For this month's Indian Cooking Challenge, we are off to Bihar to taste its famous dessert! I decided to select an Indian Cookie called Thekua. Thekua, also known as Khajoor or Khajur, is a popular homemade dessert from Bihar and Jharkhand. Infact this is one of their revered prasad (offering to god).Thekua is a sweet and crispy dessert prepared with whole wheat flour, sugar and coconuts. Thekua I am told, is an ideal dessert to carry with during long journeys as it can be stored for few days.
From various other sources on internet, I inferred that Thekua is a sweet and crispy dessert prepared traditionally with whole wheat flour, sugar/ jaggary, ghee and chopped coconuts. Later it was also prepared using Maida / all purpose flour, refined oil, honey etc.
As always the challenge is selected on a chance happening that occurs each time when it's due. This time it happened while I was still debating which state to select, I happen to talk to my colleague who is a Bihari. Our conversation harped on special dishes and she immediately said Thekuas are famous in Bihar. It immediately struck me that I could take this for this month's challenge and asked her to get the recipe from her mom. It took a while for her to finally get me the recipe. And after announcing the challenge, I was also about the other version made with Jaggary.
Now as with most Indian recipes, this also comes with different measurement, family culture and so many other factors. My other Bihari colleague says that the one made with Jaggary is called as Thekua and the one made with sugar is called Khajur. Anyway googling it I came to conclusion that the same sweet is simply called with two different names and it pretty much tastes like Athirasams and Maida Biscuits or Shakara para. Of course we call Shakara para by another name too. But the taste wise, the ones made with sugar comes very to this taste.
Anyway getting the recipe finally, which was for 1 kg, I understand you can just about go ahead with your eyeballed measurement. After hearing from her, I googled and found some Thekua recipes online, one from Sandy of Bongmom Cooks, is a baked version. Though I won't say you ought to try out this baked method, since this is going to be your first time. I would suggest all to try out the traditional measurement before getting into diet versions.
I waited until the last weekend to try these and also for the kids to have their naps so that I could venture peacefully. But only Peddu napped while Konda and Chinnu were with me. They just didn't let me work peacefully. And after tasting a bit, they were not prepared to budge from the spot. So much so that Chinnu got a chair to stand and watch us making it. And when it was right off the pan, he took his cup to taste it. He had to wait as it was really hot.
Both of them were so interested and loved the taste. Finally when they saw that I was using cookie cutters etc, they wanted me to use their starts and circles I washed and gave them to try. So you can see a start, rectangle etc in the cup. When when Peddu woke up, he was also called to join the gang. I don't remember the kids wanting to get themselves involved so much. Maybe it had to do with the pressing thing.
Both of them were so interested and loved the taste. Finally when they saw that I was using cookie cutters etc, they wanted me to use their starts and circles I washed and gave them to try. So you can see a start, rectangle etc in the cup. When when Peddu woke up, he was also called to join the gang. I don't remember the kids wanting to get themselves involved so much. Maybe it had to do with the pressing thing.
If you want the flaky sweet things to munch, please don't forget the ghee!
Step by Step picture Recipe for making Thekua or Khajur!
Thekua | Fried Indian Biscuit
Source : Friend's Mom
Wheat flour / Maida - 1 Kg
Sugar, powdered - 300 gms
Copra / Dry Coconut - 50 gms
Sooji / Rava - 1 cup
Ghee - 100 gms
Water/ Milk to knead
Cardamon powder 1/4 tsp
Oil for Deep frying
Smaller Measurement
Wheat flour / Maida - 1 cup
Sugar, powdered - 3 -4 tbsp
Copra / Dry Coconut - 2 tsp
Sooji / Rava - 2 -3 tbsp
Ghee / Refined Oil - 3 - 4 tsp
Water/ Milk to knead
Cardamon powder a pinch
Oil for Deep frying
Mould for making imprint on the thekua cookies (saancha)
I am told that traditionally even Jaggary is used to instead of sugar.
How to make Thekua:
For the copra, I was told it's normally added as small pieces. You can also use grated copra.
First measure out the sugar and then powder it
Once you get an very mixed dough, at this stage it will not be a dough that can retain it's shape, so start sprinkling water and knead to a stiff dough. Pat it down couple of times, then using moulds, roll out the dough into 1" thickness and make shapes as desired.
Heat a kadai with oil. When it is hot, gently drop these rolled out cookies and fry on both sides.
Once cooled, this can be stored in an air tight container for over a month.
Meanwhile Vaishali also shared a recipe she got from her friend who made it with Jaggary.
Whole wheat flour - 100 gms
Coarse wheat flour - 100 gms
Jaggery - 125gms
Fennel, coarsely pounded - 1tsp .....
Grated coconut 3tsp .....
Ghee 4-5 tbsp
Microwave the jaggery till it melts or melt over slow flame on stove. Strain the impurities if any.
Mix the flours.add cardamon, fennel and coconut. Add ghee.Mix with hands till resembles bread crumbs.
Start binding with jaggery.
Sprinkle water little by little and make a semi hard dough.
Leave for about 10 mins. Make balls and flatten to shape them in cookies. (we can use a cookie cutter too)
Use saancha to make an imprint.
Deep fry till golden. Cool and store.
Sugar used has to be powdered as adding it in big granules will make it turn brown or caramelized.
If you want you can replace the sugar with Jaggary or Honey also. From the online sites I see that they use Fennel Seeds also. I am not giving it since my friend's mom doesn't use that.
If you don't have cardamon powder, you can powder it along with the sugar and add it to the dough.
It's very important for the dough to be stiff, so go tight on the water or milk that you are going to use. But make sure you rest the dough too.
To all my ICC members, please link your Thekua post to Mr. Linky.
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