Sweet Shankarpali - Shakarpara - Shakarpare

Shankarpali is a widely popular snack in India and traditionally made as part of the Diwali Faral. For those who are new to the concept of Faral - it basically comprises of sweet and savory treats made during Diwali festival. Shankarpali can be made in two forms - sweet and savory (both equally addictive). But for this post I'll be sharing the recipe for sweet Shankarpali also known as Shakarpara.  


Sweet Shankarpali is made using equal parts of milk, ghee and sugar and all purpose flour (maida) is added to this mixture to get a nice soft dough. This dough is then divided into equal sized balls which are rolled out thick and cut into diamond shapes which are then deep fried. These crunchy treats stay fresh for weeks when stored in air tight container. 

For More Diwali Recipes click here : Diwali Sweets and Savory Snacks

Now to the recipe... 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup ghee
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 to 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
pinch of cardamom powder
salt to taste
oil/ghee for deep frying

Method: 

In a mixing bowl, mix together ghee, sugar and milk. Stir till sugar is dissolved. 

Then add the all purpose flour with cardamom powder and salt and knead into a soft dough. Cover and let it rest for 15 -30 mins. 

Now divide the dough into 5-6 equal parts and make a round ball of each of this part. Now using a rolling pin roll the dough flat but thick. Using a pizza cutter or knife divide the dough into diamond shaped cuts as shown. Discard the uneven sides and arrange the remaining diamond cuts on a clean plate. Repeat this step with the remaining dough balls.

Ensure you roll out the dough thick so that the diamond shape cuts are approximately half an inch thick. Now heat the oil/ghee for frying in a vessel and once hot (test it by dropping a small portion of the dough - it should sizzle and rise up) add the diamond shaped cut outs of the dough. Add small batch at a time so that they cook evenly. Keep flipping intermittently  Once golden brown drain and remove on a absorbent paper to drain off the excess oil. Once they have cooled off, store in airtight container.