Shankarpali | Shakkarpara

Shankarpali | Shakkarpara is a sweet and crispy, deep-fried, diamond-shaped, Indian cookie. Since they are bite-sized they make a great snack.

Continuing with my series of traditional Goan Christmas sweets here on the blog, let’s talk about these s weet diamond cuts ! Shankapali is yet another treat that’s prepared during festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, and Christmas.

It also happens to be one of the things that are served in the Kuswar i.e Goan Christmas sweet platter distributed to family and friends. But really, these can be prepared any time of the year, for they are perfect to snack on if you aren’t counting calories 😀

• HOW TO MAKE SHANKARPALI | SHAKARPARA?
• IF YOU ENJOYED THIS SWEET SHANKARPALI RECIPE AND ARE LOOKING FOR MORE TRADITIONAL GOAN CHRISTMAS SWEETS,
• STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE SHANKARPALI | SHAKARPARA
• HOW TO MAKE SHANKARPALI?
• Shankarpali | Shakkarpara | Shakkar Pare Recipe

HOW TO MAKE SHANKARPALI | SHAKARPARA?

There are many ways in which shankarpali is prepared in India. It is known as shakarpara or shakkar pare in North India and in that version, the dough is made with plain flour and ghee. The deep-fried shakkar pare are then dunked in a thick sugar syrup which coats the shakarpara and forms a whitish layer when it hardens.

In Western India, these diamond cuts are known as shankarpali. In the Maharashtrian version, water, sugar, and ghee are heated. The flour is then mixed into this solution to make a dough. It is then rolled, cut out and deep-fried.

I’m sharing the Goan version today which I absolutely love! To make these crispy shankarpali, you will need 6 ingredients,

• Flour
• Semolina (rava/sooji)
• Ghee
• Icing sugar
• Salt
• Milk/water.

You can use wheat flour instead of refined flour to make wheat shankarpali.

You start with incorporating the hot melted ghee in the flour and semolina, an important step in achieving the flaky texture in the end product. Once that’s sorted you mix in other ingredients, knead a soft and smooth dough. Let it rest.

During this phase, the semolina will absorb liquid, water in this case and the dough will have a perfect consistency. Divide the dough into portions, roll out each portion, and cut it into diamond shapes. Then these get deep fried over medium heat until golden brown.

These shankarpali are just right, not overly sweet, crisp and crunchy, yet soft and melt in the mouth. And that’s how a good Shankarpali should be, for you to enjoy it!

You can also make a savory version of shankarpali known as khara shankarpali | tikhat shankarpali | spicy shankarpali | namakpare. Skip the sugar and add spices like chilli powder, cumin, ajwain seeds, hing, and salt to taste.

Little E enjoyed these being made by his Grandma. And since he’s learning all about shapes and numbers and so on, he kept saying, look, Grammy, that’s a diamond shape 😀

Here’s yet another recipe treasure from My Mum-in-law, and I’m happy to have it up here on the blog to share it with you guys, right in time for Christmas! Also, you can use the same recipe to make kulkuls and kormolas , though I will be doing a short post on those two soon, mainly just for a stepwise pictorial to make the shapes or else everything else remains the same.

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS SWEET SHANKARPALI RECIPE AND ARE LOOKING FOR MORE TRADITIONAL GOAN CHRISTMAS SWEETS,

You will find a bunch of them here

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE SHANKARPALI | SHAKARPARA

1.In a large mixing bowl, sift flour, add semolina and salt.

2.Add the hot melted ghee and immediately mix, rub the ghee into the flour to resemble breadcrumbs. If you hold a portion of the flour-ghee mixture with your fist, it should hold its shape. If not, add another 1-2 tablespoons of hot melted ghee.

3.Now add powdered sugar, mix well.

4.Add water little by little to knead a soft dough. Do not knead a tight dough as the semolina will absorb water and make it firmer. Cover with a damp kitchen napkin or cling wrap and leave it aside for 30 minutes.

5.After the resting time, divide the dough into 6 portions. Take a ball and roll it out to a diameter of 7-8 inches, little thicker than a roti. Cut diamond-shaped pieces with a knife, as shown in the picture below. Meanwhile also, heat oil on medium heat in a heavy bottomed kadai.

6.Drop one piece in the oil, if it comes up instantly, the oil is ready. Drop in few pieces, fry on medium heat until golden brown on both sides. Do not let them brown too much, as they will continue cooking in the residual heat and become darker. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a tray lined with an absorbent napkin. Fry all the pieces in the same way, in batches, depending on the size of your kadai.

