Holi Recipes with Cold Pressed Oil: Gujiya, Mathri, and Thandai

Holi is the festival that smells like mustard oil and maida frying. In North Indian households, the week before Holi is spent in the kitchen — making gujiya, mathri, namak para, shakarpara, and the cooling thandai that balances all the fried food.

These recipes are traditionally made with cold pressed mustard oil or cold pressed groundnut oil — not refined oils. The flavour difference is real: the slight nuttiness of cold pressed oil adds depth to fried sweets that refined oil cannot replicate.

Here are the authentic recipes for a proper Holi spread.

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Gujiya (Khoya-Stuffed Pastry)

The centrepiece of Holi sweets. A half-moon shaped pastry filled with khoya, dry fruits, and coconut, deep-fried in cold pressed oil.

Ingredients (makes 20–25 gujiya):

For the dough:

• 2 cups maida (all-purpose flour)
• 4 tbsp cold pressed mustard oil or groundnut oil (for moyan — fat rubbed into flour)
• Warm water as needed
• Pinch of salt

For the filling:

• 250g khoya (mawa), crumbled and lightly roasted
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ¼ cup desiccated coconut, lightly toasted
• 2 tbsp mixed dry fruits (cashews, almonds, raisins), chopped
• ½ tsp cardamom powder
• 1 tbsp semolina (sooji), lightly roasted

For frying:

• Cold pressed mustard oil or groundnut oil (enough for deep frying)

Method:

Dough:

1. Mix flour and salt. Add oil (moyan) and rub into flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. This step is crucial — the moyan makes the pastry flaky.
2. Add warm water gradually. Knead into a firm dough (firmer than roti dough).
3. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.

Filling:

1. Mix all filling ingredients. Taste and adjust sugar.

Assembly:

1. Divide dough into small balls. Roll into thin circles (about 4 inches diameter).
2. Place 1 tbsp filling on one half. Fold over and seal edges firmly — press with a fork or use a gujiya mould.
3. Ensure no air pockets and edges are completely sealed (or they'll open during frying).

Frying:

1. Heat oil to 160°C (not too hot — gujiya need to cook slowly to ensure the pastry cooks through).
2. Fry in batches of 4–5. Turn gently. Fry for 8–10 minutes until golden.
3. Drain on paper towels.

Storage: Gujiya keep for 5–7 days at room temperature in an airtight container.

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Mathri (Flaky Savoury Crackers)

The savoury counterpart to gujiya. Mathri are flaky, spiced crackers that are eaten with pickle or just on their own.

Ingredients (makes 30–35 mathri):

• 2 cups maida
• 4 tbsp cold pressed mustard oil (moyan)
• 1 tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp black pepper, coarsely ground
• 1 tsp salt
• Warm water as needed
• Cold pressed mustard oil for frying

Method:

1. Mix flour, ajwain, cumin, pepper, and salt.
2. Add mustard oil (moyan) and rub into flour until crumbly.
3. Add warm water gradually. Knead into a stiff dough — stiffer than gujiya dough.
4. Rest for 20 minutes.
5. Divide into small balls. Roll into thick circles (about 3mm — thicker than puri).
6. Prick all over with a fork (prevents puffing during frying).
7. Heat oil to 150°C (lower than gujiya — mathri need slow frying to become crispy throughout).
8. Fry in batches for 10–12 minutes until golden and crispy.
9. Drain and cool completely before storing.

The mustard oil difference: Mathri made with cold pressed mustard oil have a distinctive flavour that refined oil cannot replicate. The slight pungency of mustard oil complements the ajwain perfectly.

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Namak Para (Savoury Diamond Crackers)

Simpler than mathri, namak para are diamond-shaped crackers that are lighter and crunchier.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups maida
• 3 tbsp cold pressed mustard oil (moyan)
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp ajwain
• Warm water as needed
• Cold pressed oil for frying

Method:

1. Mix flour, salt, and ajwain. Add oil and rub in.
2. Add water to make a medium-firm dough. Rest 15 minutes.
3. Roll into a large thin sheet (2mm thickness).
4. Cut into diamond shapes with a knife.
5. Fry at 160°C until golden (5–7 minutes).

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Shakarpara (Sweet Diamond Crackers)

The sweet version of namak para — crispy, lightly sweet, and addictive.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups maida
• 3 tbsp cold pressed groundnut oil (moyan — groundnut oil's neutral flavour works better for sweet preparations)
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ½ tsp cardamom powder
• Warm water as needed
• Cold pressed groundnut oil for frying

Method:

1. Mix flour, sugar, and cardamom. Add oil and rub in.
2. Add water to make a firm dough. Rest 15 minutes.
3. Roll thin. Cut into diamonds.
4. Fry at 150°C until light golden (5–6 minutes — don't over-fry, they darken as they cool).

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Thandai (Cooling Spiced Milk Drink)

The traditional Holi drink that balances all the fried food. Thandai is cooling, fragrant, and deeply satisfying.

Ingredients (serves 6):

• 1 litre full-fat milk
• ½ cup sugar (adjust to taste)
• 3 tbsp thandai paste (recipe below) or store-bought thandai powder

Thandai paste:

• 2 tbsp almonds, soaked overnight
• 1 tbsp cashews, soaked
• 1 tbsp melon seeds (magaz), soaked
• 1 tbsp poppy seeds (khus khus), soaked
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 6 green cardamom pods
• 1 tsp rose water
• Pinch of saffron

Method:

Thandai paste:

1. Drain all soaked ingredients.
2. Blend with a little milk into a smooth paste.
3. Add rose water and saffron.

Thandai:

1. Boil milk with sugar. Cool to room temperature.
2. Mix in thandai paste.
3. Strain through a fine sieve.
4. Chill for at least 2 hours.
5. Serve over ice, garnished with rose petals and a pinch of saffron.

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Holi Cooking Tips

Oil temperature matters: Most Holi sweets require lower frying temperatures (150–165°C) than regular frying. Too hot and the outside browns before the inside cooks; too cool and the food absorbs excess oil.

The moyan is non-negotiable: The fat rubbed into the flour before adding water is what creates the flaky texture of gujiya and mathri. Don't skip it or reduce it.

Cold pressed oil for moyan: The moyan is where the oil's flavour is most present in the final product. Cold pressed mustard oil in the moyan gives mathri their characteristic flavour. Cold pressed groundnut oil in the moyan gives shakarpara a subtle nuttiness.

Make in advance: Most Holi sweets improve after a day as the flavours develop. Make gujiya and mathri 2–3 days before Holi.

Bura na mano, Holi hai.

Order Cold Pressed Oil for Holi in Your City

• Cold Pressed Mustard Oil in Jaipur — Holi's spiritual home
• Cold Pressed Mustard Oil in Agra
• Cold Pressed Mustard Oil in Lucknow
• Cold Pressed Mustard Oil in Kanpur
• Cold Pressed Mustard Oil — Delhi NCR Hub

Dune Aura cold pressed mustard oil and groundnut oil are available from ₹150 for 500ml. Delivered across Delhi NCR.