The sweet shankarpali recipe is an important part of the traditional Maharashtrian or South Indian cuisine. These sweet flour biscuits shaped as diamonds are both crispy and flavorful! These are relished during Diwali and Holi festivals though you can munch them any time you feel a craving for a deliciously sweet snack! Also called shakkar para, this crispy snack tastes great when served with some hot evening tea as well.
If you love home-made biscuits, shankarpali is one variety you could try. These biscuits have an amazing texture with buttery layers and traces of cardamom bringing in both aroma and a rich flavor. They also make a great snack for your tiny at home. These biscuits are easy to make and can be rustled up in just under 25 minutes.
This Sweet Shankarpali Recipe stores well. You can store it in a airtight container set and eat later, and it will still taste as delicious as freshly prepared.
Health Benefits
Clarified butter used in this recipe is lactose-friendly. Furthermore, it won’t spoil easily and is rich in vitamins. Clarified butter is also known to keep the digestive system healthy. In addition, ghee is a healthier alternative to butter.
Ingredients
vegetable oil — deep frying
tsp salt: 1/2
tbsp ghee/clarified butter: 2
tsp cardamom powder: 1/4
tsp semolina (also called sooji): 1
cup (255 ml) plain flour (also called maida): 1
cup water: 1/4
cup sugar: 1/4
How To Make Sweet Shankarpali Recipe
- Add ¼ cup sugar to ¼ cup water in a large bowl. Add the semolina, refined flour, cardamom powder,salt, and clarified butter.
- Mix them well and knead to a soft and smooth dough.
- Roll the dough like you would forIndian paratha. Cut into diamond shapes or in any other shape of your choice.
- Deep fry in oil or bake at a temperature of 180 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes.
- Fry or bake until it turns golden brown or crisp enough.
If you need a crispy texture, add 1 tsp semolina to the dough while kneading. It is also important to let the sugar dissolve completely in the water before adding flour. The shakkar paras are fried on a low to medium flame so that they turn crispy from both sides. Frying on a high flame will ruin the taste and the shakkar paras will not be cooked evenly from inside.
Trivia
Called ‘shakkar paras’ in North India, the sweet shankarpali recipe is immensely popular and is especially used at the time of Diwali and Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations. The sweet is traditionally distributed to friends and family during the Christmas season in Goa.
There are several variations of the shankarpali, which include the kharashankarpali and the spicy shankarpali. Sugar is replaced with spices in these variants.