternatives which are - a fork or a big comb! I tried with both, but for giving a nice shape, I felt the comb better than fork. These days, I am maintaining a separate comb in the kitchen exclusively for Gavvalu preparation!

These sweet shells goes well with a cup of hot tea or coffee. Or simply you can eat them anytime (like me??) :) Be cautious a bit while eating Gavvalu..coz you can't stop munching them!!    

Thanks Usha for this lovely recipe :)

Preparation time: 1 1/4 hours

Servings: 5 - 6 (it depends ;) )

Ingredients:

All purpose flour / Maida - 2 cups

Sooji rava (Semolina) or Chiroti rava - 1/2 cup (see the tips)

Salt - 1/4 spoon

Ghee / clarified butter - 3 spoon

Water to prepare the dough (approx 3/4th cup)

Oil for deep frying

For sugar syrup: sugar - 1 cup, water - 1/2 cup, pinch of cardamom powder

Gavvalu board, a big comb or a fork

Method:

Mix all purpose flour, rava, salt and ghee in a mixing bowl. Add water little by little and prepare a non - sticky dough. Dough should not be too soft, nor too hard.

Cover the dough with a lid or a wet cloth and leave it for 20 minutes. Then, take a lemon size dough and prepare small balls out of it.

Gently press each ball on the comb (or Gavvalu Board) as shown in the picture. Keep the designed surface out and carefully roll the Gavvalu little bit to give the Shell shape.

Heat oil in a heavy pan and deep fry the prepared Gavvalu in batches on medium or low heat for around five minutes.

Once the Gavvalu becomes crispy and golden brown, drain the oil and transfer them onto a tissue paper to absorb the excess oil.

In the meanwhile, combine sugar and water and prepare a thick syrup (may be 2 1/2 thread consistency). Add pinch of cardamom powder and keep it aside.

Transfer the deep fried Gavvalu to a mixing bowl. Pour 3 - 4 spoons of sugar syrup and mix it thoroughly. Adjust the quantity of sugar syrup according to your taste.

Spread the sugar coated shells on a plate for 2 minutes to get dried up. Once they are dried up, they won't be sticky anymore.

Enjoy the sweet shells with a cup of tea / coffee!

Tips:

• For giving a crispy touch, I have added sooji rava here. I have got very good results with chiroti rava also. If you wish to use chiroti rava, you can add 2 spoons of sooji rava along with chiroti rava. 
• If the dough has become too soft and you are not able to give a nice shape to the Gavvalu, try adding little more sooji rava to the dough.
• Keep the dough closed to avoid becoming dry.