Name: Jagannath Puri Khaja
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 2 cups, maida (refined flour), all-purpose maida; 4 tbsp, ghee, melted, for kneading dough; 1/2 cup, water, as needed for a firm dough; 2 tbsp, rice flour, for satta paste; 2 tbsp, ghee, creamed smooth with rice flour; for satta; 2 cups, sugar; 1 cup, water, for syrup; 1/2 tsp, cardamom powder; 3 cups, ghee, for deep-frying

Ingredients

2 cups maida (refined flour) , all-purpose maida
4 tbsp ghee , melted, for kneading dough
1/2 cup water , as needed for a firm dough
2 tbsp rice flour , for satta paste
2 tbsp ghee , creamed smooth with rice flour; for satta
2 cups sugar
1 cup water , for syrup
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
3 cups ghee , for deep-frying

Preparation

In a wide bowl, rub 4 tablespoons of melted ghee into the maida with your fingertips until crumbly.
Add water gradually and knead into a stiff, smooth dough; cover and rest for 20 minutes.
Cream together 2 tablespoons of ghee and 2 tablespoons of rice flour into a smooth, spreadable paste (satta).
Roll out the rested dough on a lightly floured board into a very thin, large rectangular sheet.
Smear a thin, uniform layer of the satta paste across the entire surface of the rolled dough sheet.
Roll the dough tightly from one edge into a compact, Swiss-roll-style cylindrical log.
Slice the rolled log into 1-inch thick diagonal pinwheels.
Gently flatten each slice with a rolling pin into an elongated oval ribbon (about 4 inches long), keeping layers intact.
In a saucepan, boil the sugar, 1 cup of water, and cardamom powder until it reaches a 1.5-string sticky syrup consistency; keep warm.
Heat 3 cups of ghee in a deep karai over low heat.
Fry the layered ribbons in batches over gentle, steady low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, allowing the layers to blossom into crisp, pale-golden sheets.
Drain the fried khajas and immediately submerge in the warm sugar syrup for 2 minutes.
Transfer to a wire rack to drain; the sugar syrup will set into a crisp glaze as the pastry cools.

In the tradition

Khaja is the foremost dry prasadam (Sukhila Mahaprasad) of Jagannath Puri. Pilgrims transport boxes of these layered pastries thousands of miles across India without refrigeration. Deep-frying over slow heat in pure cow’s ghee separates the laminated flour sheets, creating an airy, brittle crunch.

Sources & further reading

Jagannath Temple Rosaghara Mahaprasad Canon, Puri (Sukhila Mahaprasad Archive)

Classical citations mark where a tradition is drawn on; modern books are shared as further reading, not as prescriptions.