Spicy shankarpali, tikhat shankarpali are diamond-shaped, savory Indian snacks made from flour and basic spices. This crunchy snack is made for Diwali celebrations and pairs perfectly with chai (tea). Vegan Recipe!!
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Spicy Shankarpali is my favorite snack along with Chakli. I prefer these savory snacks over the sweet ones any day!!
You can literally finish them all at once, they are that addictive. I make them mildly spiced so my kids love them too!
Like most Diwali Faral, you can make these ahead of time. So perfect with chai!!
Tikhat Shankarpali
Shankarpali is a crunchy fried snack that can be made sweet or savory.
In today's post, I'm sharing how to make the savory kind. You can check the sweet shankarpali recipe here.
Spicy shankarpali or spicy diamond cuts are also known as Tikhat shankarpali in Marathi or namakpare (namarpara) in North.
Some other common names for these are khara shankarpali or nimki or tukkudi.
These are really easy to make and you need just 6 basic ingredients like flour, oil, cumin seeds, turmeric, red chili powder and salt to make them.
You don't need any baking soda and some of these will still puff up if rolled uniformly.
Due to their long shelf life, these are usually made in bulk and weeks in advance for the Diwali celebrations and stored airtight.
Recipe Ingredients
- Flour - I use all-purpose flour as that makes them really light and crunchy.
- Spices - Just basic ones like cumin seeds, turmeric, red chili powder, and salt.
- Fats - I have used canola oil but ghee or any flavorless oil can be used too.
- Oil - More oil for frying. I prefer using peanut oil for frying.
Step by step Method
To make the dough
1 and 2 - In a mixing bowl, add the all purpose flour (maida) followed by cumin seeds, salt, tutrmeric and red chilli powder. Mix well
3 - Heat some oil in a pan and add it to this flour mixture.
4 - Mix well to incorporate such that it forms a crumbly mix and holds shape.
5 - Add water (little at a time, as needed) and knead into a stiff dough.
6 - Cover with a wet cloth or paper towel and allow to rest for 10 mins.
7 and 8 - Once rested, knead again and divide into two portions.
To roll and shape shankarpali
9 and 10 - Take one portion, smooth it out and roll it into a thin circle (about 7-8 inch in diameter). Thinner the better. Makes them really crunchy.
11 and 12 - Using a knife or pizza cutter make vertical lines 1 inch apart and then horizontal (at a slight angle) to get a diamond shape.
Separate them and carefully transfer onto a parchment lined plate to prevent sticking.
You can make all these together and then fry or fry in batches.
For frying
To deep fry these shankarpali, heat sufficient oil in a pan or wok on medium heat.
Test oil by adding one small dough. It should rise up slowly if it doesn't then heat it more.
If it turns brown too quickly then reduce the heat and let the oil cool and bit and test again.
13 - Once the oil is ready, carefully add the diamond cuts one after another into the hot oil. Do not overcrowd them.
14 - Fry on medium heat turning intermittently until golden and crispy.
Do not fry on low heat will cause them to harden and high heat will cause them to burn without cooking the inside.
15 and 16 - Drain using a slotted spatula and transfer onto a paper line plate.
Crispy savory, spicy (tikhat) shankarpali or namakpara is ready!!
Allow to cool completely and then store airtight jar at room temp. They last easily for 3-4 weeks when stored right.
Recipe tips and notes
Dough:
- Knead the dough stiff (firm) smooth dough since the soft dough will soak more oil while frying.
- For crispy and crunchy spicy diamond cuts, add hot fats (oil, ghee) to the flour and incorporate it before kneading.
- Don't skip the cumin seeds, they had a nice crunch and flavor. In addition, ajwain (carom seeds) can be added too.
- For spicier shankarpali, add some more chili powder.
- Keep the dough and uncooked shankarpali covered at all times with a wet cloth to prevent them from drying.
Shaping:
- I prefer rolling these tikhat shankarpali thin compared to the god (sweet) shankarpali. I find they turn nice and crunchy when rolled thin.
- When rolled uniformly they will even puff up when frying.
- Shankarpali is traditionally cut in diamond shape but feel free to experiment and make some fun shapes, especially for kids.
Frying:
- Fry on medium to medium-low heat.
- Frying at a high temperature will cause the outside to brown quickly and the inside to remain uncooked resulting in unpleasant results like crunchy on out and soft inside.
- Similarly, frying at low temperatures will turn them hard not crispy.
- Always test the oil temperature before frying the next batch.
