I simply adore making this dish at home. Thekua is a delightful sweet which is popular in Bihar. It has a sweet and familiar taste of jaggery. Overall, it is an exciting way of making a traditional Indian sweet.
Recipe Snapshot:
- Thekua is a traditional sweet associated with Chhath Puja.
- Thekua is a crispy, mildly sweet cookie.
- It can be fried in ghee or oil.
- Enjoy thekua with tea or milk.
- It takes me just over half an hour to make them at home, with 15 minutes of preparation, 10 minutes for resting and 10 minutes for frying.
- Other similar recipes like Thekua are naankhatai, khajuri and mawa gujiya.
The Ingredients:
- 2 cups whole grain flour or atta (about 250 gm)
- 1 cup finely chopped jaggery (about 150 gm)
- 1 cup lukewarm milk
- 3 tablespoons small coconut pieces
- 2 tablespoons chopped cashew nuts
- 1 tablespoon raisins
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)
- 5 liter refined oil
- Salt – a pinch
How to Make Thekua (Step by Step Images)?
1. Add the chopped jaggery, coconut, dry fruits, fennel seeds and salt to whole grain flour. Mix well.
(Pro tip: Optionally, you can add ½ teaspoon cardamom powder.)
2. Add the ghee. Give a proper mix.
3. Add the milk and mix well.
(Pro Tip: I add the milk gradually until a consistently semi-soft texture is obtained because too much liquid can make the dough sticky and difficult to shape. If the dough turns sticky, add a spoonful of atta.)
4. Make sure to knead gently; overworking on dough is highly discouraged.
5. Keep the mixture aside for 10 minutes.
6. Make balls from the dough. Use your palms to flatten each ball. Alternatively, you can use a rolling pin.
7. You can give these balls different shapes with the help of a fork, toothpick or a bamboo skewer.
8. Deep fry them in oil or ghee. Your homemade Thekua is ready.
Recipe Card
Thekua Recipe | Indian Fried Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole grain flour or atta about 250 gm
- 1 cup finely chopped jaggery about 150 gm
- 1 cup lukewarm milk
- 3 tablespoons small coconut pieces
- 2 tablespoons chopped cashew nuts
- 1 tablespoon raisins
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 2 tablespoons ghee clarified butter
- 0.5 liter refined oil
- Salt – a pinch
Instructions
- Add the chopped jaggery, coconut, dry fruits, fennel seeds and salt to whole grain flour. Mix well. (Pro tip: Optionally, you can add ½ teaspoon cardamom powder.)
- Add the ghee. Give a proper mix.
- Add the milk and mix well. (Pro Tip: I add the milk gradually until a consistently semi-soft texture is obtained because too much liquid can make the dough sticky and difficult to shape. If the dough turns sticky, add a spoonful of atta.)
- Make sure to knead gently. Overworking on dough is highly discouraged.
- Keep the mixture aside for 10 minutes.
- Make balls from the dough. Use your palms to flatten each ball. Alternatively, you can use a rolling pin.
- You can give these balls different shapes with the help of a fork, toothpick or a bamboo skewer.
- Deep fry them in oil or ghee. Your homemade Thekua is ready.
