Thekua which is also known as Khajuria or Thikari, is a dry sweet from Mithila. Thekua is prepared as prasad during Chhath puja. It is a famous sweet, energy giving snack in Nepal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. This snack has a long shelf life, without the use of any preservatives. The below recipe illustrates its preparation:
Preparation Time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking Time: 25-30 minutes
Nutritional Content: Rich in carbohydrates fom whole wheat flour, dietary fibre and protein.
Recipe yield: 20-25 thekua
Ingredients:
- Whole wheat flour (gehun ka ata) - 2 cups
- Desi Ghee - 250 ml (For dough preparation and frying; Refined Oil can also be used instead of ghee)
- Grated Coconut (nariyal) - 1/4 cup
- Sugar - 1 cup (Jaggery [gud] can be used instead of sugar)
- Fennel seed powder (saunf) - 1 tea spoon
- Water - 1.5 cup
Procedure:
- In a plate take whole wheat flour (gehun ka ata) and add 2 table spoon ghee to it. Mix it as if forming a dough till wheat begins to bind.
- Add grated coconut (nariyal) and fennel seed (saunf) powder to it and mix well.
- In a seperate vessel prepare sugar syrup (chashini) using sugar and water. (Water should be enough to get absorbed in the dough). Prepare a hard dough of wheat uwith this sugar syrup (chashini).
- Roll small balls of this dough and flatten them into small tikkis using your hands. Design them on the surface using stensils (or cane basket).
- Heat the remaining ghee in the pan. (Check if the ghee is warm enough to fry, with a small ball of wheat dough).
- Fry the thekua on low flame until they turn glistening golden brown. Remove them to a plate with tissue paper to absorb the extra oil, and allow them to cool to room temperature.
- Serve on a beautiful dish or preserve in an airtight jar.
(Tips: 1. Add sugar in form of syrup only, so that it mixed uniformly through the dough.)