Thekua
Crunchy wheat-and-jaggery cookies shaped in wooden moulds — the essential Chhath prasad.
Fasting (vrat) suitability
No saltNo onion or garlicContains grains or pulses, so it is usually made as festival prasad rather than eaten during a strict fast.
Fasting and offering customs differ between families, regions and sampradayas — some avoid all salt, milk, sugar or certain vegetables. Follow your own tradition and your elders’ guidance.
Offered on
Surya and Chhathi Maiya — placed in the soop (bamboo winnow) with fruits for the evening and morning arghya
Ingredients
For 20 servings. 1 cup = 240 ml.
- 2 cups whole-wheat flour
- ¾ cup grated jaggery
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup ghee (for the dough) plus ghee for frying
- 2 tbsp desiccated coconut
- ½ tsp fennel seeds and ½ tsp cardamom powder
Method
- Dissolve the jaggery in the warm water and let it cool.
- Rub the ghee into the flour until it looks like breadcrumbs; mix in coconut, fennel and cardamom.
- Add the jaggery water little by little and knead a stiff dough. Rest 10 minutes.
- Press small balls into a thekua mould (sancha), or flatten them and mark a pattern with a fork.
- Fry slowly in ghee on low heat until deep golden and crisp (6–8 minutes a batch). Cool completely before placing in the soop.
Chhath prasad is made with special care for purity: many families use a new or separate stove and utensils, and the vrati prepares it. Customs vary.
Recipes written by our editorial team from common household practice. Measures: 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 tbsp = 15 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml.