Namak Pare

Namak pare is a crispy snack made with fine flour, salt, oil, and ajwain. It’s a popular North Indian appetizer that is mostly prepared at festivals like Holi and Diwali. I feel they don’t need any occasion to enjoy. They are addictive! If you try them once, you want more and more of them. Namak pare is best enjoyed with masala chai to make your evening more joyful.

About Namak Pare

Namak Pare or namak para is prepared with fine flour dough with a mix of oil, water, salt, and ajwain. Then we rolled it out in circles and cut into strips, rectangular, and square shapes. Lastly, we fried them in oil to their crispiness.

Usually, my mother prepared it on the occasion of Holi. But on occasions, there are several other things to eat, so I didn’t fully enjoy them. I am also a big fan of them. So I prepared any day when I craved for them. They are very easy to make and don’t need more time to prepare.

I like to have them in the evening with a cup of tea. All my family members like to eat equally. Mostly my baby brother. These namak pare are kid-friendly too. The kids enjoy it very much. If you are a traveler, they are also a good pack to enjoy there.

Ingredients

• Fine Flour- I used whole fine flour in this recipe.

• Salt- Regular white salt is used here.

• Ajwain (carom seeds)- They are the best thing to give a different aroma. You can also use cumin seeds instead of this.

• Oil- I used mustard oil.

How to make namak pare

Prepare Dough

1.First take two cups of fine flour in a platter or a large bowl.

2. Now add 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp ajwain (carom seeds), and 2 tbsp oil/ghee.

3. Mix well all ingredients with your hands. The oil should be mixed well into the flour. Now pour water little by little into it and knead it.

4. Make a smooth and tight dough like this. The dough should be tight because it helps to make the pare crispy.

Make Pare

5. After that, make small balls in equal proportion from the dough.

6. Now take one ball, grease it with oil and roll a round chapati approximately 7 to 8 diameter.

7. With the help of a knife, cut it into strips, rectangular, and square shapes that you like.

8. I like to cut them into strips. Keep them on a plate until you roll another ball.

Fry Namak Pare

9. Now heat the oil in the kadai on medium heat.

10. When the oil is heated, slide it one by one cutted strips into it. Keep them stirring at intervals.

11. After 2 minutes, turn them with the spatula and fry until they have a light golden texture.

12. When they are light golden, remove them with a spatula. Repeat the same process with the rest.

13. Now place them on a kitchen paper towel.

Serve the namak pare hot or warm with a cup of masala tea. For kids, serve them with tomato sauce or any chutney. If you want to pack them for a trip, they are good to eat there. You can store them in an air-tight glass container for up to 1 week at room temperature. Store them when they cool down properly.

Tips

• I made this namak pare simple, which I used to eat at my home. You can add extra ingredients like black pepper powder and fenugreek seeds powder to make it more delicious. I don’t like much of them.

• I don’t use any chili powder here. But if you like to eat spicy food, then you can add it easily.

• When mixing the dough, you can add ghee instead of oil, which also gives a good taste.

• Making a tight and smooth dough helps the pare to come out more crispy.