October 29, 2021

Namak Para – Spicy Shankarpali

Name: Namak Para - Spicy Shankarpali
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 cup All purpose flour; 1 tsp Cumin seeds (crushed); 1 tsp Carom seeds/Ajwain (crushed); 3/4 tsp Salt or as required; 1/4 cups Oil; 1/2 cup Water; 2.5 cup Oil

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Namak para is a crispy, crunchy, and savory snack which is very popular in India. It is a lightly spiced diamond shaped deep fried dish. These are flavored with cumin seeds and carom seeds which taste so delicious.

Diwali is just around the corner and namak pare is a must have for this festival. This makes a wonderful tea time snack to munch on anytime of the year. Namak para has a very good shelf life so it makes a perfect snack to carry with you while traveling.

This dish is also called shankarpali in Maharashtra. There are two types of shankarpali – spicy shankarpali and sweet shankarpali. I try to make both varieties during Diwali as my family loves them and I make them once a year 🙂

Namak para is made with all purpose flour or whole wheat flour. I made them using all purpose flour but you can mix both flours in equal quantities if you wish. I love to add some turmeric powder for some color in the namak para.

I am sharing my mom’s recipe in this post. She makes one of the most flaky, crispy, and tasty namak pare. She used to make sweet and savory snacks in bulk during Diwali to distribute among neighbors and relatives. I always tried to help my mom and got to know so many tips while learning from her.

Ingredients

All purpose flour
Cumin seeds
Carom seeds
Turmeric powder
Salt
Oil

Namak Para Step By Step Recipe

For Making the Dough

In a large bowl, add all the dry ingredients, and mix them well.

In a small pot, heat some oil and pour it over the dry mixture.

Using a spoon, mix the flour mixture when it is hot.

Next, using your fingers rub the mixture and the texture should become crumbly.

Now add a little water at a time and start kneading the dough – you may need more or less water depending on the stickiness of the flour.

Knead the dough into a stiff and smooth dough. Cover the dough with a cloth and keep it aside for 15-20 minutes.

Next, knead the dough again until it turns soft and smooth. Divide the dough into 6 equal balls and cover them with a cloth.

Rolling And Shaping

Take one ball and flatten it. Roll it into a thin circle with a rolling pin.

Normally, the dough will not stick to the work surface if kneaded into a stiff dough. If the dough is sticking then knead it again by adding some flour or grease some oil on the work surface and your rolling pin.

Cut the circle into diamonds with a sharp knife. Keep the namak para covered with a cloth until they are ready to fry.

Line a plate with paper towels to absorb the extra oil from the namak para.

Frying Namak Pare

Heat some oil in a kadhai (pan) on medium heat. To check if the oil is hot enough, drop a small ball of dough in the hot oil. If it rises immediately that means the oil is ready for frying.

Once the oil is hot, lower the temperature to medium-low. Transfer a few namak para to the hot oil. Do not overcrowd them.

Fry the namak pare by flipping them halfway through with a slotted spoon. Fry them until they turn golden brown in color from both sides. Keep stirring them while frying.

Transfer the namak pare to a lined plate using a slotted spatula to drain off the oil.

Let them cool down completely for about 20-25 minutes and store them in an airtight container.

Tips For Making Namak Para

The key for making the best namak pare is to form a stiff dough. The dough should be soft and smooth without adding too much water.
The dough should not be rested for longer than 15-20 minutes. If you rest the dough for longer, it will start to release more moisture and the dough will stick to the work surface.
If your dough is sticking while rolling, add some flour in the dough to make it a little stiff, and roll it.
Greasing some oil to the work surface will help not to stick the dough while rolling. You can add a few drops of oil as you need while rolling all the dough.
Rolling the dough into a very thin circle is very important to make the namak pare crispy.
Adding hot oil while making a dough helps to make the namak pare more crispy and flaky.
Frying the namak pare on medium low heat is very important to make them more crispy.
Checking out the oil temperature before frying each batch of namak pare is very important to cook them perfectly from inside or else they will turn soft. You can increase or lower the temperature as you go to maintain the correct temperature of the oil.

Variations

Use whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour or add both in equal quantity.
Skip adding turmeric powder while making the dough if you wish.
You can add black pepper powder instead of cumin seeds and carom seeds. Simply add all 3 of the spices.
Cut them into any desired shape – star shape, half moon shape, round, long strips, or heart shape for making them interesting for kids.

How To Store Namak Pare?

Once the namak pare cool down completely, store them into an airtight container for 15-20 days.

Make sure to close the container’s lid tightly everytime you open it. Otherwise the namak pare will turn soft.

How To Serve Namak Pare?

Serve the namak pare as a snack with a cup of tea or coffee.

They make a perfect after school snack for kids. Pack them in a lunch box as a side dish to munch on.

Take them with you while traveling as they have a very long shelf life.

Diwali Snacks Recipes

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