Kakinada Khaja

Kakinada Khaja: Kakinada Khaja is a sweet delicacy of Andhra Pradesh, India. Kakinada, a coastal city in Andhra Pradesh, is popular for Khajas, hence the name. Kakinada Khaja is just a replica of Ranchi Khaja. Khajas were brought into Andhra by Muslims, probably at the time of the Nizams. The two well-known types of Khajas are madatha khajas and kakinada khajas. Kakinada Khajas are dry from the outside and juicy and full of sugar syrup on the inside.

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 1 cup all purpose flour (maida)
• 2 tsp gram flour (besan)
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• Oil, for deep frying
• 1 tsp ghee
• Water, as required

Method:

• Place the all purpose flour in the flat wide plate.
• Make a hole in the centre of the all purpose flour.
• Mix the gram flour with the all purpose flour.
• Add in the 1 teaspoon ghee to the flour mixture.
• Mix well.
• Mix in the baking powder.
• Knead soft pliable dough, by adding water, little at a time.
• Knead the dough for 10 minutes.
• Rest the dough, by covering the dough with damp/wet cloth, for 1 hour.
• Take the sugar in the pan and add 1 cup water until the sugar dissolves.
• Mix well.
• Boil the sugar syrup for 5 minutes.
• Keep aside.
• Remove the cloth from the dough.
• Shape the dough like a long and thin log.
• Cut the dough into 1 inch by 1 inch squares.
• Take each cube and roll it again to 1 inch by 3 inch rectangles.
• Heat the oil, for deep frying, in a deep fryer or work to 150°C.
• Slowly drop the kakinada khaja’s, a few at a time.
• Fry the kakinada khaja’s until they turn to golden brown.
• Drain from the oil and transfer them to the sugar syrup.
• Let the kakinada khaja’s sit in the sugar syrup for about 20 minutes.
• Remove the kakinada khaja’s from the sugar syrup.
• Kakinada khaja’s are ready to be served.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

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