Khajur or Moyandar Thekua

            Khajur or Moyandar Thekua

Thekua recipe is a pure Bihari delicacy which is immensely popular in the subcontinents of eastern India. It is considered as one of the essential elements of “Chhath puja” prasad which is offered to God. Basically, in thekua preparation whole wheat flour is kneaded to a dough with ghee, jaggery syrup and shaped into different sizes-shapes and is then deep fried. Flavouring agent and dry fruits are added to enhance the dish further. Thekua recipe with jaggery is much more than a homemade Indian cookie. It is mostly served as an evening snacks or at teatime with a cup of hot tea.

My dadi (grandmother) was from Ballia, eastern U.P and her Thekua or khajur was immensely yum 😋. Though we did not observe chath, yet Moyandar Thekua as it was called in our house, was a mandatory dish each year! It used to be prepared on the occasion of Holi, the festival of colors.

2-3 big canisters of these thekuas (Approx. 10-15 kg.) were being prepared on this occasion, family was big and everyone used to celebrate Holi with grandparents, plus it was distributed among neighbors, servants and given in tiffin to returning children 😀. 

Thekua recipe is an asset recipe of Indian cuisine and an indivisible part of Chhath puja celebration. It is an old traditional recipe which has been carried along from the ancestors and has been followed by generations to keep the ritual alive. So, thekua is always much more than a cookie. It contains the love, faith and the blessings of God.

Thekua is known by different names in different regions. It is also popular as kajuria, Khajuria, thikari, khasta thekua, moyandar thekua, thokwa, khajoor or khajur and many more.

Thekua recipe with jaggery is simple and easy to prepare. It requires very basic ingredients which are easily available in any Indian kitchen pantry. It requires only a bit of effort to make a tight dough and time to shape them. Other than these two things, it does not require any extra skill to prepare it. In fact, it could be a perfect recipe for a beginner.

Tips of perfectly made Thekua 

*Always make a syrup with jaggery or sugar with water and knead the whole wheat flour with the cold syrup.

*For the perfect outer crisp, it is very important to add generous amount of ghee or oil during the time of making the dough.

*Add small amount of semolina (Rava) into the dough for better outer crisp.

*Allow the thekua dough to rest for at least 30 minutes before shaping.

*Always deep fry the thekua in enough oil till golden brown in colour. Don’t go for shallow frying them.

*Always fry the thekua on medium to low flame or else they will not get cooked from inside.

*Don’t skip fennel seeds (Saunf) and cardamom powder (Elaich powder) from the recipe. It gives a nice flavour to the dish.

Note: If you don’t have moulds like me then take small portion of the thekua dough in your hand and make a cylindrical shape with it. Then flattened them by pressing with your palm. Pinch both the ends and make leafy shape with it. Mark the leaf with the help of a toothpick.

Recipe

Ingredients:

1. 1¾ cups Whole wheat flour

2. ¼ cup Semolina

3. ¼ cup desiccated Coconut

4. 3 tablespoons Ghee (Clarified Butter)

5. 1 teaspoon Fennel seeds (Saunf)

6. ½ teaspoon Cardamom powder (Elaichi powder)

7. ¾ cup grated Jaggery, tightly packed

8. 110 ml Water (1 tablespoon less than ½ cup)

9. Oil to deep fry the thekua (I fried in desi ghee like my Dadi) You can mix desi ghee and refined too)

Method:

*Add ¾ cup grated jaggery into a utensil and add 110ml water into it. Switch on the flame in low and stir it frequently until the jaggery gets dissolved. Keep the jaggery syrup aside to cool down completely before use.

(I had jaggery powder this time so I jsimply added this after giving moyan).

*Take a large mixing bowl and add 1 ¾ cup whole wheat flour, ¼ cup semolina, ¼ cup desiccated coconut, 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, ½ teaspoon cardamom powder, 2 tablespoons chopped cashew nuts into it. Mix all the dry ingredients with a spoon.

*Add 3 tablespoons ghee into the bowl and mix it evenly until crumbs occur.

*Add the jaggery syrup (Step 1) slowly, little at a time, into the wheat flour. Here I added my jaggery powder and kneaded the dough with water carefully. 

*Cover the dough completely with either wet cloth or cling film and allow it to rest for at least half an hour.

*Knead the dough once more and pinch out small portion of it in your hand and make a cylindrical shape with it. Then flattened them by pressing with your palm. Pinch both the ends and make pointed like a leaf. Mark the leaf with the help of a toothpick. Repeat the whole process and shape thekua with rest of the dough.

Note: Cover the rest of the dough during the time of shaping thekua or else the dough will become hard.

*Put a pan on flame and let it become completely dry.

*Add enough oil to deep fry the thekua properly.

Put the flame in medium and allow the oil to become hot. The ideal temperature for frying khajur recipe is neither too hot nor warm. It should be moderate.

*Put the thekua one by one into the oil and fry it in medium low flame. Don’t overcrowd the pan.

*When Thekua cools down completely, store in an airtight container. 

*Tastes awesome with tea, can be taken to picnics and devour with Banarasi Red Chilli Pickle 🌶 😋!