New Delhi: Bihari Khasta Thekua is also known as Khajur in Bihar and is crispy, sweet, and crunchy in taste. It is made during popular festivals and special occasions.
Ingredients
- 1.25 cup whole wheat flour – 155 to 160 grams
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf)
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated coconut or desiccated coconut
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder or 4 to 5 green cardamoms crushed in mortar-pestle
- 3 tablespoons Ghee – 25 grams
- ½ cup chopped Jaggery or about 85 grams
- ¼ cup water or add as required
- 1.5 cups oil – for deep frying, any neutral-tasting oil
Making Dough
- Take the wheat flour, salt, fennel seeds, grated coconut and cardamom powder in a mixing bowl. Mix well and set aside.
- In a small bowl or pan, melt ghee until hot.
- Add this hot ghee to the dry ingredients and mix with a spoon.
- Then using your fingers mix the ghee with the flour till you get a breadcrumb consistency. When you press the mixture it should form a lump.
- In a saucepan take jaggery and water.
- Heat until all the jaggery melts.
- Add hot jaggery solution in parts to the flour and mix with a spoon first.
- Keep on adding in parts and mixing and then begin to bring the dough together and knead lightly.
- Make a firm or semi-soft dough.
- Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and rest for 15 minutes.
Shaping
- Later make small balls from the dough.
- Lightly flatten the dough balls with your palms or with a rolling pin.
- Press the flattened discs with a peda maker, or cookie design press, or using a toothpick, fork, or bamboo skewers to make design patterns.
- Keep covered with a kitchen napkin or kitchen towel.
Deep Frying
- Heat 1.5 cups oil in a kadai or wok.
- Add a small piece of dough in the oil. If it is com es up gradually on top, the oil is hot.
- Keep the heat to a medium-low and place the discs in hot oil.
- When one side is golden, gently turn over and fry the second side. Be very careful when turning and do it gently with a dinner spoon so that they do not break.
- Fry till golden and crisp. Due to jaggery these have a deeper golden color.
- Place on kitchen paper towels.
- When cooled at room temperature store in an airtight container.
- Serve thekua as a tea-time cookie.
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