Shaker pare (sweet deep-fried snacks)

My friend Amit told me about these lovely chestnut-flour snacks that they make for ceremonies. Chestnut flour needs to be treated with care, but they are worth the effort they require. They can be stored in an airtight container and enjoyed any time.

Credit: Murdoch Books

• serves

  6

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 200 g (generous 1 cup) brown sugar
• 275 ml (generous 1 cup) water, at room temperature
• 350 g (3 cups) chestnut flour, plus extra for dusting
• 2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
• 100 ml (scant ½ cup) sunflower oil or ghee
• sunflower oil, for deep-frying

Resting time: 10 minutes.

Instructions

1. Place the sugar and water in a pan and bring to the boil until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.
2. In a bowl, combine the flour, crushed fennel seeds and measured oil or ghee and bring together, making sure there are no loose crumbs, before gently adding the sugar water. Knead into a dough, then leave to rest for 10 minutes.
3. Pour sunflower oil into a deep, heavy-based pan to a depth of 8 cm (3 in). Place over a medium heat and heat to 180°C/350°F on a digital thermometer. Alternatively, you can drop in a tiny piece of bread: if it sizzles and browns in 15 seconds, the oil is hot enough.
4. While the oil is getting hot, divide the dough into 4 equal-sized balls, dust with a little flour and roll out as you would a chapatti. Cut each disc into 5 cm diamond-shaped pieces.
5. Once the oil is hot, fry the diamonds for 3–4 minutes until brown and crispy. You may need to do this in batches. Remove to drain on paper towels.
6. Store in an airtight container for 2–3 weeks and enjoy with a cup of chai or on their own.

 

Recipe and image from On the Himalayan Trail: Recipes and Stories from Kashmir to Ladakh by Romy Gill, photography by Poras Chaudhary and Matt Russel (Hardie Grant Books, RRP $55, available in-stores nationally). Read an extract from the book here. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.