Shankarpali or shakkar para, is a sweet fried dough snack. You will rarely find anyone that does not like this sweet treat. I have come to find that there is a similar version of this in Africa as well that uses eggs, similar to the Goan kulkuls.
I remember this being one item during Diwali and Chaturti that Mom let me help with. I enjoyed cutting the shankarpali once Mummy rolled them out. As she would fry the shankarpali, Siddhu (my brother) and I would finish most of them 😀 I am sure she accounted for us little rats in the house and always made more every time 😀
Even now, I enjoy eating them while they are still a little warm and chewy.
What you will need:
| Ingredients | Quantity |
|---|---|
| For the dough: | |
| All Purpose Flour | 5 cups |
| Ghee | 3/4 cup |
| Sugar | 1 cup |
| Salt | 1 teaspoons |
| Water | 1 1/2 cup |
| Oil | For Frying |
Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Servings: Makes around 1.25 kg shankarpali
How to make it:
- In a pot, add ghee, sugar, salt and water. Mix them and heat until the sugar melts.
- Turn the gas off and let the mixture cool.
- Knead the dough with the mixture. The dough will be a little tacky but do not worry about it. As it is resting, it will get better. Let the dough rest for around 15 minutes.
- Heat the oil for frying on a medium flame.
- Take a small portion of the dough and roll it out to 1/5th of an inch thickness.
- Use a “rado” or a pizza cutter and cut the rolled-out dough into diamond shapes.
- Tip: Ensure that the oil is hot by adding a small piece of the dough. If it rises immediately, it is ready for frying.
- Add a few shankarpali at a time and fry on a medium flame until golden brown.
- Remove on a paper towel to soak any access oil.
- Cool them completely before storing them in air-tight containers.
- Enjoy and share with your loved ones!