Namak Para (plural: Namak Pare) are delicious crispy fried, spiced and savory bites made with entire wheat flour, spices, seasonings and oil or ghee. These tit-bits could be touted because the salted cousin of Shakkarpara, each of which kind the quintessential duo of Diwali treats, particularly throughout North India. on this publish, I’ve shared a Punjabi fashion Namak Para recipe you could simply make throughout your Diwali festivities and even take pleasure in as a snack throughout your tea or espresso time.
What’s Namak Para
It’s apparent from the identify Namak Para that this festive deal with has ‘namak,’ which is salt in English, as the principle seasoning. That is additionally the explanation for it being termed as a savory snack.
Together with this, the suffix ‘para (plural: pare)’ refers to ‘items.’ When put collectively, the identify actually means ‘salty or salted items’ and even ‘salty bites.’
Principally, the Namak Para Recipe is a spiced and seasoned pastry dough, historically manufactured from entire wheat flour, all-purpose flour or a mix of each. That is then rolled out and minimize into strips, diamonds or squares.
Whereas the basic cooking technique of those embody them being deep-fried, lately lots of people additionally air-fry or bake this snack for well being issues.
Identical to many different snacks and sweets having regional variations, Namak Para is also made in quite a lot of methods throughout the Indian subcontinent. This bite-sized snack could be crispy, flaky or spicy, however is actually savory in all its variants.
As an example, it’s known as ‘nimki’ in West Bengal. The Maharashtrian model is named Shankarpali. Additionally, the candy model of the identical is the shakkarpara.
About This Recipe
This tasty snack, also referred to as Savory Diamond Cuts may be very straightforward to organize and doesn’t require many elements.
Most of your time will likely be spent frying them as they have to be fried in batches. This Namak Para Recipe makes for a crunchy munchy snack that additionally puffs up whereas frying.
It’s a must to simply knead a agency dough, which is spiced with carom seeds (ajwain), crushed black pepper, cumin seeds, and seasoned correctly with salt (namak).
Then, roll and minimize the dough into the selection of form you need (I normally desire diamonds) and deep-fry to an ideal golden brown.
The recipe of this Namak Para accommodates each entire wheat flour and all-purpose flour for crispiness. Nonetheless, you may make them with one of many two flours, as a substitute. I desire to make use of entire wheat flour wherever attainable.
You can also make these in bulk, retailer in an air-tight container and revel in with tea for the following few weeks. They’re glorious tea-time snacks in addition to for festive events like Diwali and Karwa Chauth.
Step-by-Step Information
Easy methods to make Namak Para
Make Dough
1. Combine all of the elements for the pastry dough listed under and knead to a agency and stiff dough. Cowl the dough with a moist kitchen cotton towel and put aside for half-hour. Add water in elements when kneading the dough.
- 1 cup entire wheat flour (atta)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (maida)
- 1 teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
- 1 teaspoon crushed black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt or as required
- 2 tablespoons oil or ghee – if utilizing oil, use a impartial oil
- ½ to ¾ cup water or as wanted
2. Pinch a medium-sized ball from the dough. Roll it to a neat easy ball between your palms. Place it on a calmly dusted board. Sprinkle a little bit of flour on prime of the dough ball.
Tip: Dusting the floor with flour prevents the dough from sticking to the board when rolling.
Make Namak Pare
3. Utilizing a rolling pin, roll the dough and ensure it isn’t too thick or skinny, about 3 to 4 mm in thickness.
Additionally, guarantee that you’ve got calmly dusted the dough and board. In the event you desire, decide out of dusting the dough and board with flour.
4. Use a serrated knife to slice diagonal cuts on the rolled dough. The dough ought to have equal-shaped diamonds.
5. Add the diamond-shaped dough to a plate and canopy them with a material. Preserve apart for frying later.
Fry Namak Para
6. Warmth oil for frying in a kadai (wok). Preserve the warmth to medium to medium-high. The oil needs to be reasonably sizzling.
Gently and thoroughly place some Namak Para diamonds within the sizzling oil. Make certain to not make the pan over crowded with the items.
Flip over with a slotted spoon when one aspect has grow to be crisp and golden. Fry the second aspect and switch over once more when golden. Turning over a couple of occasions, fry Namak Pare for even browning.
Tip: Make certain the oil shouldn’t be too sizzling as you don’t need the Namak Para to burn.
7. Fry till golden-brown and crisp. Drain them on a paper towel to take away extra oil. Fry the remaining batches this fashion.
8. As quickly as they cool, retailer in an air-tight jar or container. Serve Namak Pare with a cup of tea or as a snack.
These maintain properly for a few weeks in an air-tight container at room temperature.
Knowledgeable Suggestions
- Flour: For this recipe, I’ve used entire wheat flour and all-purpose flour. However you should utilize anybody or the opposite, relying in your desire. I sometimes go for entire wheat flour as a result of it’s a more healthy possibility and the outcomes are simply as wonderful.
- Dough: Guarantee that your dough is the appropriate texture to attain the right outcomes. The dough shouldn’t be too dry, as this may increasingly trigger it to crack whereas rolling and also will make the feel dense. If the dough is simply too moist, then the Namak Para will likely be tender. To attain a pleasant stiff and agency dough, add water in elements whereas kneading.
- Oil: I usually fry this snack in peanut or sunflower oil. Peanut oil provides a scrumptious nutty taste whereas sunflower oil has extra of a impartial style. Be at liberty to make use of any of those 2 oils for the right outcomes.
