No one can dispute the fact that Moms make the best dishes and are the best teachers! My mom too!! My childhood memories are filled with the aroma of freshly made Indian sweets and deep fried savory crispies made by my mother. Festival or not, large tins (it was metal then, no plastic!) of crispy and savory tapioca chips, banana chips, chaklis/murukkus, fried peanuts and delicious sweets like saat, phenori (another crispy layered paratha like saat), boondi ladoo, Mysore pak (chickpea fudge) etc. were always in our pantry!
My mother was known for her gourmet delicacies and was always called upon at my relatives’ houses to help them make these! One of her most perfect dishes/sweets is “saat”! (Another of her specialties was chana dal-jaggery UBBATIS/sweet flatbreads. Do check that out too!)
Now, about this Saat….. Ingredients are very minimal; just 3! Some all-purpose flour/maida, ghee/clarified butter and sugar! Cardamom is the only other spice needed to flavor this delicate, crispy and flaky delight! Melt ghee and make a soft dough with maida. Do not knead; just enough to make a smooth ball! We need a flaky fried dough without too much gluten in them! If needed, stir in a little water.
Make small dough balls, flatten them slightly and deep fry in very lukewarm oil/ghee until golden brown. The key is to keep the flame on very low. We want the dough to be cooked all the way through on a very slow fire. This ensures a flaky, crispy interior! Once the pastry is fried, all you need to do is dip them or coat them in sugar syrup of one-string consistency (when syrup is pulled between two fingers, it should form a long string). The sugar syrup should be slightly thick when coating. Gently place them on greased or foil lined baking sheets to set completely! Enjoy warm or at room temperature!
Make this crispy, flaky and 3-ingredient Indian delight ‘Saat” for your next party or as a snack to indulge in any time! These are perfect edible gifts to share during festivals! Enjoy and Happy Cooking!
An Update:
This recipe won a prize in the BetterButter.in contest “Dishes that Remind you of India” here.
Updated July 2019:
Made another batch after a long time for a small family celebration. Came out amazing again! Super easy to make, just needs some patience and time to make this delicious south Indian sweet/pastry!
Would love to indulge in more Indian delicacies? Then do check out:
Dry Fruits and Cornflakes Chivda Indian Spiced Fried Peanuts Moong Dal Chaklis/Murukkus Horlicks Milk Powder Burfi/Fudge Suji Manpasand
Step-by-step instructions to make Saat/Konkani Style Flaky Pastry:
Place 4 cups maida in a large bowl, add 1 tsp crushed cardamom and 1 cup melted ghee to it.
Mix gently with your fingers to make a soft and pliable dough. If needed, add a few teaspoons of water, up to 1/2 cup or so. If needed, stir in some water.
Keep it aside, covered for about 30 minutes. Then, make small smooth balls of the dough; flatten them slightly.
Meanwhile, make thick 1-string sugar syrup. Add just enough water to cover the sugar and boil until you get 1-string consistency. You will know it is done when the syrup forms a long string between your forefinger and your thumb which keep breaking; an indication of thick syrup; thick enough to give a slightly thick and even coat to the badusha. Heat oil in a large wide saucepan on medium low heat. Once the oil becomes lukewarm (it should be slightly warm and you should still be able to dip your fingers in it comfortably), slowly slide in a few balls of saat dough into it. It will settle to the bottom, but they will slowly rise! This is the temperature you need to fry them. You want to make sure that the dough balls get cooked all the way through. You will notice small bubbles forming. After some time, flip them over. Deep fry on low heat until the saat turns light golden brown on both sides and the bubbles are almost gone. This took me around 35 to 45 minutes for each batch!! Be patient; results are amazing; a flaky, crispy texture!
Once all the bubbles subside and the saat is golden brown, you know it is cooked all the way through. Remove them from the oil and cool slightly. Once slightly warm, gently slide into prepared sugar syrup. The sugar syrup should not be too runny, just slightly thick. Coat the fried pastry in the slightly thickened sugar syrup. I have placed the hot syrup in a bowl of water to cool it slightly. This ensures a slightly thick sugar coating to the pastry. If the syrup becomes too thick, loosen with some hot water or place on stove to heat it up a tad bit.
Gently remove with a slotted spoon and place on a greased or foil-lined pan.
Once the sugar has set and the saat is cooled, gently slide it out of the pan sideways, remove and serve warm or at room temperature. Store crispy, flaky, delicate, melt-in-your-mouth Konkani delicacy “Saat” in an airtight container. (If storing for a longer time, it is better to refrigerate it). Happy Cooking!
DIWALI/DEEPAVALI 2024:
Saat is a perfect dish to make for Indian festivals, especially the festival of colors Diwali! I decided to make it again this year and my family was devouring it! The inner flaky fried dough has absolutely no sugar and if you make a thin coating of sugar outside, it is just enough to sweeten the whole experience!
A must try if you love making traditional Indian sweets! For more Diwali inspiration, do check out this collection of more than 50 choices of sweets and savories I have made over the years.
Now, to this special, traditional sweet from Mangalore…perfect for any occasion, be it festivals, parties or just like that!
PIN it or SAVE it for later: Cook Time: 2 hours A perfect sweet to make for your family and friends.
4 cups Maida/all-purpose flour 1 cup ghee/Clarified Butter 2 cups Sugar 1 tsp crushed Cardamom powder (leave some coarse) Oil/Ghee for deep frying
Instructions Notes The measurements given here are perfect to make beautiful, perfect saat. Have patience deep frying the dough balls. It could take 30 minutes to sometimes even 45 minutes to fry thoroughly. Once the bubble cease to exist, you know they are ready to be removed. You need the balls to fry thoroughly and get that flaky, crispy texture in every bite! Store saat in an airtight container. Do not knead the dough, no gluten formation needed here. Make sure the flame is on very low. Enjoy and Happy Cooking!
If you like my posts and recipes, do not forget to Pin, Share, comment in the box below or like my Facebook page Join the party at: #FiestaFriday with Angie and cohosts Mara @ Put on Your Cake Pants and Hilda @ Along the Grapevine
