Thekua
 | |
| Course | Dessert |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Nepal |
| Region or state | Janakpur, Mithila Province |
| Creator | Maithali and Maithil |
| Main ingredients | Wheat flour, sugar syrup or jaggery, ghee, cardamom |
 Cookbook: Thekua  Media: Thekua | |
Thekua or Khajuria or Thikari is a dry sweet from Mithila autonomous State in Southeastern Nepal. It is very popular in Nepal, Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh (Purvanchal).
Thekua is a revered prasad (offering to god) in the Chhath puja. It has been used as a sweet snack for centuries in these places.[1]
The main ingredients of Thekua are wheat flour, chasni (melted sugar)and ghee. Jaggery can sometimes be used as an alternative to sugar.[1] Dough is prepared using these four main ingredients and cardamom can be added to enhance the taste. Dough is deep fried in ghee or vegetable oil till it becomes reddish brown. It is soft when hot but hardens after it cools. It needs no preservatives and it can be preserved for several days for eating.
Normally there are two variants, the people in Central Nepal and Bihar prefer the ones which are harder(Khajur) and have a longer shelf life, whereas people in Eastern Nepal and UP prefer it softer(Thekua). The soft Thekuas are made of refined vegetable oils and have more of a special type of Flour, maida - which is actually roasted Wheat flour.
It can be viewed as an Nepalese precursor of Western Biscuits or cookies.
References
- 1 2 "'Rasiao-kheer', 'thekua' make for festive platter". The Times of India. Nov 1, 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2012.