Tikshyo Nevryo, also known as Tikhat Nevri or Spicy Karanji, is a popular Goan festive snack made with coconut, jaggery, and spices during Ganesh Chaturthi and Diwali. Unlike traditional sweet nevri, this Goan savoury version has a delicious combination of sweet, spicy, and tangy flavours. These crispy, deep-fried pastries are easy to make at home. Learn how to make them with step-by-step photos.
I make nevri every Diwali, usually with sweet fillings like Goan neureos (fresh coconut and jaggery) or karanji (dry coconut and rava). After moving to Goa, I also learned to make some local varieties, including pittachyo neureo and this Goan tiksyo nevryo. My kids love these tikhat nevryo, and they are always the first to finish.
What I love about this spicy nevryo filling is that it uses simple ingredients that we usually have in our Indian kitchens. You can easily adjust the spice level to suit your taste. The filling can be prepared ahead of time, making it easier to put together the nevryo when you are ready to fry them.
During festivals, we usually make so many sweet treats, so it's nice to have something savoury too. These tikhat nevri are a lovely change from the usual sweet festive snacks. The combination of coconut, jaggery, and spices gives the filling a lovely sweet and spicy taste. They are perfect for adding a little variety to your festive platter.
Tikshyo Nevryo Ingredients
For the dough
For spicy nevryo filling
See the recipe card at the end of the post for full ingredients, quantities, and a printable version.
How to make Tikshyo Nevryo
Prepare the dough
- In a mixing bowl, combine maida, rava, and salt (image 1).
- Add hot oil and mix with a spoon while it is still hot (image 2). Once slightly cooled, rub the oil into the flour using your fingers until well combined. This step helps make the outer nevryo covering crispy.
- Gradually add water and knead into a smooth, firm dough that is slightly stiffer than roti dough (images 3 & 4).
- Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. Resting makes the dough easier to roll and shape.
Prepare the spicy coconut filling
- Heat 1 teaspoon ghee in a pan over medium heat. Lower the heat, add curry leaves, and roast until crispy (image 5). Remove and keep aside.
- In the same pan, heat 1 teaspoon ghee on low heat. Add cashews and almonds. Roast until lightly golden (image 6). Remove and keep aside.
- Heat another 1 teaspoon ghee and roast the raisins until they puff up (image 7). Remove and keep aside (image 8).
- Add desiccated coconut, sesame seeds, and poppy seeds (if using) to the pan (image 9). Roast on low heat, stirring continuously, until the coconut is lightly golden. Take care not to brown it too much.
- Add grated jaggery and mix well (image 10). Grate the jaggery before adding it so that it mixes easily with the coconut.
- Add tamarind pulp, asafoetida, salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, and garam masala (images 11 & 12). Mix until everything is well combined (image 13).
- Crush the roasted curry leaves and add them to the coconut mixture (image 13).
- Add the roasted cashews, almonds, and raisins back to the pan. Mix well (images 14 & 15).
- Taste the filling and adjust the spices, salt, and tamarind as needed.
- Transfer the spicy coconut filling to a plate and let it cool completely before stuffing the nevryo (image 16).
Shape the Goan Tikshyo Nevryo
- Knead the rested dough briefly. Divide it into 3 portions (image 17). Keep the remaining portions covered while working with one portion.
- Shape one portion into a log and cut it into 1-inch pieces (image 18).
- Roll each piece into a ball. Keep the balls covered to prevent them from drying out (images 19 & 20).
- Apply a little flour and roll each ball into a small circle. Do not roll it too thin or too thick. If the dough is too thin, the filling may tear through it and leak out while frying. If it is too thick, the outer covering will be heavy.
- Place a spoonful of the cooled spicy coconut filling in the centre, leaving the edges empty (image 21). Do not overfill, as this can make sealing difficult.
- Apply a little water along the edges (image 22).
- Fold the rolled dough into a half-moon shape (images 23 & 24). Press the edges firmly to seal the spicy coconut filling inside.
- Trim the edges using a nevryo cutter or pizza cutter (images 25 & 26). Remove the excess dough and reuse it to make more nevryo.
- Keep the shaped nevryo covered with a slightly damp cloth while preparing the remaining ones (image 27). This prevents the dough from drying out.
Fry the Tikshyo Nevryo
- Heat oil in a deep pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to low.
- Check the oil temperature before frying: Drop a small piece of dough into the hot oil. If it slowly rises to the surface with small bubbles, the oil is ready. If it sinks, the oil needs more heating. If it rises too quickly and browns immediately, the oil is too hot. Adjust the heat before adding the nevryo.
- Gently slide in the prepared nevryo. Do not overcrowd the pan. Let them fry undisturbed for about a minute (image 28).
- Flip gently and fry on low heat until golden and crispy on both sides (image 29).
