Namak para- A quick recipe:
Namak para (or namakpare), also nimki or nimkin (or namkin) is a crunchy savoury snack eaten in the Indian Subcontinent. It is also referred as Mathri sometimes in some parts of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.
Namak para is ribbon-like strips of pastry (made up of refined flour, oil and water) delicately seasoned with ajwain and cumin seeds (jeera) in pure ghee (clarified butter) or any oil. It requires approximately 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook. The appearance, taste, and texture can be compared to that of samosa pastry.
Other seasonings can be added to the mathri as well, e.g. dried fenugreek leaves, dried mint leaves, etc.
The name derives from namak (“salt”), the main seasoning for the pastry, other ingredients include atta flour (whole wheat), maida flour (refined) or semolina and baking powder and baking soda. Namak para is one of the favorite snack among most Indian kids.
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 cups All Purpose Flour ((Maida)
- 5 tablespoons Ghee ( or Oil)
- 1 teaspoon Carom Seeds (Ajwain)
- 1 teaspoon Nigella Seeds (Kalonji)
- Water to knead the dough
- Oil ( for frying)
Namak para- A quick recipe:
PREPARATION:
- In a large bowl, add maida, ghee, kalonji, ajwain and salt, mix well. Now, start mixing with fingers to crumble them well. To check, hold the crumbled mixture into a fist and it will form a shape.
- Gradually, add water and start kneading the dough. The dough should be firm. Do not add too much at a time as we need firm dough, it should not be soft. Cover the dough with clean damp kitchen towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Once the dough is ready, divide the dough into equal balls. Take one one ball and roll out in to disc with thickness of 4-5 mm. ( Keep rest of the dough balls covered with cloth while working with one dough ball). Simultaneously, heat enough oil in deep pan/kadhai.
- Now, cut shape the rolled disc into long strip of 2-3 inches using a sharp knife. However, you can give diamond cut shape also to namak pare, or shape them as per your choice.
- When the oil is hot, simmer the heat to medium low. Slide the namak paare gently into the hot oil
- Fry the namak pare until they are golden brown and crisp. Do not over fry them and do not fry them on very high heat. High heat will burn the namak paare, also, they will remain uncooked within
- Drain onto absorbent paper and repeat the same for all the dough balls. Cool namak paare completely. Store them in a clean airtight container at room temperature easily for more than a month. Serve them as a snack with tea or coffee.