Easy Shankarpali | Shakkar Para

Shankarpali or Shakarpara is a crispy and lightly sweetened snack prepared using just six basic pantry ingredients! Typically made in Indian homes around Diwali, these irresistible bite-sized sugar cookies can be prepared ahead of time and make for a perfect tea-time snack.

Growing up in a Maharashtrian family, I always looked forward to Diwali. As my mom made different sweet and savory treats, the entire house would come alive with delightful aromas. Shankarpali was my favorite and the measure of its success was determined by how “khuskhushit” or crispy they turned out. To this day, I rely on my mother's no-fail Shankarpali recipe and I am usually making round two within a few days! 

The main ingredients in Shankarpali are all-purpose flour or maida, sugar, and ghee. Shakkar para for some is a very versatile snack and comes in a savory version too. Popularly known as namak-para or tukdi as it is referred to in some parts of South India, the savory snack replaces sugar with red chili powder and ajwain (carom seeds).

My kids love the sweet Shankarpali and I make them throughout the year as a quick snack. There are many variations of the sweet shankarpali recipe, and I am so excited to share my mom's easy shakarpara recipe that I grew up eating.

Tips

Ministry Of Curry’s Pro tips for making crisp Shankarpali:

• Heat the milk just enough for the sugar to melt. This will reduce subsequent cooling time.
• I like to use a glass cutting board to roll and cut the shankarpali. This makes cleanup easy and also prevents the countertops from getting scratched.
• Do not fry the shankarpali on very high heat. Make sure each batch is slowly fried on medium-low heat to perfect golden color. Frying on high heat may result in the outsides turning brown without making the Shankarpali crisp. 
• Make sure to lower the heat when taking out the fried Shankarpali and then increase the heat to medium-high to bring up the oil temperature before adding the next batch.  
• Drain the fried shankarpali on a paper towel to remove excess oil, if any. 
• Allow the Shankarpali to cool down completely before storing them. This ensures they remain crisp for a long time.

Frying Tips

As you probably know from the recipes I have shared in the past, I am not big into frying. Looking at a pot of hot oil makes me nervous. Over the years I have used a few tricks that have made me a bit more comfortable with frying.

My biggest tip is to keep the frying pan on the back burner which is further away from you. This can prevent any accidents especially with little kids around.

The second tip is to use a good frying pan with a flat base instead of a traditional Kadai which has a round base.

Instructions

Step by step recipe on how to make sweet shankarpali:

Step 1 - Make the Dough: Add ghee, milk, and sugar to a saucepan. Cook on low heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar completely dissolves. Allow it to cool. In a mixing bowl add all-purpose flour, salt, and vanilla. Gradually add the cooled milk mixture to form a soft dough. Allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes. Note: The dough will continue to harden as the ghee starts to solidify (photos 1 - 4).

Step 2 - Roll and Cut: Divide the dough into 4 parts and knead each part to form a round ball. Take one dough ball at a time and roll into 8 to 10-inch circle. Cut into 1-inch squares or diamonds using a knife, pizza cutter, or a Karanji cutter. Using silicon or a flat spatula separate the cut shankarpali and place them in a tray (photos 5 - 8).

Note: You can finish rolling and cutting all the shankarpali before starting to fry them or do it parallelly. If you are rolling and cutting them all at once make sure to separate them in different trays so there is not much overlapping, so they do not stick to each other.

Step 3 - Test the oil: Heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Before adding the shankarpali make sure the oil is really hot. Tip - To check for the right temperature, add one shankarpali or a small piece of dough to the oil. It should start rising up in 5 to 10 seconds,  if not allow the oil to heat up for a few more minutes. If the test dough turns brown in a few seconds you know the oil is too hot, so lower the heat. 

Step 4 - Fry Shankarpali: Keep the heat on medium-high. Using a slotted stainless steel spatula pick some of the cut shankarpali and add them to the hot oil. Depending on how big your frying pan is you can add another handful of cut shankarpali to the hot oil. Wait for a minute and then lower the heat to medium-low. Fry the shankarpali on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes as you carefully stir them in the oil. Once they turn golden brown on both sides, take them out with a slotted spoon. A slotted spoon allows most of the oil to drain out. Tip - You may want to lower the heat while taking out the shankarpali. This way you are not rushed to take them out and the ones left behind in the pan do not become darker (photos 9 -12).

Step 5 - Repeat Frying: Once the first batch of shankarpali is out, increase the heat back to medium and allow the oil temperature to rise up again. Then add the next batch of shankarpali. Repeat for all the rolled and cut shankarpali. 

Storing

Allow the shankarpali to completely cool on a large baking tray. Once cooled, store in an airtight container. These shankarpali will stay good for at least a month at room temperature. They also freeze well. 

Frequently asked questions

Diwali Recipes

Did you enjoy these tasty shankarpali? Here are a few of my favorite Diwali treats:

1. No-fail Rava laddu, recipe with fresh coconut AKA Narali Pakatale Ladoo
2. Karanji or Gujia, a sweet treat with aromatic rose coconut filling
3. Mom's special Saranachi Puri AKA Sanjori or Satori, is sweet puri stuffed with delicious coconut and jaggery filling laced with cardamom and nutmeg.

