gulgula recipe

Gulgula or Indian Doughnut Recipe

Servings

6 servings

Prep time

10 minutes

Cooking time

30 minutes

Difficulty

Moderate

Oh man what can I say about the classic gulgula! It brings back so many childhood memories. My grandpa was a very wise, charismatic and funny man. Being a carpenter he had rough, strong hands and worked very hard most of his life. We miss him terribly but he has left behind wonderful memories that we can remember him by. One of the fondest memories I have of him is his love for gulgula with his strong black tea in the afternoons. He would smile and ask grandma to make everyone some gulgula saying, “the kids want something sweet to eat!” When in fact it was his own sweet cravings.

Gulgula is an iconic snack in Fiji. Indians would often share gulgula with their friends especially during Hindu festivals such as Diwali and Holi. Now you can also have them at home as they’re so easy to make and taste like yummy mini doughnuts. Below I have shared a quick video on how to make gulgula and the written recipe to accompany it follows right after. Enjoy!

Ingredients

  • 2 Cups Flour
  • 1 Tbsp Cardamom Powder (Elaichi)
  • ½ Cup Sugar
  • 1 Tbsp Baking Powder
  • 3 Tbsp Sultana
  • Oil – For Deep Frying
  • Water – Accordingly

Directions

  1. In a bowl, sift the flour and add in the baking powder
  2. Then measure out cardamom powder, sugar and sultanas and mix all the dry ingredients together
  3. Now water should be poured in small amounts to ensure the dough is pastey and not too dry or gooey
  4. Once the mixture is smooth, set it aside and heat up enough oil to deep fry
  5. Wet your hand and scoop some of the mixture. Then drop in small rounds of dough by making a circular gap with your hands – watch the video above for a demo
  6. Fry the gulgula on medium heat till brown on all sides
  7. Drain the excess oil from the fried gulgula by placing it on some paper towels
  8. Serve with hot tea.

16 Comments

  1. Thank you so much for your wonderful recipes!
    I made the gulgula and it was the bomb!
    I loved it!
    Beautiful recipe and so easy

  2. Mm, looks good – but no Kela?
    We used to always have Gulgula when bananas were over ripened and had to be used. It makes a good binding agent too!

    • Yes, definitely use bananas if you have them, makes them super delicious and you’re right, helps in the binding process. I love banana gulgulas!

    • Sultanas are dried grapes. We use them to add a fruity flavour and texture. Yes! Adding banana really enhances its flavour.

    • I would recommend using half a cup of water and then adding more as you mix through. I find that sometimes exact measurements can make the mixture very runny or dry.

    • Hi Aleena, normal flour is what I use. But you can use self-raising flour too (just don’t use the baking powder if you do).

  3. Hello, I searched for gulgula recipe fiji…and this appeared.. I loved your caption about when we make this at home..just because grandpa wants it or when it rains….my mixture is good. It’s just that I dont have the skill of pouring in the oil and my gulgula comes out in pointy shapes. Today is holi and i made gulgula…pointy ones❤…thanks for these fiji recipes…love it

    • Hi Sonam, I’m glad you found the recipe useful..pointy or not, as long as the gulgula tastes good! You just need to practise and you’ll be a pro in no time.

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