Namak (Salt) Pare are one of those wonderful snacks that are appropriate anytime of the day, any time of the year. Traditionally, it is important to serve a savory item when a sweet is served for balance, or choice and because “Salt” is such an essential part of life. They are easy to make and need very few ingredients, mostly stuff that we have in our pantry all the time. So this festival season, whip up some of this fried goodness and enjoy with family and friends.
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour – 1 cup
Carom Seeds (Ajwain) – 1/4 tsp
Salt – 1/2 tsp
Clarified Butter (Ghee) – 2 tbsp
Water – 1/4 cup
Oil for deep frying
Method:
1. Heat Oil for deep-frying.
2. Mix the following together: Flour, Salt & Ajwain.
3. Mix in the Ghee and rub well till all the Flour is coated with Ghee.
4. Add a little Water at a time and form a stiff dough. It needs to be stiffer than Chapati dough.
5. Rub a little Oil/Ghee on the dough ball, cover and allow to rest till the Oil is ready (minimum 5 min.)
6. Grease the rolling surface and the rolling pin.
7. Take a part of the dough and form a ball and roll it into a square or a round.
8. It needs to be just a hair thicker than a Chapati.
9. Grease a sharp knife and cut strips, rotate 45 degrees and cut again to form diamond shapes.
10. Fry once the Oil is hot.
11. Allow them to cook on one side and flip allowing them to cook on the other side as well.
12. Once done, take them out onto a paper towel, sprinkle some Chaat Masala.
13. Serve hot (if you want them soft or allow them to cool (if you want them crispy.
14. Once cooled down, transfer into an air-tight container and store at room-temperature.
Hi
I really like your recipes, so detailed and perfect measures. Thanks a lot for sharing this recipes with us. I just want to know at what temp. did you fry Namakpara, low or high ?
Thanks Darshita! You want the namakpara to be crispy so low flame works best.
Hi,
After visiting your website for the first time, I am absolutely loving all the dishes that you have. I mean, there is so much to choose from, I don’t know where to start!
Also, I would like to thank you for sharing all these recipes. Keep up the great work.
Thanks Kaz! And, welcome to SMTC!
Awesome…. I just made this namak pare , it came out so well . Thank you so much for this recipe 🙂
it was superb !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi dear, i wanna know how long can we keep this.
Hi Aarti,
They should stay fresh in an air tight container for several weeks.
Hey,
I wanted to make this for so long.. Thanks for the recipe.. Its so easy and you gave proper instructions for frying, that’s very helpful… Came out very well.. Thanks once again.. 🙂
Hello,
Anuja, I am a big fan of your recipes. Quick question. For this recipe, is it possible to use bread since i am allergic to all the ingredients in this item.
Hi Hetal/ Anuja,
If you will add lil bit of cumin seeds( Jira) that will make it test more good.
Thanks,
Vijaya
Hi Hetal n Anuja..
ur videos put love in our home specially where the newly weds want to impress their husbands.. but u know today I made namak pare, but they were too salty.. its becoz “1 tsp salt” written here n in ur video that is “1/2 tsp”.. well thanks a lot.. 🙂
i m going to make with “1/2 tsp salt” now 🙂
So sorry about that. It has been fixed now. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.
as per your recipe of namak pare u told to add ghee, i have some confusion we have to add hot ghee or as it is.
Hi Nidhi,
If you ghee is at room temperature (pretty liquidy), you can add it as it. Sometimes, ghee is in solid form and you may need to melt it a little just to get it out. It does not need to be hot.
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
I’m quite new to the bay area and came across your web site just by chance…. and I must say a great chance indeed. I tried namak paare today, but with a little variation, I mixed equal quantities of wheat flour and maida while making the dough (just wanted it to be a little on the healthier side)
The recipe turned out to be perfect and my husband just loved it!
Thanks ladies! You guys are just superb!
– Aarti
Tried this today. Came out really well. However, my namake pare were not crispy. And i noticed that I added a little more ghee than what you guys mentioned. Also, does it turn out crispier as it cools?
Hi KR,
The extra ghee will just make it crispier and yes, they need to cool down and then they get crispy. The other thing to keep in mind is the the namak pare need to be cooked and all the moisture from them should be cooked off (no more bubbles while frying) and that is what makes them crispy 🙂
I made this recipe by doubling all the ingredients and I would have to say that the pare turned out on a salter side. If anyone doubles or triples this recipe, go easy on the salt and even a little less ghee.
Otherwise, great recipe.
If I triple the recipe, do I triple all the ingredients including the salt?
Thank you.
Hi Ladies,
A quick question, if I want to double or triple this recipe, would I double/triple all the ingredients?, including the salt? I can figure out the water as I knead the dough.
I followed your recipe for spicy sev which turned out perfect but made very very little so I’m assuming this will be perfect as well but make very little. I just want to make enough that it will last a week since I’m putting the effort in.
Thanks again.
Hi Anuja and Hetal
firstly a very big thank you for the effort u have put up for such wonderful videos. I have tried out a few and my family liked them very much.
we in Andhra prepare these namak pare with a little variation, we add a bit of rice flour(which makes it more crisp) to it and some red chilli pwd and jeera instead of ajwain. I just wanted to share this variation
I wanted to try vegetable spring rolls, can u plz upload its video
Hi Srilakshmi,
Thanks for the tips.
