A yummy and addictive Bengali deep fried and savory snack recipe, made with wheat flour, that is not just a wonderful festive snack but also pairs so well with a cup of chai
Nimkis are savory, deep fried snack items that are made in Bengali homes, for most occasions. At least, maa always makes them in ours. For instance, these are a regular fixture on bhai phota, Diwali, jamai shoshti etc. And like most of my homestyle recipes even this one has been passed down from my dida (maternal grandmother) to maa and now to me. So, this one again is a fool proof and extremely addictive nimki recipe. Let me warn you, these will get over shortly after you’ve make them, they are that good. However, one major difference from maa’s recipe is that, mine are Bengali nimki with whole wheat flour.
I have replaced plain flour (maida) with whole wheat flour. Therefore, the darker brown colour on my nimkis compared with the traditional light golden colored ones. If you’ve been following me you’d know that I prefer using whole wheat to plain flour in my recipes. This is to make them a tad bit more wholesome, since plain flour doesn’t have any fibre or nutrition that whole wheat flour does. And don’t worry, the taste of these nimkis remain as yummy as their plain flour counter parts. My Bengali nimkis are perfectly flaky, crunchy and addictive. Flavoured with kalo jeere (kalonji) and joaan (ajwain), these make for an amazing tea time snack. The trick to get these yummies flaky and crunchy is to use the correct amount of fat (ghee/oil) to rub the flour with. And that’s the only pointer that you will need to bear in mind for this recipe.
Serving suggestions
A big batch of the Bengali nimki with whole wheat flour is a regular Diwali snack in our home. We love sharing these with our friends and family. While the nimkis are generally eaten as is, you could also dip them in some achaar and have them too. Even that tastes great! Moreover, they are also a delicious snack along with a freshly brewed cup of chai. Now, a lot of recipes, ask you to pierce the nimki with a fork before frying them. But, I don’t do that and neither did maa or dida. That’s because, we love the puffed up version more than the flattened ones. These triangle shaped nimkis are also known as tikona nimki, for the shape that they have.
In case you’d like to make your nimki with plain flour (maida) you could still use the same recipe. Also, here are some more of my other Bengali snack recipes that you may like,
Macher chop (Bengali fish cutlets)
Chatpata murmura chivda (puffed rice recipe)
Singara (Bengali potatoes and cauliflower samosa)
If you like them and also happen to give these a try, I’d love to know how they turned out for you. You could also share your food pictures with me on Instagram.
Eat hearty!
Bengali nimki with whole wheat flour
Equipment
- Shallow cooking pot
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat flour or plain flour (maida)
- ¼ cup ghee or oil
- 1 tbsp nigella seeds kalonji
- 2 tsp carom seeds ajwain
- 1½ tbsp salt
- 2-3 tsp black salt kala namak (beetnoon)
- 1 cup oil for frying
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, take the flour and mix with it the salt, nigella seeds, carom seeds and 4 tablespoons of ghee. Rub the flour well with all these, especially the ghee
- When held in your palm the flour should hold shape and crumble easily when broken. In case your flour doesn't hold shape, mix in another tablespoon of ghee
- Then gradually add lukewarm water to knead a semi-tight dough. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest on your kitchen counter for 30 minutes
- When done, divide the dough into 12 equal portions. Take one (keep the rest covered), roll it out to a thin circle and smear 1 tsp ghee and 1 tbsp flour evenly on it
- Fold to form a semi-circle, repeat the application of ghee and flour. Fold it once again to form a triangle. Shape the other portions out in a similar fashion
- Set the cooking pot to heat with the oil. Once hot, reduce the flame to medium and fry the nimkis in batches, in a single layer, until golden brown. Drain the oil off and remove on a kitchen towel. Sprinkle some black salt (kala namak) over
- Let the delicious Bengali nimki with whole wheat flour come to room temperature to serve it as is or alongside chai/coffee. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can also use butter/oil instead of the ghee
- Store the nimkis in an air tight container only once they have all cooled. They will remain fresh for up to 10-15 days
- 1 cup = 250 millilitres
- tbsp - tablespoon
- tsp - teaspoon
