AI-generated image
Osmania biscuits
Sweet and salty butter biscuits
उस्मानिया बिस्कुट: Hyderabad's sweet-and-salty butter biscuits for dunking in Irani chai
IndianOsmania biscuits are named after the last Nizam of Hyderabad, and they have been baked in the city's Irani bakeries for generations: round, crumbly, melt-in-the-mouth butter biscuits that are gently sweet with a distinct salty edge and a hint of cardamom. In old-city cafés, men linger over a plate of them and a cup of Irani chai in the early morning or after the evening prayers, dunking each one until it is just about to collapse. Chef's tip: chill the dough before cutting and baking; it keeps the biscuits round and thick instead of spreading thin.
- Total time
- 47 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the biscuits
- 4 ½ oz unsalted buttersoft
- 2 ⅞ oz icing sugar
- ¾ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp milk powder
- 1 tbsp custard powder
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- 7 oz plain flour (maida)
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tbsp milkplus extra for brushing
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (2)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Beat 4 ½ oz unsalted butter and 2 ⅞ oz icing sugar together in a bowl with a wooden spoon or electric whisk for 3–4 minutes, until pale, light and creamy.
4 minStep 2: Add ¾ tsp salt, 2 tbsp milk powder, 1 tbsp custard powder and ¼ tsp ground cardamom and beat again until smooth. The salt is part of the classic sweet-salty taste, so don't skip it.
Step 3: Sift in 7 oz plain flour (maida), ½ tsp baking powder and ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda. Mix with a spatula, adding 1 ¼ tbsp milk a little at a time, until it just comes together into a soft dough. Common mistake: kneading it like bread; overworked dough gives hard, tough biscuits instead of short, crumbly ones.
Step 4: Wrap the dough and chill it for 20 minutes. Heat the oven to 350°F (300°F fan) and line a tray with baking paper.
20 minStep 5: Roll the dough out between two sheets of baking paper to 8–10 mm thick and cut out 6 cm rounds. Re-roll the trimmings once. Place them 3 cm apart and brush the tops with the remaining ¾ tbsp milk.
Step 6: Bake for 18–22 minutes, until the edges are light golden and the tops have fine cracks and a pale gold glaze. They will still feel slightly soft in the middle.
22 minStep 7: Cool on the tray for 10 minutes, then on a rack; they crisp as they cool. Store in an airtight tin for up to a week.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 280 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 33 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does osmania biscuits take?
- About 47 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 22 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.
- What can I use instead of unsalted butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of icing sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Paneer biryaniRice and moong dal in coconut milk
A mild, creamy biryani: rice and husked green gram roasted in ghee, then cooked in coconut milk with peas, carrots, potatoes, peanuts and cashews, and finished with soft fried paneer and a fresh coriander yogurt. Serve hot, garnished with more fried cashews and paneer.
Sabudana khichdiSago with peanuts and potato
Sabudana khichdi is the dish that sees Maharashtra through every vrat (fast), from Navratri to Ekadashi, but it's so good that people eat it any day of the week. Soaked sago pearls are tossed in a pan with crushed roasted peanuts, cubes of potato, cumin and green chilli until each pearl turns glassy and separate, then finished with lemon and coriander. It's soft, chewy, nutty and gently hot. Fasting rules vary from family to family, so check yours; this version uses rock salt and no asafoetida, onion or garlic. Traditionally it's cooked in ghee; use ghee instead of oil if you aren't keeping it vegan. Chef's tip: soak the sago in just enough water to cover by the height of the pearls themselves, no more; too much water is the reason khichdi turns into one sticky lump.
Bagara bainganBaby aubergines in peanut sesame sauce
Bagara baingan is a Hyderabadi wedding dish of small aubergines cooked whole in a dark, tangy gravy of roasted peanuts, sesame, dried coconut and tamarind. Unlike a Gujarati stuffed brinjal, the aubergines here are only quartered at the base and fried until silky, then left to soak up a thin-but-rich sauce that is finished with a tempering, the 'baghar' that gives the dish its name. It's sour, nutty and gently spiced, and is served with biryani, bagara rice or plain rice. Chef's tip: choose small, glossy purple aubergines that feel heavy for their size; soft, light ones are full of seeds and turn mushy before the gravy has a chance to cling.
Perfect for:Tea-time