Shankarpali Recipe (No-Fail)
Shankarpali is a Maharashtrian snack that is basically deep-fried, mildly sweet flour biscuits. Use my no-fail recipe to make this crispy snack for tea time or festivals like Holi and Diwali.
Servings: 10 people
Ingredients
- 240 grams all-purpose flour (maida)
- 20 grams fine semolina (barik sooji)
- 50 grams ghee
- 100 grams sugar powder Do not use confectioner's sugar, also called powdered sugar. Grind regular sugar in a grinder to make a powder and use it.
- ¼ cup milk (approximately) at room temperature
- oil or ghee for frying
Instructions
Make The Dough
- Mix all-purpose flour and semolina in a large bowl or parat (a large shallow Indian plate).
- Heat the ghee in a small pan over high heat until very hot.
- Pour the hot ghee over the flour and mix with a spoon. This process of adding ghee to the flour is called Moyan. It makes the shankarpali crispy and flaky. You can replace ghee with oil, but the taste and texture of shankarpali will differ.
- Once the mixture is slightly cooled, mix well using your fingers.
- Add sugar powder and mix well.
- Add milk, little by little, and knead until the dough is slightly firm and tight.
- Cover the dough with a dishcloth and keep it aside for 15 minutes.
Shape The Dough
- Knead the dough once again for 20-30 seconds and divide it into 3 parts.
- Roll one part into a 3-5 mm thick circle. Lightly dust the rolling surface with dry flour if the dough is sticking. Keep the other parts covered with a damp cloth.
- Cut the circle into 1-inch squares using a knife. Remove the uneven ends.
Fry The Shankarpali
- Heat oil or ghee for frying in a pan over medium heat.
- Once the ghee is hot, reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Add the squares to hot ghee and fry on medium-low heat until nicely browned. Keep stirring frequently using a slotted spoon while frying to ensure even browning. It will take 12-15 minutes for each batch to fry.
- Keep in mind that shankarpali will continue to brown from the residual heat, so do not over fry them.
- Drain on a plate lined with a paper towel. Shankarpali will not be crispy at this stage. They will crisp up once cooled.
- Repeat the process with the remaining dough. Make sure to check the ghee's temperature before adding the next batch.
- Cool the shankarpalli completely and store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 15 days.
To check if the ghee is perfectly heated, drop a small ball of dough into the hot ghee. If it rises in 5-8 seconds, then ghee is at the right temperature. If it rises soon, then let the ghee cool down a bit and if it is taking time to rise, then heat it some more.
Video
Notes
This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled. If scaling the recipe, make sure to fry them in batches. If you overload the pan while frying, the shankarpali might not turn out perfectly.
You can also add a little cardamom powder and sesame seeds to the dough when making sweet shankarpali.
Nutrition
Calories: 192kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 39mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.4g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg
