छठ पूजा स्पेशल|Thekua|Chhath Puja| Prasad| बिहार प्रसिद्ध||Thekua recipe😍

Thekua is a traditional deep-fried sweet snack from Bihar made from whole wheat flour (atta).

Our thekua recipe results in a crumbly, wholesome cookie or biscuit that is also very popular in Bihar,Jharkhand, West Bengal, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, and in the terai region of Nepal.
Thekua is also called kajuria, khajoor, khajur, khajuria, khajuriya, khasta, thekari, thikari, or thokwa.

This traditional Bihari thekua recipe is offered as prasad during the Bihari festival of Chhath Puja (it is considered one of the Chhath Puja special recipes) The Prasad includes sweets, kheer, and thekua. The food during this festival is strictly vegetarian and is cooked without salt, onion, or garlic.
Chhath is mostly celebrated in Bihar and in the Mithila region of Nepal. Chhath Puja is a four-day festival dedicated to the worship of Surya Dev (the Sun God) and his wife, Usha, who is also known as Chhathi Maiya (Mother Chhath). Chhath is celebrated twice a year. Chhota Chhath is celebrated a few days after Holi and is also known as Chaitri Chhath. Karthik Shashthi is celebrated after Diwali. During Chhath Puja, devotees fast, abstain from drinking water, take a dip in a holy river or pond, offer prayers to the rising and setting sun, and meditate by standing in a water body for a long period of time.

RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS
Jaggery:
110 grams jaggery (gur), about ¾ cup, chopped into small pieces
3-4 teaspoon ghee


Dough:
500 grams whole wheat flour (atta), about 2 cups
50 grams desiccated coconut(Optional)about ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons
1 tsp teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf)
1⁄2 teaspoon cardamom powder
Shudh Ghee for deep frying


COOKING METHOD
Make jaggery syrup: Pour 90 ml water (a generous 1/3 cup) into a saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped jaggery and stir till completely dissolved, about 4 minutes. Add 3-4 teaspoon ghee, stir well, then remove from heat and set aside.

Make thekua dough: Tip whole wheat flour (atta) into a large bowl or other large flat vessel with sides. Add desiccated coconut, fennel seeds (saunf), and cardamom powder, and mix with a balloon whisk till combined. Make a well in the center and pour in half the jaggery syrup. Use your fingers to rub the flour together until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add more jaggery syrup in small quantities, kneading well between each addition, till the dough comes together. Continue to knead well till a smooth but stiff dough has formed. Note that you should not add too much jaggery syrup as you do not want a soft dough, rather you want a stiff dough.

Shape thekuas: Break off a walnut-sized piece of dough and roll into a ball between your palms. Flatten slightly into a small disk, then place the disk on the thekua mould. Firmly press down on the disk till it spreads to 2½ to 3-inches in diameter, or more or less depending on the thickness you want the final thekua. Set aside. Repeat for remaining dough, varying the design in case your thekua mould has more than 1 design on it. OR In case a thekua mould is not readily available, form the disks on a flat surface, flatten, then score horizontal and vertical lines with the tines of a fork.

Fry thekuas: Place a kadhai or frying pan on high heat and pour in enough ghee to deep fry the thekuas. Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium and place 3 to 4 thekua in the kadhai, ensuring that the kadhai is not crowded. Fry till golden brown on both sides and cooked through, about 3 minutes altogether. Note that the heat should not be too high otherwise the outside of the thekua will brown too quickly while the inside will still be uncooked. Adjust the heat as needed. Remove thekuas with a slotted spoon and place on a kitchen paper towel to absorb excess oil. Repeat for remaining thekua. This should yield about 7 thekua.

Serve right away or store in an air tight container once completely cooled.

Cook’s Note: Be careful while frying the thekua – remove thekua from the oil when they are just golden brown. The residual heat will keep browning them even off the heat.

Yield: 7 thekua
Serves: 7
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 26 minutes including kneading time

Enjoy

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