Preeti Vaswani
LAYERED NAMAKPARE
So, Diwali is around the corner and I can not resist myself making Layered Namakpare. These are made every year on Diwali at my home.
What is Namakpare ? How is Layered Namakpare made?
A crispy, flaky, deep-fried savory snack made with all-purpose flour, flavored with ajwain, kalonji is most popular among Indian delicacy at the time of festivals like Diwali, Holi, or Karva Chauth. It is a great snack for munching with an evening cup of tea or coffee. It is a festival recipe loved by all. When the same is made with different layers by the special folding technique we get this delectable Layered Namakpare.

I started preparing for Diwali delicacies with this savory snack as it has a good shelf life. You can store it in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of weeks. I prefer to make sweets just two-three days before Diwali.
How to make crispy Namakpare?
There are a few tips and tricks on how you can make crispy and crunchy namakpare.
The first and the foremost is the amount of ghee or oil that is added to the flour while kneading it. If you skimp on it the namakpare won't turn crispy.
Next, the dough should be kneaded tight to make crunchy and flaky namakpare.
Fry the namakpare on medium-low flame.
Ingredients and variations
APF - I have made this layered namakpare with all-purpose flour to be lighter as using whole wheat flour gives a denser version of namakpare. All-purpose flour works best for namakpare recipe. However, you can use APF and WWF in a 1:1 ratio.
Oil - Oil is used for frying and moyan i.e. adding oil while preparing the dough to make crispy and flaky namakpare.
Carom seeds and Nigella seeds - Adding carom seeds and nigella seeds give a delicate and tempting flavor to the namakpare. Adding these make them more addictive, you can not just stop after one.
Salt - What are namakpare without Namak(salt), it's the main flavoring agent in our addictive namakpare.

Cuisine : Indian
Course : Snacks
Prep time : 30 minutes
Cooking time : 20 minutes
Servings : 6-8
Ingredients
1 1/2 Cup APF
1/2 Tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
1/2 Tsp kalonji (nigella seeds)
3/4 Tsp salt
4 Tbsp oil
1/2 Cup water for kneading
Oil for frying
Instructions
1. Add sifted flour to a bowl, to this add ajwain, kalonji, salt, and oil.
2. Mix it well to incorporate the oil in the flour and check by pressing the flour in between your fist it should hold the shape.
3. Add water in small portions to knead a tight dough.
4.Once the dough is kneaded give it a rest for around 20 minutes.

5. Divide the dough into two equal halves.
6. On a clean surface sprinkle little all-purpose flour and with the help of a rolling pin, roll out the dough ball to a 2 mm thickness round sheet, with the help of a brush apply oil on it.
7. Sprinkle some APF and chaat masala. Lift the one end of the sheet and bring it to halfway.
8. Now lift the other end of the sheet and bring it over to the previous folded end. It will take shape of a rectangle after folding both the sides and one third of the original sheet.

9. Apply oil on the folded rectangular sheet.
10. Sprinkle APF and chaat masala.
11. Lift one end of the rectangular folded sheet and bring it halfway.
12. Fold the other end over the previous folded part to make a square shape folded sheet.

13. Roll out the square folded sheet to 2 mm thick sheet and sprinkle APF and chaat masala.
14. Again fold it to make a rectangle by lifting one end to halfway and the lifting the other end over to the previously folded end.
15. Roll out with the help of rolling pin into a long rectangular strip of about 2 mm thickness.
16. With the help of a sharp knife cut into small rectangular strips to give the final shape to the namakpare.

17. Heat oil in a kadai and slowly add all the namakpare.
18. Fry the namakpare on low flame.
19. Keep string throughout for uniform golden color.
20. Once the namakpare is nice golden in color take it out on absorbent paper and let it cool completely before transferring them to an airtight container.

Festival munchies...Evening tea accompaniment....all time favorite.....
Layered Namakpare

Try out other Diwali delicacies, you may also like
If you’ve tried this festival recipe, Layered Namakpare then do mention in comments how it came out. I would love to hear from you.
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