Recipe- Highly Addictive Oats Namak Pare

Namak pare are my absolute favorite. Back home in India, whenever they were made for Diwali and Holi, I would just munch on them all the time. They are highly addictive and I find it very hard to limit myself when it comes to these.

For Diwali, this year I thought of making a multigrain namak pare and baking them in stead of frying them. I do like baking a lot of my snacks like baked methi mathri or gur para.

Namak para is a savory snack traditionally made with all purpose flour and usually flavored with ajwain (carom seeds), kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) and is deep fried.

While I love the deep fried version, I also quite enjoy the baked version. This is a good alternative for those who don’t wish to fry either for health reasons or because they have an aversion to deep frying.

Ingredients

1 cup rolled oats old fashioned, 116 grams
1 cup atta 130 grams, whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour 65 grams, maida
2 tablespoons sooji 28 grams, semolina
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1.25 teaspoon ajwain
3.5-4 tablespoons oil I used avocado oil
water to knead, little over 1/2 cup

Method

* To a large bowl add oats (pulse them 2-3 times in a food processor to break them a little), atta, all purpose flour, sooji, baking powder and stir. Add salt and ajwain and mix everything together.

* Start adding oil, around 3.5 tablespoons and rub the oil into the flour mix with your fingers.

* Hold the dough in your hands and press between your palms. If it holds shape, then oil is enough, if it crumbles then add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil and mix.

* Now start adding water to bring your dough together. I use my stand mixer here but you can do this by hands too.

* Add water little at a time and knead to a stiff dough. I used little more than 1/2 cup water here, probably 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoons. Cover the dough with a cling sheet and rest dough for 20 minutes.

* Then start rolling the dough using a rolling pin, roll somewhere between 1/6 to 1/8 inch thickness.

* Cut the dough vertically into strips and then diagonally to cut into diamonds, 3/4 inch inch wide. You can cut them in any shape you like.

* Arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 375 F degrees for 18-20 minutes or until crispy. Keep an eye after 15 minutes so that they don't burn. Let cool completely and then store these oats namak pare in an airtight container at room temperature.