Khaja

Khaja is one of the traditional sweets offered in Lord Jagannath temple in Puri. It's crisp fried, cardamom flavored and coated with crystallized sugar syrup, making it so much delectable!! It is very popular among the devotees since it is dry, making it easier to take out as 'Prasad' after visiting the temple. I remember having those almost every time we visit the temple. 

Ingredients

For Dough
2 cup All Purpose Flour
2 tbsp Canola oil
Pinch of salt
1tsp crushed Cardamom seeds
About 1/2 cup Water

For layering
2tbsp Rice Flour
2tbsp Canola oil

Oil for frying

Sugar syrup
2 cup sugar
1 cup water
1tsp crushed cardamom seeds
few drops of Rose essence
Heat sugar and water to make the syrup. Boil the syrup till one thread consistency, which takes about 7 to 8 minutes in medium high heat. Switch off the heat once the syrup has one thread consistency, but keep it on the stove to keep it warm. Finally add in the rose essence and Cardamom. The fried Khaja will need to be deepen in the warm syrup immediately after frying. If the syrup is cold by the time of frying the Khaja then warm it up a little. 

Making Khaja
Sieve flour in a bowl then add salt and crushed Cardamom. Mix in the oil, kneading it for a few minutes till the flour is well coated. Then add in water, small amount at a time to make a soft dough. Knead it for a few minutes to make it a smooth dough. Then brush the dough with a little oil, cover it and keep aside for an hour.

Prepare the layering paste by mixing the oil and rice flour together. Then heat the oil for frying, in a medium to low heat.
After resting the dough divide it into 6 equal parts. Roll three of those into thin round sheets, just like Roti.
Spread the rice flour paste all over the Rotis, then layer the Rotis on top of each other. 
Now roll the three layers together into one vertical log. Then cut the log horizontally with slight slant, into 1 inch pieces.
Using your thumb press onto the slant to make the layers face to the top.
Then using a rolling pin roll it to make it longer in shape. Do not roll it more than three times since the layers might stick to each-other. And don't press the rolling pin too hard.

Fry them soon after rolling them all. the oil should be medium warm, not very hot. And keep the oil stirring between frying for equal heat distribution. The Khajas will be golden brown and floating on the top of oil, they're ready. Drain a few from the oil using a perforated spoon and let most of the oil drip, then drop them in the warm sugar syrup. Keep them soaking in the syrup for about half a minute. Then take them out and shake off the excess syrup. Let them air dry on a cooling rack. Do the same with rest of the Khajas.