May 15, 2024 Shakarpara is a popular Indian snack which is made with basic ingredients like flour and sugar. You can’t go wrong with fried dough and shakarpara is no exception. It is the sweet counterpart to namak para (shakar=sugar and namak=salt). Both shakapara and namakpara are made in most Indian homes during Diwali. My mom always made them for Holi too. This snack is known by different names in different regions of the country. Some call it shakarpara, some call it shankarpali. In my house, we also made a similar snack which is called khurma. It is made by deep frying unsweetened dough pieces and the pieces are then coated with a sugar syrup. Making khurma definitely takes more time and so while I do make it, I definitely lean towards this simple shakarpara recipe more because of just how easy it is. There’s no sugar syrup and syrup consistency involved here. You just mix the sugar with water and then knead the dough with it and fry. It’s that simple!
How to Make Shakarpara
Air Fryer Option
If you want to air fry, preheat your air fryer according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Then arrange the cut shakarpara in a single layer in your air fryer and spray with an oil spray. Air fry at 370 F degrees for 8 to 10 minutes until they are crisp and golden brown in color. Every air fryer is different so this might take more or less time depending on the air fryer you have. I will start checking at the 7 minute mark.
All purpose flour/maida: The classic shakarpara in my house was always made with maida/all purpose flour. You can make this with whole wheat flour (atta) as well, they will just be a little denser.
Sugar: You can adjust the amount of sugar in the recipe to taste. These are lightly sweetened, for a sweeter shakarpara, use 2/3 cup of sugar in the recipe.
Ghee: I like adding ghee as the “moyan” in the dough, but you can also use oil. Make sure to use a neutral/flavorless oil.
Mix the ghee with the flour by rubbing the flour between your palm until the ghee is well incorporated with the flour. This step is important as it helps in making the shakarpara flaky. You know the ghee is enough and well incorporated when you press some of the dough between your palm, and it holds its shape. Set this aside. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Since the water is warm, the sugar dissolves easily. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the water-sugar mixture to the flour mix. Once the dough comes together, cover the dough with a cloth and let it rest for 20 minutes. Once the dough has rested, divide it into 2 or 3 equal parts. Take one part and roll it into a dough ball. Meanwhile keep the other dough balls covered. Now roll this dough ball into 1/6 inch thickness using a rolling pin. Heat oil in a kadai on medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot (check by dropping a little bit of the dough into the oil, if it comes up within 10 seconds, the oil is hot), add the cut shakarpara to it. Immediately reduce the heat to low-medium. This is important, if you fry them on high heat they will not turn crispy. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes on medium-low heat until the shakarapara is golden brown in color. Fry all the shakarpara in batches. Make sure to increase the temperature of oil a little after frying every batch. Then add the shakarpara and reduce the temperature again and repeat. Drain on a paper towel. They will crisp up as they cool down. Store in an airtight container and they should be good for 2 weeks. I personally prefer the traditional deep fried version as the air fried ones become pretty hard after a while.
Baking The Shakarpara
If you want to bake them, preheat your oven at 375 F degrees. Arrange the cut shakarpara on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and brush them lightly with oil. Bake at 375 F degrees for around 10 to 12 minutes, flipping them once in between at the halfway mark. Each oven is different so keep an eye after the 9 minute mark.
title: “Shakarpara Recipe Flaky Crispy " ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-19” author: “Travis Hardiman”
May 15, 2024 Shakarpara is a popular Indian snack which is made with basic ingredients like flour and sugar. You can’t go wrong with fried dough and shakarpara is no exception. It is the sweet counterpart to namak para (shakar=sugar and namak=salt). Both shakapara and namakpara are made in most Indian homes during Diwali. My mom always made them for Holi too. This snack is known by different names in different regions of the country. Some call it shakarpara, some call it shankarpali. In my house, we also made a similar snack which is called khurma. It is made by deep frying unsweetened dough pieces and the pieces are then coated with a sugar syrup. Making khurma definitely takes more time and so while I do make it, I definitely lean towards this simple shakarpara recipe more because of just how easy it is. There’s no sugar syrup and syrup consistency involved here. You just mix the sugar with water and then knead the dough with it and fry. It’s that simple!
How to Make Shakarpara
Air Fryer Option
If you want to air fry, preheat your air fryer according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Then arrange the cut shakarpara in a single layer in your air fryer and spray with an oil spray. Air fry at 370 F degrees for 8 to 10 minutes until they are crisp and golden brown in color. Every air fryer is different so this might take more or less time depending on the air fryer you have. I will start checking at the 7 minute mark.
All purpose flour/maida: The classic shakarpara in my house was always made with maida/all purpose flour. You can make this with whole wheat flour (atta) as well, they will just be a little denser.
Sugar: You can adjust the amount of sugar in the recipe to taste. These are lightly sweetened, for a sweeter shakarpara, use 2/3 cup of sugar in the recipe.
Ghee: I like adding ghee as the “moyan” in the dough, but you can also use oil. Make sure to use a neutral/flavorless oil.
Mix the ghee with the flour by rubbing the flour between your palm until the ghee is well incorporated with the flour. This step is important as it helps in making the shakarpara flaky. You know the ghee is enough and well incorporated when you press some of the dough between your palm, and it holds its shape. Set this aside. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Since the water is warm, the sugar dissolves easily. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the water-sugar mixture to the flour mix. Once the dough comes together, cover the dough with a cloth and let it rest for 20 minutes. Once the dough has rested, divide it into 2 or 3 equal parts. Take one part and roll it into a dough ball. Meanwhile keep the other dough balls covered. Now roll this dough ball into 1/6 inch thickness using a rolling pin. Heat oil in a kadai on medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot (check by dropping a little bit of the dough into the oil, if it comes up within 10 seconds, the oil is hot), add the cut shakarpara to it. Immediately reduce the heat to low-medium. This is important, if you fry them on high heat they will not turn crispy. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes on medium-low heat until the shakarapara is golden brown in color. Fry all the shakarpara in batches. Make sure to increase the temperature of oil a little after frying every batch. Then add the shakarpara and reduce the temperature again and repeat. Drain on a paper towel. They will crisp up as they cool down. Store in an airtight container and they should be good for 2 weeks. I personally prefer the traditional deep fried version as the air fried ones become pretty hard after a while.
Baking The Shakarpara
If you want to bake them, preheat your oven at 375 F degrees. Arrange the cut shakarpara on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and brush them lightly with oil. Bake at 375 F degrees for around 10 to 12 minutes, flipping them once in between at the halfway mark. Each oven is different so keep an eye after the 9 minute mark.
