Thekuwa

Chhatpuja is going on.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:

1. 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.
2. Add grated coconut (nariyal) and fennel seed (saunf) powder to it and mix well.
3. 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). 
4. 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).
5. Heat the remaining ghee in the pan. (Check if the ghee is warm enough to fry, with a small ball of wheat dough).
6. 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.
7. Serve on a beautiful dish or preserve in an airtight jar.