Madata kaja

Preparation time : 1 hour + 20 mins
Makes : 4 dozens approx

Ingredients :

For kaja :
Maida (or) all purpose flour : 1 cup
Baking soda : 1/4 tsp
Ghee : 1/2 Tbsp
Water : as needed
For sugar syrup :
Sugar : 1 cup
Water : 1/2 cup
Ilachi (or) Cardamom powder : 1/4 Tbsp
To mix :
Ghee : 1  Tbsp
Rice flour : 1 Tbsp

Method :

Take all purpose flour in a bowl, mix baking soda very well with it.
Make a well in middle, add melted ghee and just mix once.
Add water and make a dough like a chapati dough.
(water will be around 40 % of flour that means if you are using one cup of flour add 40 % of cup i.e less than half cup)
Make the dough - not too soft / not too hard dough.
Knead it for 5 minutes.
Rest it for one hour.(Don't skip this step)

Mean while mix rice flour in melted ghee.
Keep it aside.

Just before making kaja's
Make sugar syrup, take a pan add sugar and water into it.
Boil it till you get one thread consistency.
(see down for what is one thread consistency)
(Add one Tbsp of lemon juice , so that it won't solidify)
Add cardamom powder.
Keep this aside.

Dust the surface with little flour.
Divide the dough into four equal parts.
Roll dough's into big chapati's, roll it as thin as you can. (Try it to make equal sized chapati)

Put one chapati, apply rice flour paste on chapati and spread it evenly over all, put one more chapati on top, again apply rice flour paste.
Roll it like a mat and seal the edges firmly.
(If you don't seal the edges, then when you fry they will open up, so seat it properly)
Cut them into pieces.
( if you want you can lightly press or roll on top to give a rectangular shape , if you press them hard you won't get those layers and if you are making bigger kaja's you have to roll them lightly)

Follow the same procedure for the other two chapati's.
Cut them into pieces.

Heat up the oil.
When the oil temperature is ready (medium high), start frying kaja's in batches until golden brown. While dropping the kaja's in oil the temperature should be hot, then reduce the flame to medium and fry until light golden. Too much heat will burn the outer covering the inner folds will be left uncooked with the raw dough. So check the temperature from time and also for every batch.

Remove and immediately drop them into prepared sugar syrup.
Let them soak for 30 minutes and then remove from the syrup.
Let it cool down.
Store in a box.

Actually traditional madatha kaja's are very big with many foldings, the chapati's are rolled very big, almost double the size of ours . So i made these miniature khaja's or Baby madatha khaja .

Shelf life : Stay fresh for 10 days out side ... can be refrigerated for more shelf life

Enjoy your dish :)
Thank you, do post your comments !!!

One thread consistency :

While the syrup is boiling keep testing it for its consistency. To do this, dip a spoon or spatula in the syrup and lift it out. Allow to cool for a few seconds as it will be very hot at first. Now touch the syrup with a clean forefinger , and then touch your thumb and forefinger together and pull apart gently. Keep boiling the syrup gently till you reach the consistency called for in the recipe.
Stages progress fairly quickly after a point, so check frequently.
One - thread consistency is when a single thread is formed ( and does not break) when your forefinger and you thumb are pulled apart gently.