Chhath Puja Special: Thekua Recipe – A Culinary Journey to Bihar’s Rich Culture
By Jugnu Gupta
Pune, 13th November 2023: Chhath Puja is dedicated to the sun god Surya to show gratitude and thankfulness for bestowing the bounties of life on earth and to request that certain wishes be granted.
Chhath is an ancient Hindu festival historically native to the Indian subcontinent, more specifically, the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern part of Uttar Pradesh. Chhathi Maiya, the sixth form of Devi Prakriti and Lord Surya’s sister is worshipped as the Goddess of the festival. It is celebrated six days after Deepavali, on the sixth day of the lunar month of Kartika (October–November) in the Hindu calendar Vikram Samvat. The rituals are observed over four days. They include holy bathing, fasting and abstaining from drinking water (vrata), standing in water, and offering arghya THEKUA as prasad to the setting and rising sun.
Let’s make this Chhath Puja Prasad- Thekua
Enjoy the rustic charm of Bihar in every bite of these handcrafted Thekuas. Thekua basically you can say it’s an Indian cookies. Thekua is an important part of Bihari culture. It is the most popular festive recipe in Bihar, Jharkhand and the eastern part of UP. So Let’s Bring a taste of Bihar’s heritage to your kitchen from my kitchen with these homemade Thekuas -the rich flavors of taste and culture.
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Ingredients ⬇️
Whole wheat flour( not very fine)- 2 cups (200gms)
Jaggery powder- 3/4 cup (approx 95 11/0 GMs
Water- 1/3 cup ( 70 gm M L)
Saunf- 2 tsp
Cardamom powder- 1 tsp
Dry coconut small pcs- 2 tsp optional
Ghee- 3 tbsp ( approx 40 gm)
Cloves- ( optional)
Ghee for frying
Method⬇️
-In a bowl add jaggery powder and water, just heat to melt the jaggery to make liquid jaggery. Don’t cook. Strain the liquid.
-In a platter add ghee, saunf, cardamom and coconut.
-Rub with your palm for crumbly texture ( Moin)
-Gradually add Jaggery water and make a dough to just combine everything. Don’t overknead them.
-keep it for 10 minutes, make small balls and press on desired Thekua mould or design as you like, pinch one cloves on that like laung lata.
-Fry in ghee on low medium heat until golden.
-Can Keep it in airtight container for 3-4 weeks.
-Enjoy
(Jugnu Gupta is a chef, epicure, food consultant, influencer, blogger and recipe developer trained at Le Cordon Bleu Institutes, London and Paris. Visit her Instagram profile @taste_palate and website www.tastepalate.in for more recipes)
