Shankarpali

Diwali is the perfect occasion to make this delicious flaky, melt-in-the-mouth Shankarpali recipe. You can make them sweet or savory as you like. Here are sweet and savory versions of shankarpali. This crispy flour cookie is also a great tea-time snack

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups of all-purpose flour (maida)

• 1 cup rava - finer varieties (sooji or semolina)

• 1/3 cup raw sugar, if desired

• Salt, if desired

• 3 to 4 tablespoons milk, or as needed

• For fried shankarpali, use 2 tablespoons melted ghee or oil; for baked shankarpali, use 3 tablespoons melted ghee or oil

• if deep frying, use more oil

Instructions

Making Dough

• Powder the sugar in a dry grinder and set aside.

• Sieve the flour first with salt.

• Sieve the powdered sugar last.

• In a small pan, melt some ghee or warm the oil. Measure 2 tablespoons of melted ghee.

• Mix the flour, semolina, sugar, and melted ghee together. Use a spoon to start.

• Using your fingers, mix the fat into the flour mixture and make a breadcrumb-like consistency.

• Whenever the mixture is gathered together, it should be able to hold itself together.Frying

• Oil should be heated in a Kadai or pan for deep frying.

• Roll each ball into a neat ball by dividing the dough into two or three equal portions. The dough should be kept covered with a kitchen napkin so that it does not dry out.

• Roll the ball into a disc with a thickness of 5 to 7 millimeters. Use a knife to cut out diamond-shaped or square-shaped slices from the disc.

• Put six to eight of these rolled shankarpali pieces into the Kadai or pan.

• A bigger kadai or pan can be used to fry more.

• Turn the fried side over with a slotted spoon after the first side is golden. To ensure even cooking and a golden color, turn the pan a few times.

• Put the fried shankarpali on paper napkins after removing with a slotted spoon. Keep frying the shankarpali in batches.

• The other piece of dough should also be rolled in a similar fashion and cut into diamond shapes. They should also be fried in batches.

• When cooled, store shankarpali in an air-tight container.