Gujhia/Perrakiya

The festival of Teej is celebrated in Bihar/Jharkhand by married women. This falls a day before Ganesh Chaturthi, when women fast. The fasting is rigorous as you cannot drink water the whole day and ends the next morning before sunrise, when women pray to Goddess Parvati for the well being of their husbands.
Gujhia is a home made sweet that is a must on this ocassion. I still miss the ones prepared by mom although I have bettered with time and make those too. I am sending this to the event at Purva's blog.

Gujhia/Perrakiya

Ingredients
Maida/Refined Flour - 1/2Kg
Ghee - 100gms
Khoya - 1/2 Kg
Sugar -100gms
Cashews - 50gms (coarsely crushed)
Raisins - 50gms (cut into pieces)
Grated Coconut - 50gms
Green Cardamoms - 8-10(crushed)
Refined oil for frying

Method
In a pan fry the khoya till the color changes to

golden.
Remove from heat and mix sugar, cashews,

grated coconut,raisins and cardomom seeds
Leave the khoya to rest

Mix the flour and ghee together
Knead into a tight dough using little water at a time

Take a little dough and smoothen between the palms
Roll into a thin puri.
Now place this on the mould (see pic) and add a spoonful of Khoya mixture
Close the lids of the mould tightly
Remove from mould and place on a flat dish
Repeat this with the remaining dough

Heat oil in a wok/heavy bottomed pan
Fry the gujhias till till golden (see pic)
Place on paper towel for sometime.
Store in airtight containers

P.S. If the weather is too hot, it is better to consume the gujhias else they may not saty right because of khoya. However, the gujhias can be stored for around a month or so if placed in the refrigerator in airtight containers

Thekua/Khajoor

August 23rd , Sunday was the festival of Teej. On Teej, married women pray to Goddess Parvati for well-being of their husbands. In India, Teej is a traditional festival celebrated in Bihar, Jharkhand, parts of Eastern UP and MP.
Teej (Hindi: तीज) is a fasting festival for Hindu women of some parts of India and Nepal. It takes place in 3rd day of Shukla Paksha in Bhadrapad or Bhado month of hindi calender normly in the month of August or early September. It is celebrated for marital bliss, well-being of spouse and children and purification of own body and soul. The festival is a three-day-long celebration that combines sumptuous feasts as well as rigid fasting. (source: Wikipedia)

Khajoor/Thekua and Perrakiya/Gujhia are homemade sweets prepared essentially on the ocassion of Teej. Here is the recipe for Thekua/Khajoor:
Sending this to the "State Specials" hosted by Shanthi

Thekua/Khajoor

Ingredients
Maida - 1/2Kg
Sugar-2 and a 1/2cup
Ghee- 1/2 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Green Cardamom (crushed)- 10-15pcs
Grated Dry coconut - 1/2 cup
Refined oil/Ghee for frying

Method
Boil 1/2 cup water and remove from heat
Add the sugar to the boiled water and mix till sugar melts
Let the mixture cool
Mix the maida and ghee together
Add the grated Coconut and Crushed cardamom and mix well
In the Maida, add the sugar syrup slowly and knead into a tight dough.
Take a small quantity of the dough and make a ball.
Press the dough against the sancha (A wooden frame with design on it to create impression on the dough. This resembles the wood block. Please check the pic)
Alternately if the sancha is not available, the dough can be pressed against a basket to create impressions.
Repeat this with the remaining dough.
Now heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan and deep fry the khajoors till golden brown.
Remove from oil and place on a paper towel for some time.

Balushahi

Balushahi

Ingredients

Maida/Refined flour -1/2Kg

Ghee - 100gms

Sugar -250gms

Water - 1/2 cup

Oil for Frying

Method

Prepare Sugar Syrup:
Mix sugar and 1/4 cup of water together in a bowl
Heat on low flame till the sugar starts to melt
stir and cook till teh syrup starts thickening
The sugar syrup should acquire a two thread consistency
Remove from flame and let it rest

Make the Balushshis

Mix the flour and ghee together

Knead adding very little water at a time

Knead into a tight dough

Make balls from the dough, the size you would do for a puri

Press genty in the centre (see pic below)

Repeat the same with the remaining dough

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan
Fry the balushahis till golden in colour (check pic below)

Dip the balushahis in the sugar syrup and remove
The balushahi is now ready
Serve hot or cold as a side snack item

I made the balushahis (the right one on the pic at the top) first and since I like shakarparres a lot, I used the balushahis to taste the same and so I just thickened the sugar syrup a bit and added the balushahis in it and let it cool there.