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Nankhatai

Melt-in-the-mouth Indian shortbread with ghee, gram flour and cardamom. Makes 55

Nankhatai are crumbly Indian shortbread biscuits made with ghee, butter, semolina and a little gram flour, scented with cardamom and nutmeg. Each one gets a yellow dot in the centre. A must for Diwali.
Total time
40 min
Difficulty
easy
Serves
18
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Ingredients

Serves18

For decoration

Method

0/7 done
  1. Step 1: Heat the oven to 300°F (275°F fan) and line baking trays.

  2. Step 2: Beat the 9 oz butter, 6 ½ oz ghee and 8 oz sugar until light and fluffy.

  3. Step 3: Add the ½ tsp baking powder, 1 tsp ground cardamom and ½ tsp ground nutmeg.

  4. Step 4: Mix in the 2 ⅝ oz semolina, 2 ⅓ oz gram flour and 1 ⅛ lb plain flour and bind into a soft dough.

  5. Step 5: Make 55 round balls, flatten them and place on the trays.

  6. Step 6: Mix the 1 pinch yellow food colour into the 1 ½ tbsp milk and dot the centre of each nankhatai with it.

  7. Step 7: Bake for 15 minutes, or until light brown underneath; the tops stay pale. Cool on the trays: they firm up as they cool.

    15 min

Nutrition per serving

Calories
370 kcal
Protein
4 g
Carbs
39 g
Fat
22 g
Fibre
1 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

K
Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does nankhatai take?
About 40 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?
18 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
Is it vegetarian?
Yes. It has no meat or fish.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
What can I use instead of butter?
The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
What can I use instead of ghee?
Butter, same amount (keep the heat a little lower, butter burns sooner).

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