shakkar pare recipe with step by step photos – north indian sweet of crisp, flaky, fried flour cookies coated with crystallized sugar.
shakkar para is one of the popular sweets from north india. these sweet fried crispies are also made during weddings. during the diwali festive season, usually i make shankarpali, where the method is different than that of preparing shakkar pare. this time, i made a slightly big batch of shakkar para, but all of it has got over now. so i have to make again. may be i will make matar (savory crispy similar to namak pare), gudpare or the savory version of shankarpali.
making any sweet or savory for diwali is a time taking task. so make sure all your work is over and then you can dedicate some time in making these sweets or savories.
the initial part of making the dough for shakkar para and frying is easy. however, care has to be taken when making the sugar syrup. it should be of the right consistency, which is of 2 or 3 threads. i did try hard to take pics of 2 to 3 threads, but was not able to.
this shakkar pare recipe can be doubled or tripled. from 240 grams (2 cups) of whole wheat flour, i got 450 grams of shakkarpare. a little less than ½ a kilogram. the recipe uses sugar, but you can also use jaggery and make gudpare. the same amount of jaggery can be added.
few more sweets recipes for you!
shakkar pare recipe
INGREDIENTS
for the shakkarpare
- 240 grams whole wheat flour (atta) or 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 tablespoon ghee
- ½ cup water or add as required
for the sugar syrup
- 1 cup sugar or 150 grams sugar - can also use 1 cup grated or powdered jaggery
- ½ cup water
- a few saffron strands (kesar) - optional
other ingredients
- oil for deep frying
INSTRUCTIONS
making shakkar pare dough
- take 2 cups whole wheat flour or atta (240 grams) in a mixing bowl or pan. add 2 tbsp ghee. the ghee should be at room temperature and in a semi solid state. instead of atta you can also take all purpose flour or maida and oil instead of ghee.
- with your fingertips, mix the ghee with the flour very well.
- when you press the flour+ghee mixture in your palm, you should get a flour lump like shown in the picture below. the mixture should be able to hold itself together without falling apart.
- now add water in parts. depending on the quality of flour, you can add less or more water. i added ½ cup water.
- begin to knead the dough. add water as required. if you use all purpose flour, you will need less water.
- knead to a firm semi soft dough. neither too soft nor too hard. the dough should be not soft like the dough we make for chapatis.
- divide the dough into three equal parts. cover with a lid.
- take one part and roll into a thick paratha of 7 to 8 inches in diameter.
- with a knife make squares or diamond shapes on the rolled dough, by slicing criss cross or vertically-horizontally.
frying shakkar pare
- heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or pan. test the oil temperature by adding a small piece of the dough in the pan. this small piece of the dough should come up gradually and quickly on the surface. if it comes slowly, the oil has a lower temperature and if it comes up too quickly, the oil has high temperature. i fried on medium flame. you can regulate the flame while frying by increasing or decreasing it.
- slid the raw shakkar pare in the medium hot oil.
- depending on the pan size, you can add more or less. but do make sure that there is some space while frying them.
- when the shakkar para are crisp and light golden, turn over and fry.
- keep on frying them and turning as and when needed for even frying.
- fry till all of them turn golden.
- remove with a slotted spoon and drain shakkarpare on kitchen paper towels to remove excess oil.
- continue to prepare the shakkarpare and fry them as mentioned in the above steps. when you are begin frying the last batch, you can start preparing the sugar syrup. let all the shakkarpare come to room temperature, before you add them in the sugar syrup.
sugar syrup for shakka rpara recipe:
- take 1 cup sugar (150 grams) in another kadai or pan. add ½ cup water.
- keep the pan on a low to medium flame. stir so that the sugar dissolves.
- continue cooking the sugar syrup till it starts bubbling and getting sticky. a suggestion here is to add some saffron strands in sugar syrup to get orange or yellow colored shakkarpare.
- simmer till you get a 2 to 3 thread consistency in the syrup. to check the consistency, take a bit of the syrup in a spoon. let it become warm and then take the syrup between your forefinger and thumb. press and separate the fingers. you should see two to three threads in the sugar syrup.
- once the two to three thread consistency is reached, quickly add all the shakkarpare in the syrup.
- briskly stir and toss well, so that all the shakkarpare are coated with the sugar syrup.
