Bihari Style Thekua recipe is an easy, flaky tea-time sweet snack recipe with no preservatives, yet can be stored and consumed for 15-20 days.
Thekua is a kid-friendly snack that’s easy to pack and delicious to munch on. (step-by-step-recipe-video)
About Bihari Style Thekua Recipe
Thekua are crisp crunchy cookies flavored with traditional Indian spices. These delicious deep-fried cookies are a family favorite. If you love crunchy cookies, try this traditional Indian recipe today!
Yes, this recipe has a very typical name but trust me it has a very opposite taste. Traditionally this recipe is made with wheat flour and Jaggery the recipe for which I will be sharing soon.
But this can also be made using all-purpose flour. People used to make the different designs on these cookies using “Thekua mould”.
It is a wooden block with designs engraved on both sides. So when you press the dough onto it with the side of your palm, the imprint of the design on the saancha (Thekua mould) is transferred over the surface of the Thekua.
Thekua is very popular in North and East India and has been served as a sweet snack for centuries in some of these places.
This recipe is considered a very important part of some festivals in India, especially in “Chhath Puja”, when this snack is a must-have.
This is what is offered to the God Sun as a Prasad. Chhath Puja is a four-day celebration festival that includes several traditional rituals like holy bathing, fasting, and standing for hours in water making offerings to the Sun God.
Chhath Puja is incomplete without Chaath Puja Sweet recipe. This recipe has so many other names some people call it Khajoor and some Thikari and so on…
Last time, I prepared two snack items for my brother. Yep!!! You are right. The first one was nimki, the recipe I shared sometime back, and the second one was Thekua.
Trust me I never imagined I could ever make this recipe because of the authenticity it required. But as my hubby says, after all, I am my Mom’s daughter so the art of making good food has to be an inherent part of me as well…
It is true that “experience makes a man perfect.” In my case, it made a woman perfect. This was the second time I had made Thekua (the first time was when I made it for my brother, and the second time was when I made this video).
And this time it turned out to be even better than the last one.
The texture was just right and so was the quantity of the ingredients as well. I was a little worried about the amount of sugar and the sweetness, but my mom’s advice that had come out of years of experience couldn’t have gone wrong.
You can even bake it to give it a little healthier touch though I don’t call anything made out of “all-purpose flour”, very healthy. But since these are made at home it is much better than the cookies that you buy from the local stores.
This is a nice tiffin snack for your little ones, and I am sure they will love it, just as my little one does.
It is soft when hot but hardens after it cools. So you must try this khasta thekua recipe and let me know how it turned out for you,
Serving Suggestion:
Festive Prasad: Thekua is traditionally served as prasad during Chhath Puja, but it’s something you can easily make in batches and store to enjoy any time of the year. It’s a great snack option that stays fresh for long.
Tiffin Box: Thekua makes an excellent addition to a school tiffin box. It’s a non-messy snack, easy to carry, and kids love its sweet, crispy texture. You can pack 2-3 pieces along with some fresh fruits or nuts to create a balanced meal.
It’s also great for short breaks during school as it provides energy without being too heavy. You can even pair it with other dry snacks like roasted makhana namkeen.
Tea-time Snack: Apart from tiffin, Thekua is also a perfect snack to serve with tea or coffee.
Travel Snack: Pack Thekua in an airtight container for long travels or road trips. It’s an ideal snack to enjoy on the go due to its long shelf life.
Storage Suggestion:
Room Temperature: Store Thekua in an airtight container at room temperature. It stays fresh for 10-15 days, making it convenient to pack for school in advance.
Airtight Containers for Tiffin: When packing Thekua in a tiffin box, use a compartmentalized or airtight tiffin box to ensure it stays crisp until lunchtime.
Avoid Refrigeration: Since Thekua can remain fresh at room temperature, there’s no need to refrigerate it.
Pack in Small Batches: You can pack Thekua in small, daily batches in airtight containers for easy grab-and-go preparation.
Pro Tips:
Fry on Medium Heat: To achieve a crispy and golden texture, fry the Thekua on medium heat. High heat can cause uneven cooking, making the exterior crisp but leaving the interior undercooked.
Shape for Kids: For added fun, you can use cookie cutters to shape Thekua in kid-friendly designs, making it more appealing for school lunches.
