Shakkarpara Recipe

By
Petrina Verma Sarkar
Petrina Verma Sarkar
Food writer Petrina Verma Sarkar is a native of India with extensive knowledge of the country's regional cuisines.
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Updated on 12/30/22
Shakkarpara recipe

​The Spruce / Teena Agnel

Prep: 45 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 75 mins
Servings: 4 to 6 servings

Known as shakkarpara or shakkarpare in the North of India, this sweet holiday treat is referred to as shankarpali in the Western part of the country. It is not just the names that differ slightly, however; the cooking techniques vary somewhat as well. But no matter how they are prepared, well-made shakkarpara is crisp and crunchy, but not hard and not overly sweet.

Shakkapara is served during the festivals of Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, and Christmas, but are an ideal snack when you want something a little sweet to crunch on.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup ghee

  • 1/2 cup milk

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour

  • 2 tablespoons coarse semolina

  • 1 pinch salt

  • Vegetable oil, for deep-frying, or canola or sunflower oil

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for shakkarpara
    ​The Spruce / Teena Agnel 

  2. Put the ghee and milk in a small pan set over low heat. Cook until the ghee is melted.

    Ghee and milk
    ​The Spruce / Teena Agnel

  3. Remove the pan from the heat and stir the ghee-milk mixture well. Pour the ghee-milk mixture into a deep mixing bowl or a shallow, wide mixing platter.

    Bowl
    ​The Spruce / Teena Agnel

  4. While the ghee-milk mixture is still hot, add the sugar and stir until all the sugar dissolves completely. (The heat will help dissolve the sugar faster.) Once the sugar has dissolved, set the mixture aside to cool completely.

    Add sugar
    ​The Spruce / Teena Agnel

  5. In a bowl, combine the flour, semolina, and salt.

    Add flour and semolina
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  6. Once the ghee mixture has cooled, add the flour mixture, a little at a time, stirring after each addition.

    Add flour
    ​The Spruce / Teena Agnel

  7. Use clean hands to knead the mixture into a smooth, medium-firm dough. The dough should not be sticky. Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and set it aside to rest for 30 minutes.

    Knead mixture
    ​The Spruce / Teena Agnel

  8. Unwrap the dough and knead it again until it is soft and pliable.

    Unwrap dough
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  9. Divide the dough into 6 equal-sized balls. Roll each ball between your palms until it is smooth and free of cracks.

    Divide into balls
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  10. Lightly flour a clean work surface and use a rolling pin to roll the dough ball into a round circle about 1/3-inch thick. Do not worry if the circle has cracked edges.

    Lightly flour surface
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  11. Use a knife or rotary pizza cutter to cut the circle into strips that are 1-inch wide. Cut again to turn these strips into diamond shapes. Remove the edge pieces that are very small or have cracked edges. Do not discard, as they can be reused later to make more shakkarpara.

    Use a knife
    ​The Spruce / Teena Agnel

  12. Repeat with the rest of the dough balls. As you keep cutting out the diamond shapes, keep them on a plate lined with paper towel.

    Cut into diamonds
    ​The Spruce / Teena Agnel

  13. While you are cutting out your shapes, heat the cooking oil in a deep wok, pan, or deep fryer.

    Heat cooking oil
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  14. When all your shapes are ready and the oil is hot, add small batches of the cut dough into the hot oil and fry until golden on both sides, stirring often using a slotted spoon. When done, remove from the oil with the slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Do this until all the pieces are fried.

    Add small batches of dough
    ​The Spruce / Teena Agnel

  15. Allow the fried shakkarpara to cool completely, then store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

    Allow to cool
    ​The Spruce / Teena Agnel

Tips

  • You can make shakkarpara well ahead of time (two to three weeks prior) and store it in a cool, dry place in an airtight container.
  • If you don't have ghee or don't have the time to make some, it can be substituted with 1/4 cup butter or 1/4 cup cooking oil such as vegetable, sunflower, or canola.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
685 Calories
43g Fat
68g Carbs
8g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 685
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 43g 55%
Saturated Fat 13g 63%
Cholesterol 45mg 15%
Sodium 33mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 68g 25%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Total Sugars 18g
Protein 8g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 35mg 3%
Iron 3mg 17%
Potassium 103mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)