Here is a video on Egg rolls – you can switch the egg roll wraps with spring roll wraps.
https://34.233.61.50/appetizers/egg-rolls.html
I just made “namak-pare” following your recipe. They’ve turned out quite perfect. Thanks a ton, guys. This has to be a fool-proof recipe! Here’s some trivia: where I come from (which is Kolkata, India), “namak-pare” are called “nimki” and in “nimki”, ajwain is replaced by “kalonji”or onion seeds. The rest of the ingredients remain the same.
recipe for dried chikkoo barfi please . love your videos
recipe for dried chikkoo barfi please
for low cal u can bake them.
Bake on what temperature?? for how much time??
Hetal is really good at presenting the show. You rock.
i happy to commemt regarding kaju kattli really very one like when i made and every doubt that i bought or made that much prefectly it comes out. All the credits will go to you people.
Thank you so much for writing! We’re so glad the kaju katli was a big hit with your family.
Nice tops! You guys are looking good, as usual 🙂 Watched boondi video also and thanks for the tips.
Thanks R! 🙂
It was really fun to see Hetal get shocked :). Another sweet version of this one is to make the dough with Gud water (Gol na Shakkar Para – in gujarati). I really like those too. Maybe some day you can show those too.
A Very Happy Diwali and a Healthy, Peaceful and Prosperous New Year!
Happy Diwali Chandana! We’ll put Shakkar Para on our list to do.
IT IS AWESOME////////////
It was really fun to see Hetal get shocked :). Another sweet version of this one is to make the dough with Gud water (Gol na Shakkar Para – in gujarati). I really like those too. Maybe some day you can show those too.
IT IS AWESOME…
Nice and easy.
I make these with wheat flour. just sieve it with finest sieve you have and follow the same recipe.
this way its lot healthier and light on tummy too.
Heyy!
Awesome recipe! My mum makes both the spicy and sweet versions of this… and for some weird reason we call it “aaram number” or “Number 6”.. lol 😀
Hi Hetal & Anu,
Thanks for all yr Great recipe you wonderful ladies,looks delicious!
All are really very good.
Thanks for sharing + keep it on a positive way.
I love watching you both, your recipes are amazing.
Please do some recipe with low fat if you can.
I really want to know how to do MYSORE PAK (yellow one) Please
Thanks
Paree Dussoye
Tranquebar
Port-Louis
Mauritius Island
Hi Hetal and Anuja
Wish You & your family Happy Diwali.
Thanks for the recipe. Just one Q. Can we add red chilli powder to this to make it little spicy?
u can sprinkle some on top the way we sprinkle salt on frenchfries!!!!!!!!while its hot so that chilli powder sticks onto it.
HI, do you have the sweet version of this online as well… if not, would love to see it soon! Just thought it would be good to make both sweet and salty versions – also, do I need to change the frying oil between sweet and salty..?
thanks!
Pramila,
I make sweet version as follows:
take maida and sieve it. add ghee. and enough so that it becomes a little crumbly. the more you add, more soft it will be.
take amount of milk you would need to make the dough. add sugar to it and heat to dissolve it. let it cool. make dough with this. let the dough rest for half an hour.
roll, cut into desired shapes and fry it in ghee ( i always fry it in ghee)
HI, do you have the sweet version of this online as well… if not, would love to see it soon! Just thought it would be good to make both sweet and salty versions – also, do I need to change the frying oil between sweet and salty..?
thanks!
Hi Hetal and Anuja
Please can you show us how to make Shakar pare?
Hi Anuja and Hetal, very nice recipe… I always a doubt when deep frying, as to what can be done with the oil that we use for frying (be it any recipe)? Should that be discarded or can it be used for anything else? Very happy Diwali to both of you 🙂
Gayathri,
If the oil you use is fresh, you can fry Mathias for Diwali and/or other “salted” snacks right away for few days later. If the oil has been used a couple of times already then toss it. Oil gets more unhealthy after several use.
I hope this helps.
BTW, this is for all the viewers, you can use a pizza cuter to cut the diamonds for pare. I find it to be much quicker.
Happy Diwali and Happy New Year to all.
Thanks Pinal !! 🙂
it is awesome
@Anuja : You call it Katar .. we call it “Matar” in our house 😀 😀
Sole reason being they are shaped like long pea pods !!!
And they Taste great ! No doubt !!
Happy Diwali to both of you and your families too 🙂
growing up in PUNJAB, we also called it Matar.
HAPPY DIWALI TO HETAL, ANUJA AND ALL YOUR FANS!!!
Yeah we also call it matar….. no need to feel wierd anuja…… u girls rock…..
Try adding little sooji around 1tbsp and see the difference,that will make the namak paara’s more crispy and it’s easy to roll the dough!NO Doubts about your recipe as all the recipes on ur site turnout perfect!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Any desserts coming up on The occassion of Diwali????????If any do post it soon so that it can be made ahead of time!!!!!!!!
Happy Diwali to both of you and ur families,keep adding more sweets&spices to our lives!
Good Recipe…