Learn to prepare Traditional Indian Snack: Shakkar Para

Shakkar para, is a crispy and sweet, diamond shaped Indian snack, usually prepared during festive season. It is a traditional snack, which can be easily prepared at home, all you need is few basic ingredients such as Maida, rava, sugar, ghee, milk, salt and oil.

You can make this snack in two ways, first method, sugar is added while making the dough and then diamond shaped pieces are made from dough and are deep fried until it becomes crispy.

In the second method, the dough is prepared without adding sugar, but the diamond shaped pieces are coated with sugar syrup after deep frying.

The first method is popular in Maharastra, Gujarat and South India, while the 2nd one is popular in Rajasthan.

Ingredients

One and half cups maida

One tablespoon RAva

2 tablespoons Ghee or oil

¼ cup sugar

1/3 cup milk or water

A pinch of salt

Oil for deep frying

You must heat one third cup milk until warm and pour in a bowl. Take warm milk to dissolve the sugar easily. Add one-fourth cup sugar in it. If you are using the sugar, which does have larger granules, you must grind it, in a small jar of the mixture grinder until powder before adding to the milk to dissolve it easily.

You must stir using the spoon until the sugar dissolves completely.

Add one and half cups maida, one tablespoon rava, a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoon ghee or oil in the same bowl.

Another important point, you must mix well and bind the firm (stiff) dough. If essential, you can add a few teaspoons of water or milk to bind the dough. Knead for a minute. Do not bind soft dough else the shakkarpare will not turn crispy.

You must divide the dough into 2 equal portions, first take one portion and then give it a round shape like a ball and then you must flatten it between your palms. Then place it on a rolling board.

The next step would be rolling it out into a large 8-to-9-inch diameter round disc having one-fourth thickness using the rolling pin. Edges would break due to stiff dough. When this happens, seal the edges and press them and roll them again.

Cut them into small diamond shape or square using a sharp knife. Then transfer them to a plate, follow the same process for the remaining dough.

While you are rolling the dough, you can heat the oil in a deep-frying pan over medium flame. Check the temperature of the oil by dropping a small portion of dough into the oil. If the dough comes upward immediately without changing its color, then you can find oil is ready to fry (medium hot). If it comes upward and immediately it turn brown that means oil is too hot and it takes time to come upward a then oil is not enough to fry. When the oil is medium hot, you can add few diamond shaped pieces to it.

You must always ensure that, at a regular interval stir them, so that it gets cooked evenly. Keep the temperature medium-low to cook them evenly otherwise they would turn brown fast and get cooked from outside but stay raw from inside. Fry them until they turn golden brown.

By using the slotted spoon, you must also drain the excess oil and then transfer to a plate lined with paper napkin. Shakkarpara are ready. Let them cool at room temperature and then store in an airtight container. They stay good for about 2 to 3 weeks in room temperature.