Follow this sweet shankarpali recipe which contains a certain special ingredient, to achieve a nice flaky texture that is a must for this delicious snack.
What is Shakarpara?
Shakarpara are a delicious Indian mithai or Indian sweet made from whole wheat flour, semolina, jaggery and milk. They can be described as bite sized Indian cookies and have a distinctive diamond shape. The texture can be described as crispy but they do not have a “snap” but rather a flaky crispiness that is known as khasta in Indian words! There are many different names for this popular snack and you can find them in most Indian homes served with a cup of Masala Chai, Cardamom Tea or Karak Chai. In Gujarat, they are known as shakarpara but are called Shankarpali in Maharastra. Some people call them sweet tukdi. As this is a Gujarati shakarpara recipe, the sweet shakarpara are made with jaggery. You can find variations of this sweet shakarpara recipe in different parts of India. For example, in parts of north India, they sweeten these shakarpara with a sugar syrup rather than jaggery. The simplicity of these diamond biscuits explains why they are one of the most popular Indian snack recipes out there! In India, these are often sent in a child’s lunch box as school snacks but can sometimes be made for festive occasions too like Satam, Diwali or Holi. It is possible to find savory versions of shankarpali which are also made during special occasions or even just as a munching snack. These are salty and are known as namak para. My Mum would often make the two together at the same time!
Why you should make this recipe
Easy to transport – I have memories of taking sweet shakarpara on holiday! Can be made ahead – due to their shelf-life, shakarpara can be made ahead of time and stored. Perfect if you are planning on making a trip or are going to be making loads of snacks for Diwali! Keep well – shakarpara keep for around 2 weeks if stored well Easy to find ingredients – the recipe is made from easy to find ingredients Made within 1 hour – you can make a batch of shakapara in under an hour. The longest part of the recipe is allowing the dough to rest for 30 minutes. Eggless biscuits recipe – shakarpara are made without egg making them safe to eat for pure vegetarian Indian diets or lacto-vegetarians. Easy shakarpare recipe – this recipe is easy to follow. You just need to make a dough, make diamond cuts and either deep fry/bake/airfry.
The secret ingredient: milk!
The secret ingredient is milk! Shakarpara with milk have the most incredible flaky texture. They retain their crispiness but are moist at the same time and are not dry. Milk rather than water adds protein and a deep colour to the biscuits and as the milk deep fries in the dough it tastes caramelised and sweet.
Ingredients
The dry ingredients: Whole wheat flour – whole wheat atta or chapati atta is the flour usually used to make gujarati rotli. I recommend using either chakki or medium but wholemeal atta will do as well. You can use all purpose flour / plain flour instead to make sweet maida biscuits but I think they taste fabulous using whole wheat flour! Simply make a direct switch if using plain flour. Traditional or authentic gujarati shakarpara are made from either plain flour or whole wheat flour. Semolina – aka semolina flour, either coarse or fine semolina will work and you can use either white or yellow semolina – basically whichever semolina you have to hand! Sesame seeds – these add extra crunchiness and a nutty flavour. Also, they make the sakarpara look good. Avoid sesame seeds for allergy reasons or if you do not have it to hand. The wet ingredients: Milk – this is the special ingredient! Milk is the perfect wet ingredient in comparison to water to add extra crumbly texture and flavour. Jaggery – jaggery or gor/gur/gud is an unrefined natural sugar and has more vitamins and minerals than white sugar. Jaggery is used often in making Indian sweets. You can find jaggery online or by visiting supermarkets or South Asian grocery stores. We will be adding grated jaggery to the milk to create a milky jaggery syrup. Ghee – I use homemade desi ghee or all butter ghee. A few tablespoons of ghee provides a richness to the recipe and helps provide a “khasta” or layered flaky texture also. Oil – the oil is required for deep frying but make sure to use a flavourless oil such as sunflower or vegetable oil. Canola oil is another option. Pinch of salt – salt plays important part in sweet dishes, it enhances the flavour of other ingredients. Salt also provides a balance to the sweetness of sweets. Optional: Add a pinch of cardamom powder for extra flavour
Gluten-free Shakarpara
If you are following a wheat free or gluten-free diet because of coeliac or other dietary needs, you can still enjoy the delicious taste of shakar para. The easiest way to do this is to buy ready made gluten-free flour mix or visit an Indian grocery store and buy farali flour. Farali food is eaten by Hindus during fasts where wheat is not consumed. This flour comes in handy and can be a direct substitution. You would also have to omit the semolina in this recipe as semolina contains gluten. The shakarpara will have a fairly similar texture to the whole wheat version but may be more crumbly due to the lack of gluten.