- Frying: Guarantee to deep-fry these Savory Diamond Cuts in reasonably sizzling oil. A much less sizzling oil will make it take in an excessive amount of oil. If the oil is simply too sizzling, the snack will brown quicker from outdoors. However inside will nonetheless be undercooked.
- Variations: It is a versatile snack that has quite a lot of flavors and textures. It may be spicy, herby, flaky or crispy. Relying on the quantity of fats used within the dough, the ensuing texture could be flaky or have a crispy hole construction.
Add spices and herbs like dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi), crushed fennel seeds (saunf), nigella seeds/onion seeds (kalonji), asafoetida (hing), turmeric powder and pink chili powder to make completely different yummy variations.
- Baking: To make a baked model of the Namak Para Recipe, add 3 to 4 tablespoons of oil or ghee when making the dough. Preserve the uncooked minimize dough items on a baking tray. Preheat oven at 180 levels C/356 levels F for quarter-hour. Bake on the identical temperature for 20 to 25 minutes or till crispy and golden. If wanted, flip over the items midway, via baking.
- Scaling: You may scale the recipe to make a smaller or bigger serving.
FAQs
This can be as a result of there’s not sufficient water within the dough. When the dough is simply too dry, it can crack. So, to keep away from this, you want to add extra water and knead till the dough is easy.
On this specific recipe, you should utilize baking soda and baking powder interchangeably and nonetheless get wonderful outcomes. Add about ½ teaspoon of baking powder as a substitute of baking soda.
For the Namak Pare to be crispy, the dough have to be stiff and agency, and never too tender. It also needs to be fried on a medium warmth. The longer you fry, the crispier they’ll grow to be.
Namak Pare will nonetheless style simply nearly as good with out baking soda. However including baking soda offers it a light-weight and crispy texture.
Extra Festive Snack Recipes To Strive!
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Sweets Recipes
Night Snacks
Night Snacks
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Namak Para | Namak Pare (Salty Diamond Cuts)
This Punjabi fashion Namak Para or Namak Pare are crispy, spiced and savory fried bites made with wheat flour, spices, fats and seasonings. These are a preferred snack throughout North India you could make as a tea-time snack or for festivals like Diwali.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook dinner Time 30 minutes
Dough Resting Time 30 minutes
Whole Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Forestall your display screen from going darkish whereas making the recipe
Making dough
Sieve the entire wheat flour, all function flour, baking soda and salt collectively.
Add the carom seeds, crushed black pepper, cumin seeds and salt. Combine these spices and seasonings with the sifted elements.
Add the oil or ghee. Add water in elements and begin to knead the dough.
The dough shouldn’t be tender, however agency and tight. Cowl and put aside the dough to relaxation for half-hour. You may both cowl the bowl with a lid or place a moist kitchen towel on the dough.
Making namak pare
Take medium sized balls from the dough. Roll them to a neat spherical ball between your palms. Place one ball on a calmly dusted floured floor or rolling board.
With a rolling pin, roll right into a disc or spherical neither too skinny nor too thick and about 3 to 4 mm thick.
With a serrated knife minimize criss cross patterns on the rolled dough.
Take away the diamond formed patterns and deep fry them in sizzling oil until crisp and golden browned.
Preserve the minimize items of dough coated with a kitchen towel, in order that they don’t dry out.
Drain them on paper napkins to take away extra oil. Fry the remaining namak pare or diamond cuts in batches.
As soon as they cool at room temperature, then retailer them in an hermetic jar. These maintain properly for a few week when saved in an air-tight container or jar.
You may serve Namak Pare with tea or as a snack.
- Add water in elements when kneading to make a stiff and agency dough. Don’t make it tender like a roti or chapati dough.
- You may decide to make use of solely all-purpose flour or solely entire wheat flour to make the dough.
- Deep fry in a reasonably sizzling oil till crispy and golden. A lesser sizzling oil will make the namak para take in an excessive amount of of oil. If the oil may be very sizzling, the namak pare will get browned quicker from outdoors and the within dough could be undercooked.
- Pass over the spices for making solely a salted model of namak para. Alternatively you possibly can add floor spices and herbs like pink chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, crushed fennel seeds, nigella seeds and dry fenugreek leaves.
- If you wish to bake namak pare, add 3 to 4 tablespoons oil or ghee to the dough. Place the uncooked minimize dough items on a baking tray. Preheat oven at 180 levels Celsius for quarter-hour. Bake on the identical temperature for 20 to 25 minutes or till golden and crispy. Flip over the namak pare items if wanted midway via the baking.
- This recipe could be scaled to make a smaller serving or a bigger serving.
Diet Info
Namak Para | Namak Pare (Salty Diamond Cuts)
Quantity Per Serving
Energy 375 Energy from Fats 162
% Each day Worth*
Fats 18g28%
Saturated Fats 2g13%
Polyunsaturated Fats 1g
Monounsaturated Fats 14g
Sodium 363mg16%
Potassium 158mg5%
Carbohydrates 47g16%
Fiber 5g21%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 8g16%
Vitamin A 12IU0%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 1mg67%
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 1mg59%
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 3mg15%
Vitamin B6 1mg50%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Vitamin E 7mg47%
Vitamin Okay 2µg2%
Calcium 23mg2%
Vitamin B9 (Folate) 71µg18%
Iron 3mg17%
Magnesium 51mg13%
Phosphorus 144mg14%
Zinc 1mg7%
* P.c Each day Values are primarily based on a 2000 calorie eating regimen.
This Namak Para recipe from the archives, first printed on November 2012 has been republished and up to date on October 2023.
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