Bengali nimki with whole wheat flour
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
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