- the sugar syrup crystallizes soon, so mix very well and be quick.
- now take all the shakkar pare in a plate and allow them to come at room temperature. the sugar syrup will crystallize on cooling.
- once all of them cool down, store shakkar pare in an air-tight box or jar. these stay good for a few months.
how to make shakkar para or shakkar pare
preparing dough for shakkar pare
1. take 2 cups whole wheat flour or atta (240 grams) in a mixing bowl or pan. add 2 tbsp ghee. the ghee should be at room temperature and in a semi solid state. instead of atta you can also take all purpose flour (maida). instead of ghee you can use oil.
2. with your fingertips, mix the ghee with the flour very well.
3. when you press the flour+ghee mixture in your palm, you should get a flour lump like shown in the picture below. the mixture should be able to hold itself together without falling apart.
4. now add water in parts. depending on the quality of flour, you can add less or more water. i added ½ cup water.
5. begin to knead the dough. add water as required. if you use all purpose flour (maida), you will need less water.
6. knead to a firm semi soft dough. neither too soft nor too hard. the dough should be not soft like the dough we make for chapatis.
7. divide the dough into three equal parts. cover with a lid.
8. take one part and roll into a thick paratha of 7 to 8 inches in diameter.
9. with a knife make squares or diamond shapes on the rolled dough, by slicing criss cross or vertically-horizontally.
frying shakkar pare
10. heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or pan. test the oil temperature by adding a small piece of the dough in the pan. this small piece of dough should come up gradually and quickly on the surface. if it comes slowly, the oil has a lower temperature and if it comes up too quickly, the oil has high temperature. i fried on medium flame. you can regulate the flame while frying by increasing or decreasing it.
11. slid the raw shakkar pare in the medium hot oil.
12. depending on the pan size, you can add more or less. but do make sure that there is some space while frying them.
13. when the shakkar para are crisp and light golden, turn over and fry.
14. keep on frying them and turning as and when needed for even frying.
15. fry till all of them turn golden.
16. remove with a slotted spoon and place shakkarpare on kitchen paper towels to remove excess oil.
17. continue to prepare the shakkar pare and fry them as mentioned in the above steps. when you are begin frying the last batch, you can start preparing the sugar syrup. let all the shakkar pare come to room temperature, before you add them in the sugar syrup.
preparing sugar syrup for shakkar para
1. take 1 cup sugar (150 grams) in another kadai or pan.
2. add ½ cup water.
3. keep the pan on a low to medium flame. stir so that the sugar dissolves.
4. continue cooking the sugar syrup till it starts bubbling and getting sticky. a suggestion here is to add some saffron strands in the sugar syrup, to get orange or yellow colored shakkarpare.
5. simmer till you get a 2 to 3 thread consistency in the syrup. to check the consistency, take a bit of the syrup in a spoon. let it become warm and then take the syrup between your forefinger and thumb. press and separate the fingers. you should see two to three thread consistency in the sugar syrup. the sugar syrup is quite hot and can burn your fingers. so let it become warm or cool down, before you test.
making shakkar pare
6. switch off the flame as soon as two to three thread consistency is reached in the sugar syrup. quickly add all the shakkar pare in the syrup. the sugar syrup has to reach 2 to 3 thread consistency, otherwise the shakkar pare will become soggy as they will absorb the sugar syrup.
7. briskly stir and toss well, so that all the shakkarpare are coated with the sugar syrup.
8. the sugar syrup crystallizes soon.
9. so mix very well and be quick.
10. now take all the shakkar pare in a plate and allow them to come at room temperature. the sugar syrup will crystallize on cooling.
11. once all of them cool down, store shakkar pare in an air-tight box or jar. these stay good for a few months.
12. serve shakkar pare with tea or have them as a snack any time of day.
I loved this recipe!What beautiful pictures!Really appreciate this blog!:) Namaste
Hello,i hv made shakkarpare today exactly following the way u instructed, it came out to be very tasty and crispy, i love the way u explain each and everything. Thank you, and will b looking forward for more
alisha, thanks for this feedback on shakkarpare recipe. glad to know that the recipe came out well for you. welcome and happy cooking.
