Allergens in Thekua: milk, gluten.
Ingredients
Quantities for 6.
- 500g, coarse Attacoarse-milled atta gives thekua its characteristic crunch
- 250g, grated Jaggery
- 200ml Water
- 6 tbsp, melted, for the dough Ghee
- 1.5 tsp, lightly crushed Fennel Seeds
- 6 pods, seeds ground Cardamom
- 4 tbsp, freshly grated Coconutoptional
- 700ml, for deep-frying Neutral Oiltraditionally ghee; oil is the everyday version
- a pinch Salt
Cookware
kadhai, stovetop
Checked against the ingredient list for ten allergens: milk, egg, fish, crustaceans, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, mustard, soy and gluten. Brands vary, so read the label on anything new to you.
Before you start
- Dissolve the jaggery in hot water and strain it. Unstrained jaggery carries grit that burns black in the frying oil.
- Let the jaggery water cool to lukewarm before it touches the flour. Hot syrup makes a sticky dough that will not hold a pattern.
- Do not rest this dough. Thekua dough should be mixed stiff and fried straight away, or the jaggery draws out moisture and it slackens.
Method
- Heat the water with the jaggery over low heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring, until it dissolves completely, then strain and cool to lukewarm.
- Rub the melted ghee into the atta with the salt for 3-4 minutes, until the flour looks damp and clumps when pressed.This moyan of ghee is what makes thekua short and crisp. Skimp on it and you get a rock.
- Mix in the crushed fennel, ground cardamom and grated coconut.
- Add the jaggery water a little at a time and bring it together into a very stiff dough. Do not knead it smooth.Stop adding liquid while the dough still looks slightly crumbly; a soft dough soaks up oil and goes soggy.
- Pinch off lime-sized pieces, roll into balls, then flatten each to about 1cm thick.
- Press each disc onto a thekua mould, or score a criss-cross pattern with the back of a fork.
- Heat the frying oil to 150C. Low, not hot. A piece of dough should rise slowly after a few seconds.Frying too hot browns the surface while the middle stays raw. Low and slow is the whole technique.
- Fry in batches for 8-10 minutes, turning often, until the thekua are a deep even brown and float high in the oil.
- Lift out and drain on a rack, not on paper, and let them cool completely. They harden as they cool.Judge doneness by colour, not by feel; thekua are soft in the pan and only crisp up once cold.
Storage
Keeps 2 weeks in an airtight tin at room temperature, and this is a sweet that improves after a day or two. Do not refrigerate, the crunch goes.
Nutrition Medium estimate
One serving of Thekua (198 g) is about 732 calories, or 369 calories per 100 g.
Low protein: 9 g a serving, 5% of the calories
| Per serving198 g | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 732 kcal | 369 kcal |
| Protein | 8.6 g | 4 g |
| Carbohydrate | 105.9 g | 53 g |
| of which sugars | 43.1 g | 22 g |
| Fibre | 12.3 g | 6 g |
| Fat | 34.0 g | 17 g |
| of which saturated | 12.9 g | 6 g |
| of which unsaturated | 19.4 g | 10 g |
Ingredients given to taste count as zero, so the real figures run a little higher. Nearest database match used for jaggery. Estimated from raw ingredients using USDA FoodData Central.
More like this: Vegetarian Indian recipes · No onion no garlic recipes · Bihari recipes
Times, yields, allergens and nutrition are guidance. Use your own judgement on doneness and on storing. More in About.