Nankhatai Recipe
Nankhatai: Nankhatai in Kadhai: a shortbread or cookie or biscuit for tea time.
Nankhatai is basically a combination of two words: Naan which means bread and Khatai is a Dari Persian word which means Biscuit.
Nankhatai is a sweet cookie recipe that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Because of its soft, mouth-melting, and creamy flavor, it is loved by both kids and elders. My father used to bring it for me from the market when I was a kid and even now I am fond of this cookie. There are many variations of Nankhatais are available in the bakery shops depending upon the added flavors and texture, the recipe I am sharing here is the simplest, easiest and it is NO-FAIL recipe.
Let us discuss the recipe in detail: I prepared it with all-purpose flour, you can replace it with whole wheat flour for the healthier option. Next, I added gram flour in it to have a nice light yellow color in the nankhatai and it gives a very touchy earthy flavor which makes it really different from other biscuits and cookies. Also, I added semolina to have a good crunch in it. Though you can change the quantity of these ingredients, yet I recommend you to follow it as I am sharing a No-fail recipe.
Use of ghee takes the taste of this dish to another level, you can also use butter or oil instead of ghee. But while using oil, just assure that there should not be any kind of smell in the oil as it degrades the nice aroma of nankhatai.
For a good flavor, I added cardamom powder here, you can also opt for cinnamon powder or nutmeg powder. With this quantity of ingredients I made 15 medium sized nankhatais, so if you are fond of this cookie, then prepare them in bulk snd store for about 15 days in an airtight container.
Points need to remember:
- Ghee should not be melted, it should be in a semi-solid state.
- Sieve all the dry ingredients before using them.
- You can replace the cardamom powder with any essence.
- Do not over bake otherwise the cookie will be too hard.
- Let them cool properly before transferring from the plate.
- Preheating is important as it saves time.
You can make these cookies on any festive occasion, can carry with you while traveling, and also give to your kid as a snack for school. This helps you to purchase outside food which might not be that much healthy as prepared by you.
Try some of the other Snacks and Sweets recipes available:
Step by step instructions
Preheating
Add salt in a wok and place a stand in it.
- Cover it with a plate and preheat for about 15-20 minutes on low flame.
Dough Preparation
- In a mixing bowl, add ghee.
Followed by powdered sugar.
Mix it well. Whisk for 2- 3 minutes or till it becomes fluffy.
- To the mixture, add all-purpose flour.
- Followed by gram flour and semolina.
- To this, add baking powder and cardamom powder.
- Mix all the things nicely and knead a soft dough with the help of hands.
- Cover and rest the dough for 15 minutes.
Shaping Nankhatai
- Grease the plate with some oil/ ghee.
- After 15 minutes, knead the dough again. Take a small ball from the dough and shape nankhatai. Gently press from the thumb in the center.
- Likewise, prepare all.
- Top with some chopped pistachios.
Baking Nankhatai
- Place the nankhatai in the pre-heated wok.
- Cover it with a plate. Cook on low flame for 10 minutes. After that, shift the flame to medium and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Once cooked, turn off the flame and allow it to cool down completely.
- Nankhatais are ready. Store in an airtight container for 10 days.
Related Recipes
Nankhatai
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup gram flour
- 2 tbsp semolina
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tbsp cardamom powder
- 1/2 cup ghee(clarified butter)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 kg salt for baking
Instructions
Preheating
- Add salt in a wok and place a stand in it.
- Cover it with a plate and pre-heat for about 15-20 minutes on low flame.
Dough Preparation
- In a mixing bowl, add ghee.
- Followed by powdered sugar.
- Mix it well. Whisk for 2-3 minutes or till it becomes fluffy.
- To the mixture, add all-purpose flour.
- Followed by gram flour and semolina.
- To this, add baking powder and cardamom powder.
- Mix all the things nicely and knead a soft dough with the help of hands.
- Cover and rest the dough for 15 minutes.
Shaping Nankhatai
- Grease the plate with some oil/ghee.
- After 15 minutes, knead the dough again.
- Take a small ball fromthe dough and shape nankhatai. Gently press from the thumb in the center.
- Likewise, prepare all.
- Top with some chopped pistachios.
Baking Nankhatai
- Place the nankhatai in the pre-heat wok.
- Cover it with a plat. Cook on low flame for 10 minutes. After that, shift the flame to medium and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Once cooked, turn off the flame and allow it to cool down completely.
- Nankhatais are ready. Store in an air tight container for 10 days.
Notes
- You can use butter/ oil also in place of ghee.
- If the dough does not combine well, add some more ghee, and then form a dough.
- Allow to cool down completely then only separate from the plate.
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