Shakkarpare made awesome!
thankyou so much savi 🙂
Hi
I tried this recipe today everything is fine but my shakarpare is not crispy!! They are like eating puri with sugar….I did exactly d same way u said…they are semi crisp and soft in middle (not too soft,while chewing there is no crisp)
did you allow them to cool completely before adding to sugar syrup. how was the texture before you added them to the sugar syrup. the reason for softness could also be if the dough is soft or has been kneaded with more water. a soft dough will give soft shakkapares.
awesome as usual.
thanks nivedita 🙂
Very good shankar pare
I tried your tomato ketchup….I ddnt strain it at all…cause it was not coming through my strainer..is there any prob if we don’t strain it..?
if you grind very well, then no problem. the straining is to get rid of unground fine particles of seeds. they do come in the way of the smooth consistency of the sauce. you can use a juice strainer, which we use for straining juices.
Thank u so much for this wonderful recipe dassana ! Tried this out for Diwali today and it came out perfect ! Last week I even tried your recipe for walnut dates coffee cake and everybody just loved it !! Had one question, can we add sugar powder to the atta itself while preparing the dough instead of dipping them in sugar syrup later ?
yes you can do that. that one is another version of shakkarpare. thanks for the feedback on both the recipes of shakkar pare and walnut coffee cake. wish you happy diwali.
Goin to try today. Nice recipe. Needed something fr diwali snack. All your recipes are explained thoroughly, which makes thm easy to try. Step by step photos help a lot..gives confidence.
Thanku 🙂
thank you shruti.
Super!! My hubby and my kiddo loves these shakkar pare..and he brings them often from store. So..i tried them at home..He loved it..and i recvd “these are much better than store brought” as compliment from him.Thanks to you..keep up ur good work ☺
thank you shruti and nice to know. homemade sweets if made well are always better than store brought sweets.
Please bring some kohlrabi recipes.
will do.
Thankyouuu so much dear…n happyyyy diwali
thanks shweta and a happy diwali to you too.
Hi Dassana
Hope u r doing well. Tried this recipe today. Came out perfect. I’ve tried many other recipes from your blog. None of them failed. I wish when I see you some day I could just hug u and thank u for making my life easy. U r such a blessing.
pleased to know this amritha 🙂 thankyou so much for your kind words and god bless you dear.
You have really really saved me… I have made most of ur recipes… And they have been sooo easy and simple and trust me I don’t even know how to thank u… I have a request… Please put up the recipe for hash brown
thankyou riddhi for your kind and positive words 🙂 you are always welcome. Have taken your request for hash brown on our file.
Hello Dassana,
Made your namak pare just now, came out very well, followed your recipe without any changes and the result was great as usual. Going to try your Shankerpali recipe next as they are the closest to what my mom used to make, going thru your maharastrian recipes brings back childhood memories. She also used to make namak pare as we lived in Delhi were obviously influenced by the local cuisine .
In case I do not get a chance later on wishing you a Very Happy and Prosperous Diwali, may the year ahead be filled with joy , good health and success and the changes you mention in your post are happy ones:)
thankyou so much anu for your kind, honest and encouraging words 🙂 surely try shankarpali and let us know how they were? mom’s always make good food. glad to know we could revive some of your good old memories. wish you too a happy and prosperous Diwali and god bless you.
Will try your shakkar pare this diwali. Your’s look so inviting.:0).
surely try and thankyou akshatha 🙂
Hello Dasanna,
U have a wonderful recipe collection here. Very well presented. I tried your panjiri recipe & it came out very well. I want to try your motichoor ladoo & shakkar pare recipes this diwali. Last time, I made shakkar pare, I had sprinkled powdered sugar on them when still hot. Once they cooled to room temperature, the sugar fell off.. Your shakkar pare look delicious. Keep up with the good work.
thanks a lot akshatha.
how to make jaggery syrup
same like the sugar syrup mentioned in the recipe. just add less water for jaggery. the water should just about cover the jaggery.
Can v mix both maida and atta for this recipe
deepa, yes you can but less water will be required.
You are a genius..:-)
thankyou shanthi 🙂
Fantastic,this was my mothers recipe.I will definitely try this DiwaliTks for sharing5stars
thankyou somawati 🙂 surely try and let us know how they turned out.
These are great! Can these be baked too?
Yes they can be baked too. Just add 3 tbsp ghee or oil. And bake at 180 degrees celsius till they become golden.