Namakpara/Mathri-Diwali Savories-Day 6

Today has been a very productive day for me. While the rest of Melbourne was celebrating Melbourne Cup Day..I spent most of my day,revamping the kids room.What previously looked like an overcrowded toy shop now looks like a lovely kids bedroom.I still want to add some finishing touches..but for now this will do.
After a late-lunch,I made the first of my Diwali savories or namkeen. SD helped and I feel so proud of myself for having a productive day.

Namakpara or Mathri as we call it,is one of the easiest snack ever.It was my cousin,Runa’s favorite munchie and whenever they were visiting,my mom made sure that there was big tin full of Mathri ready to welcome her.
Anyway,now on to the recipe-

Ingredients:

1.5 cup All Purpose flour
1/4 cup oil
salt -1/4 tsp (or to taste)
a dash of black pepper
1 tsp ajwain seeds.
warm Water for kneading.
Oil for frying.

Add all the ingredients,except oil and water to the flour.Pile up the flour and make a well in the center. Add the oil to this well and mix well. Then knead the dough using water.

Cover the dough with wet paper towels and let it rest for 10-15 minutes.

Divide the dough into 5-6 balls of equal size.Sprinkle some plain flour on the counter or on a wooden board and roll out the dough in to a circle.Then cut vertical strips and then horizontal strips.You should get small rectangle strips in the end.

Heat oil in a kadhai/deep bottomed pan. Test the oil by dropping a small piece of the dough.If the dough floats up straight away..the temperature is right. You can start frying your mathris now.

Add small batches at a time.Fry on a medium flame.If the rectangles are sticking to each other,in the kadhai..don’t worry,keep putting oil on them,with your slotted spoon.They should come apart.Even if they don’t..when you take the fried cluster out..you should be able to separate them and fry again.

Please do not fry on a high flame.This will just give you crisp on the outside,but soft inside mathris..not fun and they won’t last longer.

One of the reasons why I chose Mathri as my first snack was that it has a long shelf life..its another thing that they are so yummy and addictive,they don’t last long enough.

I hope the instructions are clear enough.. Please feel free to contact me,if you get confused.I will try and post a recipe of the baked Mathris too..hopefully before Diwali!

I hope you enjoy these as much as we do and if you try this recipe,don’t forget to tell me,how you liked it..and if possible send me a picture!

Xox

Trish