Guilt-free baked spicy shankarpali recipe! A perfect snack for any festival and a great tea time snack!
Any festival is incomplete without delicious food, especially sweets and savories. All these foods are loaded with calories, but during festivals, it’s hard to resist them as well. Portion control, a well-balanced diet, and exercise are crucial, and during these festivals, we need to keep repeating this mantra again and again.
I do love fried food, but I try to bake them like the mathiri or murukku when possible. This baked spicy shankarpali is one such recipe. Instead of deep-frying, I went with baking.
It’s just my attempt to make one of the savory snacks a bit healthy by baking and reducing the oil that it takes for frying. According to Wikipedia, “Shankarpali/ shankarpaale / shakarpara are a snack popular in Maharashtra, India. It is traditionally enjoyed as a treat on the Diwali holiday.” All the Diwali savory snacks are perfect Diwali tea time snacks also. These are perfect to munch with a cup of tea, especially these spicy shankarpali.
When I asked my friend P for the traditional Diwali recipe from her native, she shared this recipe. And also, when I mentioned I am planning to bake, she gave me this blog which has a recipe for baked sweet shankarpara. I just checked for the time and prepared the spicy one and combing wheat flour and maida together. But the time and temperature are completely different for the sweet and the savory ones. Here is my version of the baked shankarpara,
Ingredients required
- Wheat flour – 1 /2 cup + 2 tbsp for dusting.
- Maida or All-Purpose Flour – ½ cup
- Salt – ¾ tsp (adjust to your taste)
- Baking Powder – ½ tsp
- Ajwain powder / Carom seeds powder – ½ tsp
- Oil – 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp for spraying
- Cumin seeds – 2 tsps.
- Red chili powder – ½ tsp (adjust to your taste)
- Water for kneading the dough.
Procedure
- Sieve the wheat flour and maida.
- Now add the salt, carom seeds powder, cumin seeds, baking powder, red chili powder, and 1 tbsp of oil.
- Slowly add water and knead the dough. (Pretty much like chapatti dough)
- Now I took half of the dough and spread it on the working area dusted with flour.
- Roll it out like chapatti and, using the cookie cutter, carve out different shapes.
- With the other half, I rolled it out and cut them into diamonds and squares.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a cookie tray, spread the parchment sheet and transfer all the cut shankarparas into them.
- Spray some oil on top and bake it for 20 minutes.
- Now flip them and spread some oil, and bake it for another 12 minutes.
- That’s it crunchy and crispy shankarparas are ready.
Recipe Notes
Recipe Notes- Adjust the salt and spices according to your preference.
- Every oven is different. So keep an eye during the second bake. Also, depending upon the thickness of the shankarpali, the baking time differs.
Baked Spicy Shankarpali | Shankarpaale | Shankarpara
Ingredients
- ½ cup Wheat flour plus 2 tbsp for dusting.
- ½ cup All-Purpose Flour
- ¾ tsp Salt or to taste
- ½ tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Carom seeds powder
- 2 tbsp Oil divided 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp for spraying
- 2 tsp Cumin seeds
- ½ tsp Red chili powder or to taste
- Water for kneading the dough
Instructions
- Sieve the wheat flour and maida.
- Now add the salt, carom seeds powder, cumin seeds, baking powder, red chilly powder, and 1 tbsp of oil.
- Slowly add water and prepare the dough. (Pretty much like chapatti dough)
- Now I took half of the dough and spread it on the working area dusted with flour.
- Roll it out like chapatti and, using the cookie cutter, carve out different shapes.
- With the other half, I rolled it out and cut them into diamonds and squares.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a cookie tray, spread the parchment sheet and transfer all the cut shankarparas into them.
- Spray some oil on top and bake it for 20 minutes.
- Now flip them and spread some oil, and bake it for another 12 minutes.
- That’s it crunchy and crispy shankarparas are ready.
Notes
- Adjust the salt and spices according to your preference.
- Every oven is different. So keep an eye during the second bake. Also, depending upon the thickness of the shankarpali, the baking time differs.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
Hi they look lovely. Just a question though: you haven’t added oil to the dough only baking powder; wont that make the shakarparas tough to chew? please guide.
Hi Swati Rai.. Thanks a lot. I added 1 tbsp of oil and its in the step 2. I just sprayed a little on top before baking which was about 1/2 tbsp. In the ingredients I listed as 1tbsp + 1tbsp for spraying. Sorry if its confusing. Please let me know if you have any other question. ?
The cute shaped ones are a crowd pleaser for sure :)
Wow, your baked shakarpali look just like the traditional fried version. So yummy!!
Looks very healthy and tasty dear. Love this baked version!
Thanks kushi
I love these snacks and these are popular all over india I guess…baking it makes it guilt free too..good one..
such cute shapes and I am sure taste just as delicious
Lovely Sri , I liked the cookie cutter shaped one more ;)
Thanks. Me too like that shape.
Such a guilt free shankarpara, if i make them i wont stop munching them..Love it.
Looks crunchy.. Surely will try soon
Baking is definitely a good alternate to deep frying. This is such a versatile snack, loved by all.
baked one looks great! and crispy
yum yum yummmmmmmm
Nice name la.. :) Loved your recipe Sri! Arent these similar to the uppu/kara or sweet maida biscuits we make for deepavali? I simply love them :)
Thanks GB. I think it’s the same. I haven’t tried this snack that often in India after coming to US friends used to prepare this and I got used to this name. :-)
I love shankarapali. I have never tried baked version though. Looks yumm
wow tasty and healthy :)
This is a nice, healthy alternative to the deep fried version. Looks good.
Nice one. I prefer baking the shankarpale too.
Baked seems like a much healthy alternate to deep frying! Festival times are the toughest to keep portion control in check :D
Yup very Rajani. I go crazy :-)
I should try this.mlooks awesome
Try it vids.. little one might like the sweet one da..