KHASTA GAJA (A FRIED SWEET PASRTY)

"KHASTA GAJA"  is an authentic and very famous sweet dish in my state 'ODISHA'. Its prepared during festivals, marriages and in any occasion. A simple sweet dish made of refined flour, fried with oil and soaked in sugar syrup. 

Ingredients :-

Maida (All Purpose Flour) - 1 n 1/2 cups

Cooking Oil / Ghee / Butter - 1/4 cup

Salt a pinch

Soda Bicarbonate - 1/2 tsp

Saunf (Fennel seeds) -  1/2 tsp

Oil for deep frying

For Sugar Syrup :-

Sugar - 2 cups

Water - 1 cup

Green Cardamom - 2 nos. crusheds

Method :-

Take Maida, Salt, Soda bicarbonate in a wide bowl and mix well. Add little warm oil to the flour slowly, rub with your finger and mix it well. Knead a dough (neither tight nor very soft) by adding little water to it. Cover and keep aside for 10-15 minutes.

Heat oil in a kadhai or pan. Take a handful size ball and roll a little flat by a rolling pin. The thickness of base should be thick layer not thin. Cut the edges form each side to make it a rectangle shape. Then cut into square pieces and deep fry in oil. Remember, the temperature of the oil is very crucial, so the oil should not be very hot, otherwise the outer surface will burnt and the inner side not cook properly. Deep fry it in Low-medium flame till it comes to golden brown in colour.

In the meantime make a sugar syrup, which consistency should be little thick not watery. Add cardamom powder or rose essence for a nice aroma. Put the fried Gaja into this sugar syrup for a while over a flame and stir it for 2-3 minutes and then switch off the flame.

Your Delicious Khasta Gaja is ready now. Serve this in any festival or occasion. You can store it for a couple of weeks in an air-tight jar.