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Nimki
Flaky fried nigella pastry
নিমকি: flaky fried diamonds of pastry with nigella seeds, for Bijoya Dashami
On Bijoya Dashami, the last day of Durga Puja, Bengali families visit elders, touch their feet and are fed sweets, and the tin of nimki is always opened alongside the narkel naru and mishti. Nimki are small diamonds of short pastry flavoured with kalonji (nigella seeds), fried slowly until they blister into flaky layers. They are salty, crunchy and very moreish with a cup of tea. Common mistake: frying in oil that is too hot; the outside browns while the inside stays raw and hard. Fry on a low-medium flame until the pieces float, sound hollow and are a pale golden colour. Chef's tip: the dough is ready when a handful pressed in your fist holds its shape (the 'moyan' test); too little ghee gives hard nimki, too much makes them crumble in the oil.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz plain flour (maida)
- 2 ⅛ oz gheemelted
- 1 ½ tsp nigella seeds (kalonji)
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp sugar
- ½ cup cold waterabout
- 3 cups vegetable oilfor deep-frying
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Mix 10 ½ oz plain flour (maida), 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp sugar and 1 ½ tsp nigella seeds (kalonji) in a bowl. Add 2 ⅛ oz ghee and rub it in with your fingertips for 3–4 minutes until the flour looks like breadcrumbs and a fistful holds together when pressed.
5 minStep 2: Add ½ cup cold water a little at a time and knead to a stiff, smooth dough. Cover and rest for 20 minutes.
20 minStep 3: Divide into 4. Roll each into a 3 mm thick round, prick all over with a fork and cut into 2 cm diamonds.
10 minStep 4: Heat 3 cups vegetable oil to about 300°F (a piece of dough rises slowly with small bubbles). Fry the diamonds in batches for 6–8 minutes, stirring now and then, until crisp, pale golden and hollow-sounding.
25 minStep 5: Drain on paper and cool completely before storing in an airtight tin. They keep for 3 weeks.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 270 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 29 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does nimki take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 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 plain flour (maida)?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of ghee?
- Butter, same amount (keep the heat a little lower, butter burns sooner).
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