FAQ's
Yes, you can make spicy shankarpali using whole wheat flour or a mix of both wheat and all-purpose flour. Just note that the texture and flavor will vary with wheat flour. It will be denser and not as light as with all-purpose flour.
For making spicy shankarpali crispy, ensure the dough kneaded is stiff (not soft) and fry on medium heat. Frying at high heat usually makes the outside brown faster while the inside is still uncooked, resulting in soft shankarpali.
Frying at extremely low temperatures for long can cause the spicy shankarpali to turn hard instead of crispy so always fry at medium to medium-low heat.
More Diwali recipes
Hope you enjoy this Spicy Shankarpali recipe!! If you give this recipe a try, please rate by clicking stars ⭐️ in the recipe card. Thank you ❤️ ! You can also follow me on Facebook | Instagram to see what's cooking in my kitchen!!
Recipe Card
Spicy Shankarpali
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (unbleached) maida
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds zeera
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder haldi
- ½-¾ teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 2 tablespoon oil or ghee
- oil for frying
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Instructions
To make the dough
- In a mixing bowl, add the all-purpose flour (maida) followed by cumin seeds, salt, tutrmeric and red chilli powder. Mix well
- Heat some oil in a pan and add it to this flour mixture.
- Mix well to incorporate such that it forms a crumbly mix and holds shape.
- Add water (little at a time) as needed and knead into a stiff dough.
- Cover with a wet cloth or paper towel and allow to rest for 10 mins.
- Once rested, knead again and divide it into two portions.
To roll and shape
- Take one portion, smooth it out and roll it into a thin circle (about 7-8 inch in diameter). Thinner the better. Makes them really crunchy.
- Using a knife or pizza cutter make vertical lines 1 inch apart and then horizontal (at a slight angle) to get a diamond shape.
- Separate them and carefully transfer onto a parchment-lined plate to prevent sticking.
- You can make all these together and then fry or fry in batches.
For frying
- To deep fry these shankarpali, heat sufficient oil in a pan or wok on medium heat.
- Test oil by adding one small dough. It should rise up slowly if it doesn't then heat it more.
- If it turns brown too quickly then reduce the heat and let the oil cool and bit and test again.
- Once the oil is ready, carefully add the diamond cuts one after another into the hot oil. Do not overcrowd them.
- Fry on medium heat turning intermittently until golden and crispy.
- Do not fry on low heat will cause them to harden and high heat will cause them to burn without cooking the inside.
- Drain using a slotted spatula and transfer onto a paper-lined plate.
- Crispy savory spicy shankarpali is ready!! Allow to cool completely and then store airtight jar at room temp. They last easily for 3-4 weeks when stored right.
Notes
- Knead the dough stiff (firm) smooth dough since the soft dough will soak more oil while frying.
- Add hot fats (oil, ghee) to the flour and incorporate it before kneading.
- Don't skip the cumin seeds, they had a nice crunch and flavor. In addition, ajwain (carom seeds) can be added too.
- For spicier shankarpali, add some more chili powder.
- Keep the dough and uncooked shankarpali covered at all times with a wet cloth to prevent them from drying.
- You can use all wheat flour (atta) in place of all-purpose flour (maida) in a 1:1 ratio or use a mix of both (50:50). But note that the texture and flavor will vary with wheat flour. They will be more denser.
- I prefer rolling these tikhat shankarpali thin compared to the god (sweet) shankarpali. I find they turn nice and crunchy when rolled thin.
- When rolled uniformly they will even puff up when frying.
- Shankarpali is traditionally cut in diamond shape but feel free to experiment and make some fun shapes, especially for kids.
- Fry on medium to medium-low heat.
- Frying at a high temperature will cause the outside to brown quickly and the inside to remain uncooked resulting in unpleasant results like crunchy on out and soft inside.
- Similarly, frying at low temperatures will turn them hard not crispy.
- Always test the oil temperature before frying the next batch.
Shruti says
Can you bake these and at what temperature?
Shweta Arora says
Hi Shruti, yes you can bake these in preheated oven at 375°F for 10-15 mins or air fry them at 350°F for 6-8 mins flipping halfway through. The texture of baked/fried is different to fried ones, more on the hard side.
Nachu says
Yum! I had totally forgotten this gem. I am going to try it this weekend.
BTW do you use refined peanut oil for frying? And peanut oil for the sweet version as well?
Thanks for the detailed recipe.
Shweta Arora says
Thank you! Yes, I use it for frying both.