Shankarpali or shakarpara are sweet maida biscuits which are super easy to make and a popular festival Indian sweet for Holi and Diwali
Wishing all my dear readers a very happy and colourful HOLI! Yesterday, I prepared shankarpali aka shakarpara, a very popular sweet biscuit prepared with plain flour or maida, sugar, ghee and cardamom powder. It is prepared all over the country and goes by different names based on the region. These sweet maida biscuits are known as shankarpali in Maharashtra, shakarpara in Gujarat, sweet tukdi in few parts of North India, kalakala in Tamil Nadu, and teepi maida biscuits in Andhra. Shakarpara is an absolute must-have snack for festivals like Holi and Diwali. I love the simplicity of these diamond shaped biscuits with the flavour and richness of ghee and cardamom shining through.
During my growing years, maida biscuits were our regular after school snacks both the sweet and savoury versions. I have blogged the spicy maida biscuits. My son, Nehal, is fond of both the sweet diamond cuts as well as the spicy version. They are so easy to make and you wouldn’t believe that there are so few ingredients. This sweet shakarpara are so addictive that you will just keep munching on them like there is no tomorrow.
Tips for crisp and flaky shankarpali or shakarpara
They are two methods you can follow to make shankarpali recipe. One method requires the addition of all the ingredients in a bowl and kneading to a firm yet smooth dough. You can use powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar while following this method. The other method involves lightly warming the water, sugar and ghee till the sugar dissolves. This warm sugar mixture is added to the dry ingredients and made into a dough. I follow the latter method as it ensures even mixing of ingredients.
Rich clarified butter or ghee is the special ingredient that gives shankarpali its lovely flavour. Not to mention, it is responsible for a flaky yet crisp shankarpali. You can also use soft butter or oil if you do not have ghee on hand. Ghee lends a lovely aroma and nutty flavour along with cardamom powder. Do allow the dough to rest for at least half an hour to an hour before rolling it out and cutting it into diamond cuts. With regard to the thickness of the diamond cuts, you can make them thick or thin based on your preference. I like to roll them slightly thick since on deep frying on low heat, the shakarpara will have a nice flaky texture.
Deep fry the shankarpali on a low-medium heat to a delightful crispness that enhances the texture of the maida biscuit. Since we have added sugar, they will turn a shade darker than they would for spicy diamond cuts.
A kid friendly snack and much loved by the adult folks too as a tea time snack. Do give it a try, if you haven’t yet.
how to make shankarpali or shakarapara