Madatha Kaja

                         

Madatha Kaja is a traditional sweet of Coastal Andhra. Madatha means folding in Telugu Language. This sweet will have folding's and crispy outside and juicy inside.   

 These days my 3 yr old kid asking me, to prepare kaja. Whenever she tells her dad, "Amma kaja chestadi", i remember the day, i fell in love with this beautiful, mouthwatering sweet. I finished my 7th grade and for summer holidays i went to Karnataka to my aunt's house. I felt like i am in a different world surrounded with nature. Mountains, river with very sweet and clear water, as we can see a coin if we drop in the river, greenery everywhere and animals. Banjara women, i saw them for the first time,they are very beautiful with their mirror worked costumes and silver jewelry.
                          
  One day my aunt  told me that she will prepare kaja and i am very surprised to hear that, wondering how she will prepare kaja at home. At that time for me, kaja is a store bought sweet, no one can make that at home. With my anxiety i went into kitchen and started watching her and in half a hour she prepared kaja. That  was the day, i fell in love with my "sweet" kaja. 
With few ingredients we can make this sweet and it tasty very good when it is fresh and hot. We can also store them in a air tight container for up to a month.  

Prepare dough with all purpose flour and rest it for 20 minutes and divide into
three equal parts and roll them into thin chapatis.

Apply ghee and rice flour to a chapati and place another on top of it and repeat
with the remaining one and roll as shown.

Cut the roll and press it gently as shown and deep fry them on low heat.

Make little thick sugar syrup(no need to reach string consistency) and soak
fried kaja in syrup for 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

• All purpose flour/Maida - 1 cup
• Sugar - 3/4 cup ( If want more sweet add up to 1 cup)
• Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
• Water - 4 to 5 tbsp (For syrup)
• Water for making dough - More or less 1/2 cup
• Oil to deep fry
• Ghee - 3 Tsp
• Rice flour - 1 Tbsp

Preparation:

• Mix all purpose flour and 2 tsp ghee in a bowl.
• Add water little by little and make flour into soft dough and keep aside for 20 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 3 equal parts and roll them into large thin chapatis by dusting with little rice flour.
• Then apply ghee on top of one chapati and sprinkle some rice flour and spread it all over the chapati and place another chapati on it and repeat the same process and place another chapati.  By applying ghee and rice flour we get layers. ( We can also mix ghee and rice flour in a bowl and apply that paste on chapati)
• Now roll the chapati stack and cut the roll into small pieces.
• Noe gently press each roll and  deep fry them in oil on medium to low heat till kaja's turn golden brown. (Cook on low to medium otherwise inside will be raw)
• While start preparing kaja, take sugar and water in a pan and boil till the syrup thickens but not reach string consistency. While adding kaja's syrup may thicken and crystallize, add little water and boil again. Syrup must be warm while adding kaja.
• Soak the fried kaja's in sugar syrup for 10 minutes.
• Serve them hot or store in air thigh container.