Sweet Somas Recipe | Somas Recipe - Diwali Sweet Recipes!

Diwali is around the corner and everyone is busy with Diwali purchase and other preparation. Even though for us its a working day we love to celebrate this wonderful festival and I planned to finish my sweets and savories by tomorrow. Coming to today's recipe, Sweet Somas is one of my most favorite childhood sweet. Sweet Somas is nothing but a crispy and flaky outer layer stuffed with simple coconut sweet stuffing. This Somas recipe is one of the Traditional Tamil Nadu recipe and is different from the Karanji / Gujiya which has rich stuffing with khoya.

But the simple filling for Somas is my favorite and I love to have it as such for snack. I wanted to try this Somas recipe for long time, every year Amma wanted me try Somas and Adhirasam but I was not confident to try it so far. But last week decided to give my hands and first tried Somas. I couldn't believe myself that it turned out so perfect at the first try, I shared it with my neighbor friends and they loved it and appreciated me. Aunty noted my recipe and said that she going to prepare it for Diwali. What else I want, Happy me :)

Sweet Somas Recipe

Prep Time : 10 to 15 minutes | Resting Time : 1-2 hours

Cook Time : 30 minutes | Recipe Category : Snack/Sweet 

 Recipe Cuisine : Indian | Makes  15-16 Somas

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Ingredients
For Outer Covering

1. Maida/All Purpose Flour   1 cup + 2 tbsp for dusting
2. Rava/Sooji/Semolina     1 tbsp
3. Oil    1-2 tbsp
4. Salt   1/4 tsp(optional,I added)
5. Oil  as needed for deep frying

For Sweet Filling

1. Fresh Coconut,grated    1/2 cup
2. Roasted Gram Dal/Pottukadalai   1/2 cup
3. Sugar    1/2 cup
4. Cardamom   3 no.

Method

• First prepare the Dough for Somas.

• In a mixing bowl, add flour, salt, semolina and mix well. To this add 1-2 tbsp oil and combine it well with flour. Then using little water make it to a stiff dough.

• And now add few drops of oil and knead the dough for 5-6 minutes to a smooth, pliable and tight dough. Then cover the dough and let it rest for minimum 1 hour or upto 2 hours.
• More the resting time, more the crispness. If you rest the dough for 2 hours then it will be easy to roll it to paper thin and thus result in crispy, flaky outer covering.

• Meanwhile prepare the coconut sweet stuffing.
• In a mixer, add roasted gram dal, sugar and cardamom and grind it to a fine coarse powder and keep aside.
• Then heat a pan and dry roast coconut in low-medium heat until the coconut moisture dries up and turns light golden color. 

• Once done allow the coconut to cool down and then mix the roasted coconut with sugar-gram dal mix and keep aside.
• After 1-2 hours of resting time, divide the dough into 15-16 tiny balls.
• Now with a rolling pin on a dusted surface, roll the dough round in 5 to 6 inches diameter thin circle.
• place a tbsp or 2 tsp of the sweet coconut stuffing in the center or on one side of the circle, keeping the edges empty. 

• Make sure you don't over stuff as then it becomes difficult to shape and they may also open while frying.
• Then with your fingertips, apply water all over the edge.
• And now gently bring together both the edges and join, gently press the edges.

• Using a knife or pizza cutter trim the edges and press firmly and keep aside. You can also fold the edges and press it. This way edges gets closed well.
• The same way make all the somas and keep them covered with a damp kitchen towel.
• And then heat oil in a kadai for deep frying.

• Once oil is hot, turn the heat to medium and gently drop the prepared somas in hot oil. 
• Add 3 to 4 at a time, based on your kadai size. Let it fry in medium hot oil, while one side is frying keep adding the hot oil over the upper surfac

• After a minute turn other side and fry till golden brown on both sides.
• Once done remove from the hot oil and drain the fried somas in paper towel. Serve the somas warm or at room temperature.
• once cooled completely store them in an air-tight container.

Notes:

Make sure you make the dough soft and tight dough. Knead the dough for at least 5 minutes and rest for min 1 hour.

Roll the dough as thin as possible.

I had some 3-4 tbsp of coconut stuffing left after making somas. I had it as such, If you don't like to eat the stuffing as such then reduce 2 tbsp of coconut, sugar, roasted gram dal from 1/2 cup each.

Fry the somas in medium heat.