Last Updated on December 14, 2020 by
Bihar is a small state located in northern India, bordered by Uttar Pradesh, Jharkand, Nepal and West Bengal. It is India’s most densely populated state, with most of the population under the age of 25. It is mostly rural, with farming being the majority occupation.
Bihar was also very important in India’s struggle for independence. Many of the freedom fighters, including Gandhi, staged many of their marches from Bihar.
Biharis are largely represented in the International Indian diaspora as this was a state where many left India as indentured servants to Mauritius & the Caribbean. Just this evening, I went to a talk and reading by Guyanese author Gaiutra Bahadur who traced the roots of her great grandmother from Guyana back to Bihar.
After the abolition of slavery, many Indians were lured to the Caribbean and other British empire countries to work the sugarcane and cocoa plantations. Being of Caribbean decent, it was interesting to learn about the region where many Caribbean Indians are descended from.
Indian indentured labour importing colonies
| Name of Colony | Number of Labourers Transported |
|---|---|
| Mauritius | 453,063 |
| British Guiana | 238,909 |
| Trinidad | 143,939 |
| Jamaica | 36,412 |
| Grenada | 3,200 |
| St Lucia | 4,350 |
| Natal | 152,184 |
| St Kitts | 337 |
| St Vincent | 2,472 |
| Reunion | 26,507 |
| Surinam | 34,304 |
| Fiji | 60,965 |
| East Africa | 32,000 |
| Seychelles | 6,315 |
| Total | 1,194,957 |
For some of the smaller Indian states, searching for recipes was a genuine challenge, despite the convenience of the world wide web. One of the sources I used was Srivalli’s Indian Cooking Challenge. I have been participating in this group off and on for the past year, but there were many previous challenges I did not complete. It is a great resource for many traditional Indian recipes and that is how I found this Bihari specialty.
Ever heard of a fried cookie? Well leave it to India to come up with this unique treat!
Yield: 12 3″ cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 cup chappati flour (whole wheat flour)
- 4 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons dessicated grated coconut
- 2 tablespoons semolina
- 3 teaspoons ghee
- 6 tablespoons milk
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
- oil, for frying
Using a coffee/spice grinder, grind the powdered sugar until very fine.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, coconut, semolina, ghee and cardamom. Mix to combine.
Add milk a little at a time, until you have a soft dough.
On a lightly wooden board, roll out dough to 1/4″ thick. Using cookie/biscuit cutters, cut out shapes. (although I doubt too many people are celebrating Easter in Bihar, I used Easter themed cookie cutters since we are in the month of April)
Heat a pan with enough oil for deep frying. (I added 2 heaping tablespoons of ghee into the oil for more flavor.)
Fry cookies until browned and crispy. Drain on paper towels.
Serve with coffee/tea or milk.
These are very unusual. They are crispy on the outside, but soft and chewy like chappati/roti on the inside.
Mildly sweet, they are a delicious treat!
Thekua ( Indian Fried Cookies )
Ingredients
- 1 cup chappati flour whole wheat flour
- 4 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons dessicated grated coconut
- 2 tablespoons semolina
- 3 teaspoons ghee
- 6 tablespoons milk
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Using a coffee/spice grinder, grind the powdered sugar until very fine.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, coconut, semolina, ghee and cardamom. Mix to combine.
- Add milk a little at a time, until you have a soft dough.
- On a lightly wooden board, roll out dough to 1/4″ thick.
- Using cookie/biscuit cutters, cut out shapes.
- Heat a pan with enough oil for deep frying. (I added 2 heaping tablespoons of ghee into the oil for more flavor.)
- Fry cookies until browned and crispy.
- Drain on paper towels.
Love that cute shapes, thekua is one of the addictive cookies i have tried long back..Well done Mireille..
the shape of these cookies are so cute!! love them!!
loved the shape and this thekua looks perfect as a snack item
I like those cute shaped cookies ! Good one Mirelle !!
such pretty shaped cookies.. they've come out so nice
Cute shapes and look crispy.
Guyana and Bihar !!! I would have never made that connection !! The goodies look delish ;-))
When I read in wiki that Bihari cuisine is eaten Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago, I was surprised and after reading your post, makes sense. Flower thekua are so cute and even the rabbit.
Perfectly made thekuas Mir..even I was thinking to make either saatu or thekua only but last minute I changed my mind and made ghugni.Love the shape of your thekuas.
Mireille, your research work is too good…and I love this Thekua, we made it for ICC and it was a big hit.Lovely cookie designs.
Those are very interesting stats Mir. Kudos to your research.
Thekua looks so delicious. I missed making them for ICC, will have to try these some time.
While I was reading up on Bihar, I also came up with the stats. These cookies look awesome Mir. I have not made these as yet!
very informative post very interesting reading it .. thekua was in my to do list too but didn't make it , they looks fabulous Mir 🙂 I can see how much research you have made for every single dish 🙂 Fantastic post !!
Cute shapes you have used for thekua. Even it was a hit at home when I made them for ICC. Love your snaps…
Mir, I love your history sessions..surely makes the globe a very small place..:)..so glad you liked thekua..your cute ones really look very inviting..
I love how you say something about the state before you proceed to the recipe. People can relate more to the recipe this way. The thekuas look super cute 🙂
Mir Ester is on a Sunday so no hoiday but its celebrated. In fact here in Goa its customary to have Easter feast, and Ester eggs.
When you guys said theku and that its a sweet I looked it up and now I wish I had made it. I love the flower shaped cookies.
So lovely! Love the cute shapes especially the little bunnies 🙂
Lovely shapes, interesting read about bihar.
Lovely shapes indeed.. They are so inviting.