Namak Para

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Namak Para

Namak Para/Nimki Shakarpara is an Indian snack prepared with spiced and seasoned plain flour which is rolled out and cut into strips, diamonds or squares before deep fried for a crunchy crispy texture. It is a perfect snack to much during teatime.

Also called as Nimkin/Matar these salty savoury bites have close resemblance to ‘mathri’ from North India. ‘Namak’ in Hindi means salt and ‘para/pare’ means pieces so it literally means ‘salty bites.’ he main difference between mathri and Namak Para is the shape as these bite size snacks are prepared with ribbon like strips. The taste, appearance and texture of the Namak Para can be compared to that of a Punjabi Samosa Pastry.

My mother often made Namak Para during festive season to serve any family and friends visiting over tea. I often prepare these once a month for snacking during teatime and for special occasions too. It is quite an easy recipe, just make sure to knead a very firm dough for the Namak Para to be crispy.

Other recipes you might like to try are Samosa, Pinwheel Samosa, Matar Kachori, Aloo Bread Rolls and Khasta Moong Dal Kachori.

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Ingredients

2 cups plain flour
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon carom seeds
4 tablespoons oil
5-6 tablespoons cold water
Oil for deep frying

Directions

Step-1

Mix flour, salt, carom seeds, oil and 2 tablespoons of water and rub the mixture together with your fingertips. Rub the mixture together till it resembles bread crumb (around 3-4 minutes).
Press some flour in your palm and it should form a shape (and not crumble) which means oil is enough and well incorporated.
Using your hand begin to sprinkle in a little water at a time to bring the dough together. Continue to add the water slowly until the dough comes together. The dough should be firm.
Cover and set aside for at least 30 minutes.

Step-2

After 30 minutes, once the dough has rested, give it a quick knead.
Divide the dough into 3 equal portions.
Flatten and roll out to create a disc of 12-14 inch of around 1.5 mm thickness. Cut them horizontally and vertically in such a way that it forms like a diamond shape.

Step-3

Heat the oil in a pan. To check if the oil is ready, drop a small piece of dough into the oil. It should take a few seconds for it to come up to the surface. That means the oil is ready.

Drop the namak para carefully into the oil. Fry on low heat. Once the namak para are light brown in colour (around 8-10 minutes) then increase the heat to medium and fry until they are golden brown. Drain them on a paper towel to remove excess oil. Once you finish frying one batch, lower the heat again to low and wait until the temperature of the oil drops and then add the second batch.

Store them in air-tight containers and enjoy!

Tips & Variations

To get a crispy flaky pastry in namak para the amount of fat which we also call “moyen or moyan” in Hindi must be in the right proportion while making the dough. To check the proportion always mix the oil in flour until it resembles breadcrumbs and then try forming a rough ball in your hand. If the mixture comes together as one that means it has enough fat proportion. If the flour does not come together then add a little bit more oil. Spend time at this stage and mix the oil and flour for 3-4 minutes as patience at this stage will result in crispy flaky pastry.
The dough must be kneaded to a tight and firm dough. So, water is added slowly in parts when kneading the dough. The amount of water to be added depends on the quality of the flour so add water slowly and in parts till you get a tight and firm dough.
It is important to roll the dough evenly. Do not roll the pastry too thick otherwise it will take too much time to fry, and namak para will be hard instead of crispy and flaky. Do not roll the dough too thin as otherwise the flakiness will be missing in the namak para. It should be no less than 1 mm and not more than 1.5 mm.
Most important thing to remember is not to fry the Namak Para on high heat, as Namak Para will not be crispy and flaky, and the dough will remain uncooked. The Namak Para needs to be fried at low to medium heat initially and then the heat is increased to give them the golden colour.
You can make Namak Para using whole wheat flour or half and half too.
Resting the dough for at least 30 minutes is important as resting helps the gluten development and thereby making the Namak Para flaky.
You can bake Namak para too. Line them on a parchment sheet and brush them generously with oil and then bake at 180C degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until browned.