Khaja is a delicious Indian sweet mostly popular in the Odhisa state of India. In the said state it is regularly served as prasad at the Jagannath Temple of Puri. Khaja is also popular in Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. The chief ingredients of khaja are flour, sugar and refined oil. It is easy and quick to make and can be prepared at home.
Ingredients of Khaja
•2 cups refined flour
•A little more than 1/2 cup of pure ghee
•11/2 cup of sugar
•11/2 cup of refined cooking oil
Method of Preparing Khaja
•Make a paste of ghee and flour by mixing half a cup of ghee with equal quantity of flour. Keep this paste aside.
•Add a pinch of salt and three teaspoon of ghee to the remaining flour.
•Knead the same and make stiff dough.
•Roll the dough into a rectangular shape and the thickness would be that of a chapatti. Spread the ghee-flour mixture evenly over the rectangular surface.
•Roll the rectangular dough from one side to give it a rope like shape
•Cut it into one inch size pieces.
•Roll each piece again to make about 5 inch long khaja.
•Heat oil in a frying pan and deep-fry the pieces of khaja on a medium flame.
Syrup for Khaja
•Prepare syrup of sugar with water.
•Add sugar to boiling water and continuously go on stirring till to get sticky syrup.
•Dip the khajas into it (one at a time) and take out.
•Serve after these become cold.
Another method of preparing this recipe with minor change in the ingredients:
Ingredients of Khaja
•1 1/2 cup maida
•1/2 cup jaggery
•1 cup water
•1/4 tsp cardamom powder
•1 tbsp ghee
•Ghee to deep fry
Method of Preparing Khaja
•Heat the water and jaggery till all of it dissolves in the water.
•Strain and cool a bit.
•Mix the cardamom powder and ghee in the flour.
•Knead the flour with the jaggery water.
•The dough should be stiff but pliable.
•Break into approx. 20 parts.
•Knead each with palm and roll into 4" rounds.
•Make many tiny slits with knife on each on both sides.
•Keep them aside on a clean cloth for an hour or so to dry a bit.
•Deep fry in hot ghee on low flame till they become light golden in colour.
•Drain and cool for a while.
•The khajas will become crisper and harder as they cool.
•Serve after these become cold.
The good point about khaja is it can be stored in a container for few days and can be consumed whenever one wishes.
