SHAKAR PARAY

(SWEET CRACKERS)

(24.9.2017)

Shankarpali, shakkarpara, khurma, laktho, lakdi mithai, or just simply mithai is an Indian sweet snack. Shankarpali is popular in Western India, especially in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. Its North Indian variant is known as khurma or laktho is also popular in states such as Bihar, Jharkhand, and eastern Uttar Pradesh. It is also a popular sweet among the Indian diaspora in Fiji, Guyana, Trinidad, and Tobago, as well as their respective diasporas in North America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. It is traditionally enjoyed as a treat on Diwali. It is rich in carbohydrates, making it an instant source of energy. It can be sweet, sour, or spicy depending upon how it is made.

Shakar Pary and Namak Paray are very old traditional snacks of Pakistan and India, also popular in surrounding regions, ie. the entire sub-continent and Arab Countries. These may be termed as Sweet Crackers, very tasty and enjoyable with evening tea.

Very easy to prepare and may be called one of the instant snacks. It is the sweeter version of the very popular snack Namak Paray, which is salty and savory (See the Recipe of Namak Parey on this Blog.) This snack has another version with the same name but a bit different in shape and taste. That is like small dense cakes dipped in sugar syrup (Sheera), more famous in the areas of Punjab and are also found in Village Mellas (Fairs).

Here is the recipe of Shakar Paray for my esteemed viewers, easy to prepare and really inexpensive.

Let us start preparing Shakar Paray with the name of ALLAH.

EQUATION:

Preparation of Dough with rest: 1 Hour

Rolling and frying: 15 Minutes

Yield: 4 Servings

Expenses: 50 Rupees Only (About a third of a US Dollar

INGREDIENTS:

2 Cups Maida (All Purpose Flour)
5-6 Tablespoons Chini (Sugar)
5-6 Tablespoons Ghee
Pinch of Illaichi (Cardamom) Powder
Pinch of Namak (Salt)

METHOD:

Mix Maida, Chini, and Ghee in lukewarm water and knead till a medium dough is formed.
Cover with a cloth and rest in the fridge for about 1 hour
Roll the dough in very thin Roti and cut the squares or any shape you like with a sharp knife or Pizza Cutter
Heat oil in a Wok or a deep frying pan and fry
Turn them over when the bottom side looks golden
Take out on a plate with a paper towel to drench the excess oil
You can store them for an indefinite period in an air-tight Jar

Our Shakar Paras are now ready to be enjoyed and served to friends and family. Enjoy hot or keep for later use with tea.

Hope you'll try this inexpensive but great snack with your evening tea today without any FEAR OF FAILURE. This type of easily made snack can be stored in airtight jars and taken with the evening tea or just relaxing your sweet tooth. this is a traditional, inexpensive and simple dish that can be prepared without any hassle and time consuming.

Thanks,

NOVICE

Karachi, September the 29th, 2017

NAMAK PAREY

(28.9.17)

Namak Pare or Namak Para (Nimki) is a popular crispy and crunchy deep-fried savory Indo-Pak snack. Namak para has a crispy and flaky texture which is similar to samosa pastry in taste. This easy ‘Namak Parey’ recipe makes a great tea-time snack. Easy to prepare this delightful snack recipe at home.

Namak Para is a crispy and crunchy saltish snack, popular all over Pakistan and India, this is essentially a deep-fried diamond-shaped savory tea time snack. It has its sweet version as well, called Shakar parey. Namak Pareys are seasoned with salt and flavored with Ajwain (Carom Seeds), I tried hard to get the history and origin of this snack but couldn't find anything concrete. Most probably it came into existence after the popularity of Samosa in the 10th Century in Central Asia from where it spread in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, When it reached the Subcontinent it became so popular that it seems like it has originated here. As it tastes like a piece of Samosa covering sheet. Maybe someone has eaten it without a filling and the invention of a new snack came into existence.

Come on, let us start preparing our recipe with the name of ALLAH.

Equation:

Time for preparing the dough and resting 40-45 minutes
Cutting and Frying 15 minutes
Yield 4-5 servings
Expenses 100 Rupees only.

Required Ingredients:

1/2 Kg Maida (all purpose flour)
4 Tablespoons Ghee (Clarified Butter)
1 Tablespoon Zeera or Ajwain (Cumin or Carom Seeds)
Salt to taste
Oil for Frying

Method:

Mix together Maida, salt, hot Ghee, and Cumin, or Carom Seeds according to your taste and choice in a bowl, add 1/2 cup of water as well.
Kneed a stiff/hard dough and let it rest for about 20-30 minutes, covered in a damp cloth.
Dust the counter or a flat surface with all purpose flour and roll the dough into thin Rotis
Make long cuts in this roti and then make further cuts across to make the diamond shape, like in the attached picture.
Heat oil in a wok a bit lower than the high temperature
Put in the portion of diamond cuts of Namak Pareys into the hot oil as they may not crowd the entire wok.
Fry till golden brown with turning them back and forth so that all the Pareys turn crispy and golden.
Take out on a platter wherein Kitchen towels have already been placed to drain the excess oil.
Enjoy anytime with green chutney or tomato ketchup as well as a hot cup of tea.

Instead of buying this snack from Bazar, prepare it in your kitchen with the ingredients you already know are good for your health. though deep fried snacks are not good for health occasionally there is the margin of having them. Forget you are not a certified Cook and start making this snack for your kids and guests and let them wonder how good a Cook you are! so, leave aside your FEAR OF FAILURE and enjoy it with any Sweet n sour Chutney or simple tomato Ketchup.

thank you,

thine eternally,

NOVICE

Karachi, October the 3rd, 2017

Monday 29 November 2021

SHAKAR PARAY (SWEET CRACKERS)