7.Once cool completely, store shankarpali in an airtight container(s). It will stay good for 2-3 weeks.

HOW TO MAKE SHANKARPALI?

Shankarpali | Shakkarpara | Shakkar Pare Recipe

Ingredients

Measuring cup used, 1 Cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml

• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (maida)
• 3/4 cup fine variety semolina/rava/sooji
• 1 cup confectioner’s/powdered/icing sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt or to taste
• 6-7 tbsp melted hot ghee (clarified butter)
• 225 ml water/milk/coconut milk, or as required to knead the dough (I used water)

Instructions

• In a large mixing bowl, sift flour, add semolina and salt.
• Add the hot melted ghee and immediately mix, rub the ghee into the flour to resemble breadcrumbs. If you hold a portion of the flour-ghee mixture with your fist, it should hold its shape. If not, add another 1-2 tablespoons of hot melted ghee.
• Now add powdered sugar, mix well.
• Add water little by little to knead a soft dough. Do not knead a tight dough as the semolina will absorb water and make it firmer. Cover with a damp kitchen napkin or cling wrap and leave it aside for 30 minutes.
• After the resting time, divide the dough into 6 portions. Take a ball and roll it out to a diameter of 7-8 inches, little thicker than a roti. Cut diamond-shaped pieces with a knife, as shown in the picture below. Meanwhile also, heat oil on medium heat in a heavy bottomed kadai.
• Drop one piece in the oil, if it comes up instantly, the oil is ready. Drop in few pieces, fry on medium heat until golden brown on both sides. Do not let them brown too much, as they will continue cooking in the residual heat and become darker. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a tray lined with an absorbent napkin. Fry all the pieces in the same way, in batches, depending on the size of your kadai.
• Once cool completely, store shankarpali in an airtight container(s). It will stay good for 2-3 weeks.

I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to share your feedback with photos and suggestions to me at aromaticessence77@gmail.com

You can also follow me on,

Facebook @ Aromaticessence

Pinterest @ Aromatic Essence

Instagram @ aromatic_essence77

Twitter @ freda_dias

Thanks for stopping by!

Regards,

Freda

Shankarpali | Shakkarpara | Shakkar Pare Recipe

Ingredients

Measuring cup used, 1 Cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml

• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (maida)
• 3/4 cup fine variety semolina/rava/sooji
• 1 cup confectioner’s/powdered/icing sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt or to taste
• 6-7 tbsp melted hot ghee (clarified butter)
• 225 ml water/milk/coconut milk, or as required to knead the dough (I used water)

Instructions

• In a large mixing bowl, sift flour, add semolina and salt.
• Add the hot melted ghee and immediately mix, rub the ghee into the flour to resemble breadcrumbs. If you hold a portion of the flour-ghee mixture with your fist, it should hold its shape. If not, add another 1-2 tablespoons of hot melted ghee.
• Now add powdered sugar, mix well.
• Add water little by little to knead a soft dough. Do not knead a tight dough as the semolina will absorb water and make it firmer. Cover with a damp kitchen napkin or cling wrap and leave it aside for 30 minutes.
• After the resting time, divide the dough into 6 portions. Take a ball and roll it out to a diameter of 7-8 inches, little thicker than a roti. Cut diamond-shaped pieces with a knife, as shown in the picture below. Meanwhile also, heat oil on medium heat in a heavy bottomed kadai.
• Drop one piece in the oil, if it comes up instantly, the oil is ready. Drop in few pieces, fry on medium heat until golden brown on both sides. Do not let them brown too much, as they will continue cooking in the residual heat and become darker. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a tray lined with an absorbent napkin. Fry all the pieces in the same way, in batches, depending on the size of your kadai.
• Once cool completely, store shankarpali in an airtight container(s). It will stay good for 2-3 weeks.

Coconut toffee is a popular Indian Christmas sweet. You need only 4 basic ingredients to make this yummy dessert- Coconut, semolina, sugar, and ghee.

You can either flavor coconut toffee with cardamom powder, rose extract or vanilla extract. Today I’ve used vanilla extract. In terms of texture, it is hard on the outside, due to the crystallization of sugar, but just melts in your mouth and all of that grated coconut gives a wonderful chewy texture.

I used to love coconut toffee as a kid, in fact, I still do! Now, these can be pretty addictive, especially if you have a big sweet tooth like me! I learnt these from my Mum in law, and was surprised to know how simple a sweet this was to prepare!

