Something salty –something sweet

If I am asked to think of one snack, which is synonymous with, home its shakkar-paara and mathri. A perfect combination of sweet and salty munchies, side by side. While the preparation of both is fairly similar, mathri is more versatile and more commonly made and shakkar-paara is mostly limited to festival times. Division of labour is a natural concept in a joint family. So here are the recipes for mummy’s mathri and taiji’s shakkar-paara.

Mathri

Ingredients:

Maida (fine white wheat flour)                  ½ kg

Sooji                                                            1 tbsp

Ghee                                                            4 tbsp

Ajwain                                                        1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Method:

• Mix all ingredients to make a dough. The mixture should be binding enough such that its firm in your fist (neither very liquid (too much ghee) nor very powdery (too little ghee)).

• Kneed the mixture to a tight dough using lukewarm water or milk.
• Roll on a flat plate using a belan.
• Cut thin rectangles (or any shape you fancy!) by making criss-cross lines using a knife
• Heat oil in a deep pan. Add the mathri on high flame and then fry until golden brown on low flame.
• Keep aside on an absorbent kitchen paper. Once they cool down pack in an air-tight container and snack on them.
• Eat as it is or pair with different kinds of pickles, sauces and chutneys.

Shakkar-paara

Ingredients

Maida (fine white wheat flour)                  ½ kg

Ghee                                                            4 tbsp

Sugar                                                            1¼ cup

Method

• Mix all ingredients to make a dough. The mixture should be binding enough such that its firm in your fist (neither very liquid (too much ghee) nor very powdery (too little ghee)).
• Kneed the mixture to a tight dough using lukewarm water or milk.

• Roll on a flat plate using a belan.
• Cut thin rectangles by making criss-cross lines using a knife
• Heat oil in a deep pan. Add the rectangles on high flame and then fry until golden brown on low flame.
• Keep aside on an absorbent kitchen paper.

For the sugar syrup

• Heat ¾ water and sugar in a pan. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Heat the syrup for 5 mins until it thickens.
• A usual test to check the right level of thickness is to put two drops of the syrup in water and if it solidifies and settles down in the water its ready.
• Add the fried paaras to the sugar syrup on low flame and stir so that all rectangles are coated in the syrup.

Keep aside and once they cool down pack in containers.

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