How to make gujarati shakarpara with jaggery
Follow these step by step instructions for the best gujarati shakarpara: Firstly, we need to prepare the milk. Warm milk either in the microwave or in a sauce pan and then allow it to cool to room temperature. Add in grated gor and mix until dissolved to make sweet milk. Alternatively, you can use water to make a jaggery syrup but I find that the milk makes the shakar para extra flaky yet keeps them just the right amount of crispy. In a different bowl, mix together whole wheat flour, semolina and sesame seeds with a pinch of salt and melted ghee. Optionally, add in a pinch of cardamom powder. As you mix the ingredients together, the flour will clump together in your fist. Next, you want to pour the sweet milk slowly and knead to make a stiff or tight dough – the dough should neither be too hard or a soft dough but like a poori dough. Let this smooth dough rest for 30 mins by covering with a lightly damp cloth or lid. I rest the dough after kneading to allow the gluten relax, which makes easier to roll the dough out. If after resting, the dough appears to have hardened too much, add a tablespoon of milk and knead gently again. The next part of the recipe is to shape the shakarpara. Make smaller round balls of the dough and roll onto a lightly floured surface until 1 cm or approx 0.5 inch thick. Cut into small pieces like a diamond shape or a square shape using a pizza cutter or sharp knife. Ensure the shapes are all roughly equal. The next step is to deep fry the shakarpara. Heat oil on a medium flame in a kadai or frying pan. To check the oil is hot, drop in a small ball of dough. If the dough rapidly rises to the surface, the oil is sufficiently hot. You can now turn the down the heat to a low heat. Drop the shapes in slowly once the oil is hot. Deep fry in the hot oil on low flame until medium brown or golden brown. Remove from the oil using a slotted spoon to drain off the excess oil and place on absorbent paper or a baking tray. As you let the shakarpara cool and they come to room temperature, they will turn into crispy biscuits.
How to bake or air fry shakarpara/shankarpali
To reduce the fat content of these shakarpara, you can also bake or air fry them. The texture and flavour will not be exactly the same however. To bake: Preheat the oven to 350F/180C/Gas Mark 4. Layer each piece onto a baking tray that is lined with parchment. Brush over oil and bake for 15 minutes. Turn over at the half way point, brush more oil if needed. Air Fry: Layer in the air fryer basket in a single layer and either spray or brush oil generously. Air fry at 180C or 350F for 12-15 minutes but keep checking in between as they may need shaking.
Tips
The milk must be at room temperature before adding the jaggery because the milk can split if it is too hot. The temperature of oil should be kept on low as the low heat will ensure the shakkar para cook on the inside. Resist the urge to turn up the heat onto a high flame as this will cause the shakarpara to burn.
Storage
Shakkar pare keep well for many days as long as they are stored correctly. I like to use an airtight container or an old biscuit tin. Allow to cool thoroughly before storing or at least placing the lid on top of the container as they can loose their crispiness due to condensation. I personally have never tried freezing them.
Other Indian Sweets with Jaggery
Gor Churma Ladoo
Sukhdi Recipe
Crushed Peanut Chikki
Gulgule (Indian style doughnuts)
Mixed Nuts and Sesame Seeds Chikki
Almond Sukhdi
Gundar Pak
Katlu Recipe
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Note – This recipe has been updated from our recipe archives with new images and content, but the recipe remains the same. First time published in February 25th, 2012.
