Namak Para Recipe Namak Pare Whiskaffair

on May 28, 2024 If you are looking for more snacks, try some of my other favorites: Shankarpali, Murukku, Masala Kaju, Methi Mathri, Moong Dal Samosa, and Chivda Namkeen. My Nani’s house had a wooden almirah with mesh doors (jaali ki almari). This almira was always stocked with homemade sweets and savories, and there used to be a lock hanging on it all the time. My Nani used to guard the keys safely, and when it was tea time in the evening, she would open the almira and pull out a snack to serve along with the tea. One snack that was always there was Namak pare. Every house has a different recipe for making namakpare. The ingredients remain the same, but their proportions and making methods make a huge difference in how they taste. My mother’s recipe makes these savory diamond cuts crispy and flaky. Try it!

About Namak Para

Namak Para is a crispy deep-fried Indian snack made using all-purpose flour, semolina, carom seeds, and ghee. These savory Indian crispies or crackers are mostly shaped like diamonds. Namakpare is popularly prepared during festivals such as Holi and Diwali and is perfect to munch on with a hot cup of evening tea or coffee. The ones made with all-purpose flour are light in texture, and those made with whole wheat flour are dense. You can also use a mix of these two flours. Semolina – Adding a little fine semolina (sooji) makes namak pare nice and crispy. Ajwain (Carom Seeds) gives the namak pare a distinct flavor and is also considered great for digestion. You can replace them with cumin seeds, crushed black pepper, or fennel seeds. Ghee – Adding ghee to the namak para dough makes it soft and flaky from the inside. Replace ghee with oil to make a vegan recipe. Oil – You can use any cooking oil to deep fry.

1 cup all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons fine semolina ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon carom seeds, 4 teaspoons melted ghee

Note – In India, we use a utensil called parat to knead the dough. It is basically a large plate with raised edges. Kneading the flour in parat makes the process easier. Heat 3-4 cups of oil for frying in a heavy bottom pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium-low. Transfer a few namak paras to the hot oil and simmer the heat to medium-low. Fry on low medium heat until they are golden brown. Stir frequently using a perforated ladle. Remember that these will continue to brown even after being removed from the oil. Each batch will take 10-15 minutes to fry properly. The amount of ghee added to the flour while kneading it is also very important. It makes these crisp and flaky. The temperature of the oil is also a very important factor. Heat the oil nicely and then turn the heat to medium-low. The frying process will take time, but frying on medium-low heat is important for the fries to become crispy and cooked from the inside. Do not overcrowd the pan while frying. Fry in batches. Drain them on a plate lined with paper tissue. It will absorb the extra oil and make them crisp.