An easy method of making melt in the mouth yet crunchy Shakkarpara/Shankarpali by adding the sugar to the dough. This eliminates the need to make a sugar syrup and dip the fried dough in the syrup. The traditional way of making Shakkarpara requires making a ‘Two string consistency’ sugar syrup. This can be a little tricky- if the syrup is too thin, it doesn’t coat the dough well enough and if its too thick, it dries up too soon.
Shakkarpare are usually made during weddings and Diwali. They can be made with jaggery/gur or even savory-flavored with methi, carom seeds/ajwain or even cumin and Black pepper. Of course the savory version is called Namak Pare as they are salty. I make Meethi Mathi for Karwa Chauth. It’s similar to Shakkarpare/Shankarpali, except the shape is round instead of diamond shapes and the mathis are dipped in sugar syrup.
Besides eliminating the entire step of making sugar syrup separately, what I love about this recipe is that the semolina gives it a nice crumbly,crunchy texture and the sugar is just right-not overly sweet! Of course add more sugar if you like it sweeter. It can also be flavored with ground cardamom powder or crushed fennel seeds.
Some of my other traditional recipes to try out for Diwali are-Moong Ki Dal Ka Halwa, Besan ke Laddoo , Dal ki Pothli and Kheer in a Crockpot.
Moving on to the recipe, here is the written recipe followed by the step by step pictorial one-
Shakkarpara/Shankarpali/Meethe pare/shakarpare
Ingredients
- 3 cups All Purpose Flour/Maida
- 3/4 cup Fine Semolina/Sooji
- 1 1/4 cup Confectioner sugar/Powdered sugar/Icing sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 7 tbsp melted HOT ghee use oil for a vegan option
- 175 ml water
- Oil for frying
Instructions
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Sieve flour and salt
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Add Fine sooji/Fine semolina
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Add HOT ghee and mix till you get crumbly texture(you know you have added right amount of ghee when you take some flour in your fist and it holds the fist shape)
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Add sugar and mix well
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Add water, little by little to form a soft dough(sooji will absorb water so do not make a tight dough)
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Cover and set the dough aside to rest for 30 minutes
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Divide the dough into 6 portions
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Roll into a diameter of 7-8 inches,thicker than a roti/chapati
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Prick with a fork or knife and cut into diamond shape
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Roll and cut all the dough and put on a big tray
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Heat oil on medium/320F(Drop a piece into the oil, if it comes up immediately, the oil is ready)
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Fry in batches, few pieces at a time till golden in color
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Cool and store in an airtight container. Stays good at room temperature for 2-3 weeks
Notes
Here is the step by step pictorial recipe-
Ingredients
Sieve flour and salt,Add semolina/sooji and hot ghee/oil
Hold the dough in your fist, when it holds the fist shape, its the right amount of ghee.
Add more if needed
Add confectioners/powdered/icing sugar
Mix the sugar into the dough like this
Add water, little at a time to make a soft dough
Cover and set aside for 30 minutes
Divide dough into 6 portions. Roll, use pizza cutter to cut dough into diamond shape
Use fork/knife to prick holes all over the diamond shapes
Fry the diamond shaped dough in medium hot oil,at 320F till pinkish/golden
Do not brown, the color gets darker upon cooling
Cool completely and store in a clean air tight container
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Shruti
Hello,
Thanks for the recipe. Can I use coarse suji for this?
Aanchal Gupta
Hi Shruti, you can use coarse, but Shakkarpare will be a bit grainy. Coarse might absorb more water, not sure, make sure consistency of dough is correct. Hope you will share your feedback. Would love to know how it turns out.
Shruti
Hello Aanchal,
Thanks for your response. I followed the exact recipe with regular recipe and they turned out delicious!
My little one can’t stop eating them 😊
Aanchal Gupta
Thanks for the feedback Shruti, so happy to know that the shakkarpare turned out delicious with the coarse sooji. When kids happily eat food, makes us moms happy. Glad to know your kiddo is enjoying them. Please share a picture of your shakkarpare.