- Remove the nevryo from the oil and place them in a strainer or on a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil. Let them cool completely before storing.
Storage
Let the Goan tikshyo nevryo cool completely before storing. Store in a clean, airtight container. They stay good for up to 15 days when stored properly.
Recipe Card
Tikshyo Nevryo (Tikhat Goan Nevri)
Crispy, spicy, and delicious Tikshyo Nevryo made with a coconut, jaggery, and spice filling.
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Servings: 35 nevryo
Equipment
- 1 Heavy-bottomed pan
Ingredients
For the tikshyo nevryo dough
- 2 cups maida all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup rava semolina
- Salt to taste
- ¼ cup hot oil
For the spicy coconut filling
- 1 teaspoon ghee for roasting curry leaves
- 3 sprigs curry leaves
- 1 teaspoon ghee for roasting nuts
- 1 tablespoon cashews
- 1 tablespoon almonds
- 1 teaspoon ghee for roasting raisins
- 1 tablespoon raisins
- 2 cups desiccated coconut or finely grated dry coconut
- 3 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds khus-khus, optional - skip if unavailable.
- ½ cup grated jaggery
- 2 teaspoon tamarind pulp (Soak tamarind in hot water and extract pulp)
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida hing
- Salt to taste
- 3 teaspoon red chilli powder adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
Other ingredients
- Oil for deep frying
Instructions
Prepare the nevryo dough
- In a mixing bowl, combine maida, rava, and salt.
- Add hot oil and mix with a spoon while it is still hot.
- Once slightly cooled, rub the oil into the flour using your fingers until well combined.
- Gradually add water and knead into a smooth, firm dough that is slightly stiffer than roti dough.
- Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
Prepare the spicy coconut filling
- Heat 1 teaspoon ghee in a pan over medium heat. Lower the heat, add curry leaves and roast until crispy. Remove and keep aside.
- In the same pan, heat 1 teaspoon ghee on low heat. Add cashews and almonds. Roast until lightly golden. Remove and keep aside.
- Heat another 1 teaspoon ghee and roast the raisins until they puff up. Remove and keep aside.
- Add desiccated coconut, sesame seeds, and poppy seeds (if using) to the pan. Roast on low heat until the coconut is lightly golden.
- Add grated jaggery and mix well.
- Add tamarind pulp, asafoetida, salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and garam masala. Mix until everything is well combined.
- Crush the roasted curry leaves and add them to the coconut mixture.
- Add the roasted cashews, almonds and raisins. Mix well.
- Transfer the filling to a plate and let it cool completely.
Roast the coconut on low heat until it is lightly toasted. Over-roasting can make the filling hard and dry.
Shape the tikshyo nevryo
- Knead the rested dough briefly. Divide it into 3 portions. Keep the remaining portions covered while working with one portion.
- Shape one portion into a log and cut it into 1-inch pieces.
- Roll each piece into a ball. Keep the balls covered to prevent them from drying out.
- Apply a little flour and roll each ball into a small circle. Do not roll it too thin or too thick.
- Place a spoonful of the cooled filling in the centre, leaving the edges empty.
- Apply a little water along the edges. Fold the dough into a half-moon shape.
- Press the edges firmly to seal the filling inside.
- Trim the edges using a nevryo cutter or pizza cutter. Remove the excess dough and reuse it to make more nevryo.
- Keep the shaped nevryo covered with a slightly damp cloth while preparing the remaining ones. This prevents the shaped nevryo from drying out.
Fry the nevryo
- Heat oil in a deep pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to low.
- Gently slide in the prepared nevryo. Let them fry undisturbed for about a minute. Do not overcrowd the pan. Fry only a few nevryo at a time.
- Flip gently and fry on low heat until golden and crispy on both sides.
- Remove the nevryo from the oil and place them in a strainer or on a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil.
Check the oil temperature before frying: Drop a small piece of dough into the hot oil. If it rises to the surface slowly with small bubbles, the oil is ready. If it sinks, the oil is not hot enough. If it rises immediately and browns quickly, the oil is too hot. Adjust the heat before adding the nevryo.
Notes
- Do not overcrowd the pan: Fry only a few nevryo at a time. Overcrowding lowers the oil temperature and affects even frying.
- Fry on low heat: Always fry the nevryo on low heat until golden and crisp. This allows the outer covering to cook properly without browning too quickly.
- Keep the shaped nevryo covered: Once shaped, keep them covered with a clean kitchen towel to prevent the dough from drying out. Dry dough can crack while frying.
- Seal the edges properly: Press the edges firmly to seal the nevryo. If they are not sealed properly, the spicy filling may come out into the hot oil while frying.
- Do not make the dough too thin: Roll the dough to an even thickness. If it is too thin, the filling may tear through the covering and leak into the oil while frying.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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