Shankarpali Recipe (Shakarpara)

Ingredients

• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup sugar (or jaggery)
• 2.5 to 3 tablespoons ghee
• 1 pinch salt
• ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder or elaichi pwoder
• 1 cup wheat flour (or all-purpose flour or both in equal quantities)
• 1 cup oil for deep frying

Steps

Preparation

1. Heat the sugar, ghee, and water together in a pot until the sugar dissolves fully. Cool until slightly hot, not cold.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, cardamom powder, and hot syrup.
3. Bring the flour mixture together with a spoon, then use your hand to make a stiff, smooth, nonsticky dough. Sprinkle water if there is not enough liquid and continue.
4. Divide into 4 portions, smooth each between your palms into a ball, and keep covered in a bowl.

How to make Shankarpali

1. Grease a rolling board and flatten a dough ball. Roll into a 6 to 7 inch roti, neither too thick nor too thin.
2. Cut straight vertical lines ¾ to 1 inch apart, then repeat horizontally to make the sweet diamond shapes.
3. Separate the pieces and put them on a plate or parchment paper.
4. Heat the oil in a kadai over medium heat. While it warms, continue rolling and cutting the remaining dough.
5. Test the oil by gently sliding in a small dough piece. It should rise slowly without browning to indicate the correct temperature.
6. Once the oil is hot enough, gently slide in the pieces one at a time without crowding the pan.
7. Keep the heat at medium to medium-high, not low. Stir continuously and fry until golden and crisp, then lift into a steel colander.
8. Fry the following batches in the same way.
9. Cool the sweet shankarpali completely before storing in an airtight jar.