Want to know more about Diwali and how it is celebrated in my family? Check out this post I wrote on How I celebrate the 5 days of Diwali, my Rituals, and Traditions!!

Are you hosting a Diwali party this year? Or simply looking for an Indian-themed Party Menu? Here is an EASY vegetarian and non-vegetarian Indian menu idea:

Indian Vegetarian Party Menu

• Palak Paneer - paneer in spinach sauce
• Daal Makhani - creamed black lentils and red kidney beans
• Whole wheat Parathas - homemade parathas or store-bought Naan
• Veg Biriyani - quick and easy Instant Pot recipe
• Pineapple Sheera - fresh pineapple cooked in creamy semolina
• Beetroot raita - a cooling yogurt side dish to compliment the spices

Indian Non Vegetarian Party Menu

• Butter Chicken - a healthier version of restaurant favorite chicken curry
• Malabar Shrimp - spicy South Indian style shrimp curry
• Parathas - plain parathas go really well with Indian food or store-bought Naan
• Chicken Biryani - my most popular Instant Pot recipe
• Carrot Halwa - easy to make and loved by all 'gajar ka halwa'
• Spicy mango cucumber salad - flavor bursting salad that compliments Indian food

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Shankarpali | Shakkarpara | Shakarpare

Shankarpali or Shakarpara is a crispy and lightly sweetened snack prepared using just six basic pantry ingredients! Typically made in Indian homes around Diwali, these irresistible bite sized sugar cookies can be prepared ahead of time and make for a perfect tea-time snack!

Makes 3 cups.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Resting time20 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 6

Calories: 291kcal

Author: Archana Mundhe

Ingredients

• ▢ ¼ cup ghee
• ▢ ⅓ cup milk
• ▢ ½ cup sugar
• ▢ 2 cups all purpose flour
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract optional
• ▢ Oil for frying 1 to 1.5 cups

Instructions

• Add ghee, milk, and sugar to a saucepan. Cook on low heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar completely dissolves. Allow it to cool. In a mixing bowl add all-purpose flour, salt, and vanilla. Gradually add the cooled milk mixture to form a soft dough. Allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes. Note: The dough will continue to harden as the ghee starts to solidify.
• Divide the dough into 4 parts and knead each part to form a round ball. Take one dough ball at a time and roll into an 8 to 10-inch circle. Cut into 1-inch squares or diamonds using a knife, pizza cutter, or a Karanji cutter. Using silicon or a flat spatula separate the cut shankarpali and place them in a tray. (photos 5 – 8).
• Note: You can finish rolling and cutting all the shankarpali before starting to fry them or do it parallelly. If you are rolling and cutting them all at once make sure to separate them into different trays so there is not much stacking.
• Heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Before adding the shankarpali make sure the oil is really hot. Tip – To check for the right temperature, add one shankarpali or a small piece of dough to the oil. It should start rising up in 5 to 10 seconds, if not allow the oil to heat up for a few more minutes. If the test dough turns brown in a few seconds you know the oil is too hot, so lower the heat.
• Keep the heat on medium-high. Using a slotted stainless steel spatula pick some of the cut shankarpali and add them to the hot oil. Depending on how big your frying pan is you can add another handful of cut shankarpali to the hot oil. Wait for a minute and then lower the heat to medium-low. Fry the shankarpali on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes as you carefully stir them in the oil. Once they turn golden brown on both sides, take them out with a slotted spoon. A slotted spoon allows most of the oil to drain out. Tip – You may want to lower the heat while taking out the shankarpali. This way you are not rushed to take them out and the ones left behind in the pan do not become darker.
• Once the first batch of shankarpali is out, increase the heat back to medium and allow the oil temperature to rise up again. Then add the next batch of shankarpali. Repeat for all the rolled and cut shankarpali.
• Allow the shankarpali to completely cool on a large baking tray. Once cooled, store in an airtight container. These shankarpali will stay good for at least a month at room temperature. They also freeze well.

Pro Tips

• Heat the milk just enough for the sugar to melt. This will reduce subsequent cooling time.
• I like to use a glass cutting board to roll and cut the shankarpali. This makes cleanup easy and also prevents from the countertops from getting scratched.
• Do not fry the shankarpali on very high heat. Make sure each batch is slowly fried on medium-low heat to a perfect golden color. Frying on high heat may result in the outsides turning brown without making the Shankarpali crisp.
• Make sure to lower the heat when taking out the fried Shankarpali and then increase the heat to medium-high to bring up the oil temperature before adding the next batch.
• Drain the fried shankarpali on a paper towel to remove excess oil, if any.
• Allow the Shankarpali to cool down completely before storing them. This ensures they remain crisp for a long time.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 291kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 201mg | Potassium: 62mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 22IU | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 2mg

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