Nankhatai
Indian shortbread
Melt-in-the-mouth Indian shortbread with ghee, gram flour and cardamom. Makes 55
Nankhatai are crumbly Indian shortbread biscuits made with ghee, butter, semolina and a little gram flour, scented with cardamom and nutmeg. Each one gets a yellow dot in the centre. A must for Diwali.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 18
Ingredients
- 9 oz buttersoft
- 6 ½ oz ghee1 cup, solid
- 8 oz sugar1½ cups, powdered
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 ⅝ oz semolina½ cup
- 2 ⅓ oz gram flour½ cup
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flour4 cups
For decoration
- 1 pinch yellow food colour
- 1 ½ tbsp milk
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 300°F (275°F fan) and line baking trays.
Step 3: Add the ½ tsp baking powder, 1 tsp ground cardamom and ½ tsp ground nutmeg.
Step 4: Mix in the 2 ⅝ oz semolina, 2 ⅓ oz gram flour and 1 ⅛ lb plain flour and bind into a soft dough.
Step 5: Make 55 round balls, flatten them and place on the trays.
Step 6: Mix the 1 pinch yellow food colour into the 1 ½ tbsp milk and dot the centre of each nankhatai with it.
Step 7: Bake for 15 minutes, or until light brown underneath; the tops stay pale. Cool on the trays: they firm up as they cool.
15 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 370 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 39 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does nankhatai take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 18 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of ghee?
- Butter, same amount (keep the heat a little lower, butter burns sooner).
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