Flavor Enhancements: Fennel is an important ingredient, but you can also add cardamom powder or cinnamon powder for a different flavor.
Batch Preparation: Thekua can be made in large batches and stored in school tiffin boxes for up to a week or two. Just ensure it is completely cooled before storing it to retain its crispness.
Why You Should Make this Recipe?
Chhath Puja Thekua Recipe is the perfect snack for any time’s Choti Bhook (small hunger). You don’t need any special occasion to make this chaath puja sweet.
Perfect tea-time snacks
Requires only a few ingredients
It is very easy to make
Does not require any preservative
Can be stored and eaten for several days.
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Basic Ingredients Used to Make Thekua Recipe:
All-purpose Flour: Traditionally this recipe is made with whole wheat flour but to give this recipe more of a cookie texture, I made this with maida this time.
Sugar: As a sweetener, I am using sugar here.
Fennel Seeds: Don’t skip fennel seeds as it gives a nice flavor to the dish.
Oil/Ghee: You will need oil or ghee to deep-fry and for moin. You can use either ghee or oil, depending on your choice.
Also for the perfect outer crisp, it is very important to add a generous amount of ghee or oil during the time of making the dough.
Nuts: You can add small pieces of dry fruits like dried coconut, and nuts to add extra crunch and flavor to the thekua. Avoid adding whole pieces of dry fruits.
I love adding raisins while shaping thekua try to press the raisins inside if it’s visible outside as it tends to come out while frying.
Deep Fried Cookies Thekua Recipe – Step by Step Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups All purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1/2 tbsp Fennel seeds
- 1/4 cup Ghee for moin
- 1-2 tbsp Coconut chopped
- Oil/ghee to deep fry
Instructions
- In a bowl add maida and ghee.
- Mix it well until the flour binds well when you try to make a ball out of it.
- Now add sugar, dry fruits and fennel seeds and mix well.
- Depending upon the amount of flour you are using, you may want to divide it into two parts this is because we are adding sugar, which may make the dough excess watery when we add water in the next step.
- Add water little by little to the one part of it and knead it into a medium soft dough. (ensure that the sugar should not be dissolved in the kneading process and one shall be easily able to identify the sugar granules in the dough. This is to give it a crunchy taste)
- Take small portions of the dough and make a ball of it.
- Now flatten the ball on rolling board to 1/2 inch of thickness and place it in a tray. You can even flatten the ball by your palm or your finger.
- Heat oil in a pan and fry the thekuas on low flame till they turn golden brown and it gets cooked properly from inside.
- So the thekuas are ready to be served.
- You can serve it hot or cold.
- Store them for 15-20 days in an airtight containers and use it as snacks.
Notes
DO NOT fry more than 4-5 pieces at once.
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions About Thekua Recipe:
How long will thekua last?
Thekua can be stored for longer, as it has a long shelf life. Thekua can be stored for a long if it is stored properly. You can keep thekua in a cool dry place in an airtight container for a couple of weeks.
Can I bake thekua?
Yes, you can bake the thekua recipe in the oven. But the thekua tastes good when you deep fry them. Deep-fried thekua always gives the best results.
Is Thekua Vegan?
If you want vegan thekua, you can avoid using ghee and use any other cooking oil instead.
Why is my Thekua uncooked from the inside?
If the oil temperature for deep-frying the thekua is too high, they will quickly get brown from the outside, leaving the inside dough uncooked. Fry at low or medium-low heat. Turn only when one side is golden, and do it gently, as they are quite delicate.
Why do the cracks occur in my Thekua?
The dough prepared for thekua is tight. So, during the time of shaping the thekua, cracks occur which is very much normal.
How to shape thekua without mould?
Traditionally, thekua is shaped with wooden moulds. In case you don’t have one then you can shape them with your hand and design them with a fork or toothpick.
Why is my thekua getting stuck in the mould?
Grease the mould with either ghee or oil to resist the dough sticking to the mould.
Why does my thekua get soft?
It is very important to prepare a medium soft dough (tight dough). If the dough becomes soft, then the texture of thekua won’t be crispy and you will not get khasta thekua.
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- For use in making Thekua Khajoor and Gujiya
- Both Side Design
- Both Side Facing in Thekua Mould
- Mould is use in made of sweet
- This mould is made of wood and made by our brilliant craftsman
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