Birthday Nankatais Recipes

BIRTHDAY NANKATAIS

Steps:

• Pour the melted ghee in a bowl.
• Put the sugar in a mixer and grind it nicely.
• Add the ground sugar to the ghee.
• Mix with a spoon.
• (DO NOT USE A BEATER).
• Add the maida, pineapple essence and baking powder.
• Mix well using YOUR HANDS AND ONLY YOUR HANDS (DO NOT USE A BEATER).
• If the mixture is too hard, you may add a little melted ghee.
• Tip: The mixture should be a little looser than that of wheat flour, oil, salt and water (roti/chappati mixture).
• Make small round balls (nankatais') out of the mixture.
• Garnish each of these with 2 slices of almonds.
• Put in a greased baking tray, keeping 2 inches apart.
• Bake for 17 minutes 2 seconds at 180 degrees celcius.
• Remove from oven once the nankatais' turn light whitish- pink in colour (They should in no way be allowed to turn golden brown).
• Allow to cool for sometime on another plate.
• Once they cool down, keep in an airtight container.
• Serve after 24 hours for better taste.

CARDAMOM BISCUITS (NAN KHATAI)

Steps:

• Split the cardamom pods and remove the seeds. Pound the seeds to a powder in a pestle and mortar with 1 tsp of the sugar.
• Beat the butter until soft, then gradually add the remaining icing sugar and the ground cardamom. Continue beating until light and creamy, about 10 mins.
• Sieve the flour and gram flour into a bowl and whisk in the semolina and a pinch of salt. Stir into the butter and sugar in two increments. Gently bring everything together into a soft dough.
• Roll the dough into small, marble-sized balls with your hands and arrange, spaced out, on baking trays lined with baking parchment.
• Slightly flatten the top of each ball and press a whole almond or some chopped pistachios in the middle of each one. Chill for 20 mins.
• Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Bake the biscuits for about 20 mins or until golden. Leave to cool before storing in an airtight tin.