
The festival of Chhath Puja is incomplete without Thekua, a sweet which has religious and cultural importance in a few regions in India. The crunchy sweet is made as offering to Surya Dev and Chhathi Maiya. Thekua is very popular in Bihar, Jharkhand and Eastern UP. It is made using whole wheat flour, jaggery and desi ghee.
You can make this traditional prasad very easily at home with a few ingredients.
For making around 15-20 medium sized thekuas you will need:
In a pan add in the jaggery and ¼ - ½ cup of water. Cook on a low flame till the jaggery melts. Strain to remove the impurities and allow to cool. Avoid boiling the mixture for a long period of time.
In a large bowl add in the wheat flour. Now, add in the fennel seeds, cardamom and coconut. Then, add the melted ghee and mix well. Make sure the ghee gets mixed properly and the mixture becomes like coarse breadcrumbs. This process is called moyan.
Now, slowly add the cooled jaggery water and mix well. Don't add the liquid all at once. Make a hard and firm dough. Avoid making it too soft like roti.
Divide the dough into small pieces and shape into balls. Flatten them and place them into a traditional wood mould known as sancha. If you don't have the mould, you can make a small ball and flatten it evenly and use a fork to make some lovely patterns.
Heat up the ghee or oil in a deep kadai. Turn down the flame to a low-medium flame. Gently add in the shaped Thekua and fry in batches. Turn occasionally until both sides are a deep golden colour. Avoid frying in high flame.
Place onto some absorbent paper and allow to cool completely. Then place inside an airtight container.
This easy sweet made with simple ingredients will give you a taste of real Chhath Puja!
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