-
Thekua Recipe | Bihari Khasta Thekua | Chhath Special 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 Jharkhand, West Bengal, eastern Uttar Pradesh, and in the terai region of Nepal. The Madhesh community in Nepal and the Mithil community in India and Nepal also make it.
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), as well as Saraswati Puja, and other festivals like Navratri. 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.
The key thekua ingredients are whole wheat flour (atta), ghee, and jaggery (gur or unrefined brown sugar).
Coconut, fennel seed, and cardamom are also added to the thekua recipe to enhance the taste, flavour, and aroma of thekua.
The difference between thekua and khajoor is based on minor details. Some say that the small round piece made by a belan (rolling pin) is called thekua and that the slightly flattened oblong piece shaped by hand is called khajoor. Others say that the one made with jaggery is called thekua and the one made with sugar is called khajoor. Whatever the difference may be, all agree that the dish is delectable and irresistible.
Our Bihari thekua recipe shows you how to make sweet thekua in easy-to-follow steps. Enjoy this special prasad partaken during Chhath Puja.
Tips on Thekua preparation:
Thekua is traditionally made with jaggery, which makes it healthy and tasty. You can replace jaggery with regular sugar or honey if you want.
When melting jaggery, grate it and use a very small amount of water. This is important to achieve a stiff dough, which is essential for thekua preparation of the right consistency, thickness, and texture. The amount of water while kneading the dough can be adjusted later if required.
After the jaggery has melted (heat it over low heat), strain impurities, if any. Allow it to cool completely.
The trick to making crumbly thekua is getting dough of the right consistency. It should be stiff and quite hard. Soft dough will result in soft, non-crumbly poori-like thekua.
After the dough has been kneaded, make sure to rest it for 10 to 15 minutes.
Thekua is traditionally rolled out, shaped, and pressed against a wooden mould called saancha, which can be greased with ghee to prevent the dough from sticking to it, before it is deep fried.
If you do not have saancha, you can use any utensil, cup, or glass with an upraised design at its base to make the desired design or pattern. You can also use the tines of a fork, cookie cutter, sieve, plastic basket, grater, toothpick, or even your bare hands to create a design. Or you can omit all patterns and leave the thekua plain. For a fun-filled family activity, you can get children involved in pressing patterns into the dough.
Add dry fruits like cashew (kaju), raisin (kishmish), pistachio (pista), almond (badam), and dried date (khajur) to the dough in our thekua recipe for a crunchier, nuttier texture. Dry fruits also help reduce the amount of jaggery or sugar, making for a healthier and tastier snack.
Thekua becomes harder and crisper as it cools. Once cooled completely, pack in an air-tight container and store in a cool, dry place. It keeps well for up to a month.
Thanks to its long shelf life, thekua is an ideal snack for road trips and long journeys.
Serve thekua as a snack at teatime or enjoy it at any time of the day.
Learn how to make the best khajoor biscuits (thekua or khasta) at home with step by step photos and our thekua recipe video with all ingredients & easy cooking method below.
You may also like:
Millet Kheer
Karanji | Maharashtrian Gujiya
Coconut Ladoo
Malpua | Indian Pancakes
Atte ka halwa
Besan Prasad
Besan Ladoo
Gulab JamunOr see all our Sweets Recipes right here!
-
-
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
Jaggery Syrup:
110 grams jaggery (gur), about ¾ cup, chopped into small pieces
1 teaspoon ghee
Dough:
175 grams whole wheat flour (atta), about 1 1/3 cups
50 grams desiccated coconut, about ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons
3⁄4 teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf)
1⁄2 teaspoon cardamom powder
oil, 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 1 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 oil 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
HIDE RECIPE - 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 1 teaspoon ghee, stir well, then remove from heat and set aside.
-
Tags:thekua recipe, bihari thekua recipe, thekua ingredients
-
-
RATE IT:
- ★
- ★
- ★
- ★
- ★
- nah