Thekua

I believe anyone who is from Bihar, Jharkhand, UP or have a friend from these three states would have certainly heard of Thekua. Thekua is an emotion and part of extensive offering to Sun God during Chatt Puja. What it is, with such a weird name – It is sweet made with whole wheat flour, clarified butter, sugar or jaggery. Dried coconut bits, fennel are added for flavor. Since, it is part of offering, no salt is added (not even pink salt, rock salt). Below is recipe with sugar, in notes I have also provided how instead of sugar, jaggery can be used. I was procrastinating making Thekua for more than a month, and every weekend I use to remember my mom, who use to make thekua with a blink, and now when she has no more with us, every day I realize real priorities of life.

Materias

Whole wheat flour (Atta) – 4 cups

Sugar – 1 cup (note: I use granulated sugar, as I like the sparkles, many grind the sugar or even make a slurry with water)

Clarified butter for dough – 1/4th cup

Dried coconut – chopped

Fennel Seeds

Any non-flavour oil for frying – about 200 ml

Water to make dough – approximately 1-1.25 cup

Method

Take Atta in a flat bottom vessel, add ghee & mix gently, ensuring ghee kind of coats Atta. Add sugar, fennel seeds, coconut bits, and mix.

Then start sprinkling water, and gentle kneading, do not add water in one go, this dough is not like Indian bread dough, instead it just need to come together.

Notes: If jaggery to be used, break jaggery into pieces, and melt it with water by heating. In this case, no additional water is needed, make dough using jaggery water slurry. Many uses powder sugar.

Pinch small bowl, and flatten it on a wooden surface or Thekua Mould using your palm, keep thickness at least 8-10 mm, else final texture won’t be correct. Once you have molded few pieces.

Take a flat & heavy bottom frying pan, put it on flame and add oil. Once oil is hot, gently slide theuka, slide as many pieces as fit into the pan. Do not fry on high heat, instead use medium heat, so that cooking is uniform. When one side turns light brown, turn, fry by gentle turning till golden brown color.

Allow it to cool completely before storing, store preferably in stainless steel air-tight container. Theuka if stored properly can easily stay for 2 weeks at ambient conditions.