Thekua Recipe (Chaath Puja Special Sweet)

Making dough

1. Take the wheat flour, salt, fennel seeds, grated coconut and cardamom powder in a mixing bowl. Mix well and set aside.
2. In small bowl or pan, melt ghee until hot.
3. Add this hot ghee into the dry ingredients and mix with a spoon.
4. When the mixture becomes warm or cool enough to handle, 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.
5. In a saucepan take the jaggery and water.
6. Heat until all the jaggery melts on medium-low flame.
7. Add hot jaggery solution in parts to the flour and mix with a spoon first.
8. Keep on adding in parts and mixing and then begin to bring the dough together and knead lightly.
9. Make a firm or semi-soft dough.
10. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and rest for 15 minutes.

Shaping

1. Later make small balls from the dough.
2. Lightly flatten the dough balls with your palms or with a rolling pin.
3. Press the flattened discs with a peda maker, cookie press or using a toothpick, fork or bamboo skewers make design patterns.
4. Keep covered with a kitchen napkin or kitchen towel.

Deep frying

1. Heat 1.5 cups oil in a kadai or wok.
2. Add a small piece of dough in the oil. If it is comes up gradually on top, the oil is hot.
3. Keep the heat to a medium-low and place the prepared discs in hot oil.
4. 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 or a slotted spoon so that they do not break.
5. Fry till golden and crisp. Due to jaggery these fried cookies have a deeper golden color.
6. Place on kitchen paper towels.
7. Fry the remaining shaped cookies in batches until crispy and golden. Place the fried cookies on kitchen paper towels for any extra oil to be absorbed.
8. When the cookies cool at room temperature store in an airtight container.
9. Serve Thekua as a tea time cookie.