Masala Kaju Namakpare – Holi Special

Namakpara a popular Indian Tea time snack and also made during the festival. It is a crunchy savory snack made with maida or all purpose flour mix with carom seeds, fennel, cumin seeds and flavored with spices. It is made in various shapes but mostly in long sticks. I gave them the shape of Cashews (Kaju) with help of small round cookie cutter. You can use bottle cap also to give them this shape. They are crispy and a perfect snack with a hot cup of tea in this festival. Do try!

Colourful Tea TIme Snacks

Masala Kaju Namkeen – Holi Special

Ingredients :

For White Dough:
Maida – 1 cup
Carom seeds or ajwain – 1/2 tsp
Roasted Fennel Powder – 1/2 tbsp
Water – 1/4 cup
Ghee – 2 tbsp
Curd – 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

For Pink Dough:
Maida – 1 cup
Carom seeds or ajwain – 1/2 tsp
Boiled Beetroot Puree* – 1/4 cup
Roasted Fennel Powder – 1/2 tbsp
Ghee – 2 tbsp
Curd – 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

For Green Dough:
Maida – 1 cup
Carom seeds or ajwain – 1/2 tsp
Roasted Fennel Powder – 1/2 tbsp
Boiled Palak Puree* – 1/4 cup
Ghee – 2 tbsp
Curd – 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Spices:
Red chili powder – 1 tbsp
Oregano – 2 tbsp
Black pepper powder  1/2 tbsp
Roasted cumin powder – 1 tbsp
Chaat masala – 1 tbsp

Oil for deep frying
Ghee – 1 tbsp

Colorful Namkeen

Method :

1. White Dough –  Mix ghee and curd in 1 cup of flour. Rub well till all flour is coated with ghee and curd. Add a little water at a time and form a stiff dough. It needs to be stiffer than Chapati dough. Rub a little Oil/Ghee on the dough ball, cover and allow to rest for an hour.
2. Pink Dough – Mix ghee and curd in 1 cup of flour. Rub well till all flour is coated with ghee and curd. Add a little beetroot puree at a time and form a stiff dough. It needs to be stiffer than Chapati dough. Rub a little Oil/Ghee on the dough ball, cover and allow to rest for an hour.
3. Green Dough – Mix ghee and curd in 1 cup of flour. Rub well till all flour is coated with ghee and curd. Add a little spinach puree at a time and form a stiff dough. It needs to be stiffer than Chapati dough. Rub a little Oil/Ghee on the dough ball, cover and allow to rest for an hour.

Holi Recipe

How to make Kaju Shape Namkeen?

Grease the rolling surface and the rolling pin. Roll out the dough into an oval shape and it should be thicker than roti.

Using a cookie cutter or any bottle cap.

Starting from one end press half of the cookie cutter into the dough and cut an arch as shown below.

Separate the piece and keep on making another arch on the top of other to give kaju (cashew) shaped.

Beautiful kaju shaped.

Starting from one end to other end cut the dough in horizontally or vertically rows.

Fry these in oil until they turn a golden color.

Mixing Spices :

• Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in a deep non-stick pan and all spices. Saute for a minute.
• Switch off the gas and toss fried kaju shape namkeen nicely.
• Allow to cool down completely. Store in an airtight container.

Tips :

1. Adjust spices according to taste.
2. First, fry white dough namkeen, then spinach namkeen and pink namkeen at last.

Perfect Holi Recipe