Karanji

Deep-fried, half-moon pastries filled with a sweet stuffing of grated dry coconut, jaggery, cardamom, poppy seeds, and sometimes dry fruits — the dough sealed and crimped, then fried in ghee until golden. The quintessential Diwali sweet of Maharashtra — every household makes large trays in the weeks before the festival. The crisp, flaky pastry shattering to reveal the sweet coconut filling is one of the most nostalgic flavours of a Maharashtrian Diwali.