Khaja is an Indian delicacy known to have started from the eastern parts of the territory of Oudh and the previous United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. The dish is likewise prominent in the neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha and in addition to that, also Andhra Pradesh. Layered and soft dough is made out of refined wheat flour with water and sugar, with or without any stuffing and deep fried in oil to make khaja. It is also used as a religious item and given as an offering in the Jagannath Temple of Puri in Orissa.
Khajas from different places
There are different types of khajas made differently by altering the constituencies or by changing the quantity of the ingredients which are used. The khajas of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh are somewhat similar in nature. They both have a hard pastry sheet and are crispy in general. In Puri, it is simply called khaja or more specifically “Purir Khaja” and it Andhra Pradesh it is commonly known as Kakinada kaja. The item is also famous in parts of Patna, Gaya, and Bihar and so on. This sweet dish helps in earning a lot of profit as well.
Easy to make
The dish was introduced to the people of Andhra Pradesh by the Muslim Vikings. One can also say that this Khaja is similar to that of Ranchi’s khaja. Wheat flour, mawa and oil are used to prepare this sweet dish. After deep frying them in oil, it is made to soak sugar syrup till it gets the desired sweetness. It is also sold in various parts of India. It comes in all shapes and sizes and requires no baking also. Most desserts need to be baked to prepare but not in case of this one. You can easily create it by simply making the batter out of wheat flour and frying it until crisp in oil.
Types and specialties
There are two types of khajas which are widely known. They are madatha khajas and gottam khajas. Madatha khajas are made of twisted strips of pastries, while gottam khajas are made of cylinders of the same batter. Gottam khajas are dry from the outside and deliciously brimming with sugar syrup within. It is sure to melt in your mouth as soon as you taste it. Madatha khajas, then again, have a similar surface all through, and have the chance to dry up if kept open for a couple of hours.
Available in pocket friendly prices
The port town of Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh is famous because of this khaja. This sugary delicacy is also known by the name of Khajalu in Telegu. This type of khaja is widely available in the Rajahmundry area of Andhra at amazingly low prices. These are made best by the local people, sweet shop owners, etc., who are familiar with the entire procedure of preparing the dish and also have excelled in this profession for years. If you visit Andhra Pradesh, don’t forget to have some of these and since they are easy to make, try it sometime at home also.
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