Shakkarpara, delicious and mildly sweetened biscuits made using flour, milk, sugar and oil. These are utterly crispy, flaky sweet sugar biscuits made in Indian homes during festivals like Diwali. They are made using basic pantry ingredients, are super easy to make for a quick and delightful snack.
Just a magic of four ingredients transforms in to these irresistible snack, and are equally loved by kids and adults. Typically these shakkarpara are prepared during Diwali festive week, but once tasting these I’m sure one would love to have these in snack pantry all the time. As these stay good upto 3 weeks, you can prepare ahead as it makes a great munch on snacks during teatime.
Growing in a multi-cultural family who have influence from Telangana, Maharashtra as my Maternal grandmother is a Maharashtrian and along with some Northern Karnataka influence. When almost every year until my schooling days I used to visit my grandma’s home during Diwali. Just a week before Diwali the entire house would fill with festive vibes and irresistible aroma of all these sweets and savories. She’s a magician when it comes to making some classic delicacies like these, her expertise shows in her flavors and that little touch of made with love is absolutely irreplaceable.
And I have learnt this recipe from my Ammamma /ajji (maternal grandmother) who has Maharashtrian heritage and the snacks made by her are just loved by all in my family, even our extended family comes to visit her during Diwali as she makes a huge batch of these Shakkarpara/Maida biscuits along with some divine Besan ladoo. So what makes these shakkarpara special, I would say the easiest method she handed down to my mom and my mom taught me. The basic and main ingredients in Shakkarpara are maida, sugar, milk and ghee/oil.
Some hands down tips from my grandma
- For the buttery and crispy Maida biscuits, always use equal ratios of oil:milk:sugar.
- Always fry the biscuits on medium flame to achieve that perfect golden color and even cooking.
- Resting the dough for about 30 mins results in even color and also makes it easier to roll and cut.
Checkout more healthy and delicious snacks here.
Palm jaggery whole wheat biscuits
SHAKKARPARA
Ingredients
- 4½ cups Maida / All purpose flour
- 1 cup Milk
- 1 cup Vegetable oil
- 1 cup Sugar
- Frying oil to deep fry
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl add warm milk and sugar, give it a good mix and let it sit aside until everything dissolves.
- Once the sugar is completely dissolved, add oil and give it a nice whisk.
- In another mixing bowl add Maida, sugar+oil+milk mixture and bring the dough together.
- If you feel dough is quite sticky add little bit more dry flour and keep gently bringing the dough together and make a soft dough. Now cover the dough with damp cloth and let it rest for about 30 mins.
- Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and knead each part to make a smooth dough and keep aside.
- Now using the rolling pin roll each dough into ¼inch thickness, using a pizza cutter cut into 1 inch diamonds or squares. Using a spatula place these cut diamonds on a plate.
- Meanwhile heat a thick bottom wok/kadai, add oil enough for deep frying and let it heat on medium flame.
- Check by adding a single cut diamond in hot oil and see if it rises within 5-10 secs. If it doesn't rise then allow the oil to heat up for a few more mins. If the test dough turns brown in a few seconds you know the oil is too hot, so let the oil cool down a bit.
- On medium heat, slowly add in cut dough diamonds and fry on both sides until they are evenly golden brown. Using a slotted spoon take out the evenly fried shakkarpara and place them on a paper towel to get rid of excess oil. Now repeat the process for the remaining dough.
- Allow the shakkarpara to completely cool down spread on a wide plate/colander/large tray. Once the shakkarpara are cooled, store them in an airtight container. These biscuits stay good for at least a month at room temperature.
Notes
- You can add flavors like fennel seed powder and cardamom powder for more flavorful biscuits.
- You can substitute the maida/apf with whole wheat flour.
- Always make you're frying the biscuits on medium flame to ensure that even cooking and perfect crispy edges.
- I use a silicon mat, on which I roll the dough and cut into diamonds. This makes it easier to clean.
If you’ve tried this recipe and loved it, I’d love to hear your feedback by tagging your photo and share it with #mycurryveda on Instagram @mycurryveda or on Facebook .