If you are hard pressed for time or on a lookout for something quick to prepare for your Christmas sweet platter, then this coconut toffee just fits the bill. Make some this Christmas and share them with your near and dear ones!

Be forewarned though, this is a really sweet dessert. Coz it is basically made of sugar and water to which coconut, semolina, and some flavoring are added. It needs that amount of sugar to help it reach a soft ball stage. As soon as the mixture hits the greased pan, it will begin to set. In about an hour or two, this sets up completely.

This coconut toffee is not a difficult recipe and there are very few chances of messing it up. It’s as easy as can be. Make sure you gather all your ingredients and have them measured out before you start the process of cooking. This recipe yields about 24, 1-inch pieces, you can multiply for more yield.

• STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE COCONUT TOFFEE
• LOOKING FOR MORE CHRISTMAS SWEETS? DO CHECK OUT THESE DELICIOUS TREATS TOO
• HOW TO MAKE COCONUT TOFFEE?
• Coconut Toffee Recipe

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE COCONUT TOFFEE

1.Roast semolina on medium-low heat until crisp and fragrant. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

2.Add sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed pot, cook until the mixture is sticky, will take about 3-4 minutes over medium-high heat. There is no need for any string consistency. Also, grease a tray or plate with little ghee and set aside.

3.Add few drops of food color.

4.Add the desiccated coconut, cook on medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes.

5.Add vanilla extract and semolina. Continue to cook on medium-high heat for another 3-4 minutes. It should reach a soft ball stage. To check, drop a small amount of mixture in a bowl of cold water, it should form a ball and not disintegrate.

6.As most of the moisture dries off (There should be little liquid, and not completely dry), add ghee, cook till it leaves the sides of the pot, another few seconds. Remove and transfer to a greased plate.

7.Let it cool down for 2-3 minutes. When the mixture is still slightly warm, run a knife and cut into desired sized pieces. Leave it to cool and set completely, remove the pieces and store in an airtight container.

NOTES

1.You can multiply this recipe to get more yield.

2.You can add the same amount of cardamom powder instead of vanilla extract. Add it in step 6, along with the ghee. If you are adding rose extract/essence, add it at the same time in place of vanilla extract.

LOOKING FOR MORE CHRISTMAS SWEETS? DO CHECK OUT THESE DELICIOUS TREATS TOO

1. No cook and eggless marzipan
2. Milk cream
3. Doce de grao
4. Bolinhos de coco
5. Goan Baath cake
6. Bebinca
7. Rich Christmas fruit cake
8. Perad ( Guava cheese)
9. Neureos

HOW TO MAKE COCONUT TOFFEE?

Coconut Toffee Recipe

Ingredients1x2x3x

Measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml

• 1 & 1/2 cups unsweetened desiccated coconut
• 1/4 cup fine semolina/rava/sooji
• 1 & 1/4 cup sugar*
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract*
• 1/2 tbsp ghee + more for greasing the tray
• 3-4 drop of red food color, optional

Instructions

• Roast semolina on medium-low heat until crisp and fragrant. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
• Add sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed pot, cook until the mixture is sticky, will take about 3-4 minutes over medium-high heat. There is no need for any string consistency. Also, grease a tray or plate with little ghee and set aside.
• Add few drops of food color.
• Add the desiccated coconut, cook on medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes.
• Add vanilla extract and semolina. Continue to cook on medium-high heat for another 3-4 minutes. It should reach a soft ball stage. To check, drop a small amount of mixture in a bowl of cold water, it should form a ball and not disintegrate.
• As most of the moisture dries off (There should be little liquid, and not completely dry), add ghee, cook till it leaves the sides of the pot, another few seconds. Remove and transfer to a greased plate.
• Let it cool down for 2-3 minutes. When the mixture is still slightly warm, run a knife and cut into desired sized pieces. Leave it to cool and set completely, remove the pieces and store in an airtight container. It stays good for 2-3 weeks at room temperature.

Notes

• You can multiply this recipe to get more yield.
• You can add the same amount of cardamom powder instead of vanilla extract. Add it in step 6, along with the ghee. If you are adding rose extract/essence, add it at the same time in place of vanilla extract.

I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to share your feedback with photos and suggestions to me at aromaticessence77@gmail.com

You can also follow me on,

Facebook @ Aromaticessence

Pinterest @ Aromatic Essence

Instagram @ aromatic_essence77

Twitter @ freda_dias

Regards,

Freda