Friday, August 04, 2006

Narayan Kataar - My MIL's version of Nan Khatai

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Nan Khatai isn't what I was planning to make for JFI # 4 : Flour. Because I wasn't planning to make them at all. Because my mother-in-law makes them, and was supposed to bring a big batch for us from India. And she almost did. I mean, she did spend the time and energy to make these biscuits. Only that they never reached us. Why? (Now I've got you curious and all! :))
Because my mother-in-law's checked-in baggage got lost. Blame it on Air India, their baggage handlers or destiny. What remains is that my MIL's bag got lost with all the belongings in it. And most importantly, all the goodies in it. :( We were so looking forward to digging our teeth into those homemade laddoos, biscuits and other snacks. *Sigh*
Never mind. Life is not just about good food. (Or...maybe...er...it is?...um?...?...?)

Well, anyway. To make up for the loss (Read: Unable to push the idea of having these scrumptious biscuits out of my head), I decided to make Nan Khatai with my MIL's recipe and under her supervision for the first time. And they turned out well, although not as good and aromatic as the ones made by her, because she always uses homemade ghee and I used the store-bought variety. Otherwise, they were pucca home stuff and extremely delicious. And also very easy to make. Fattening? Well...yes...but not until you swallow them! ;-)

Recipe for Narayan Kataar

Makes 16 biscuits (of 4 cm. diameter)

Ingredients:

1 cup white flour (Maida)
½ cup powdered sugar (Not necessarily store-bought.
Regular sugar ground at home is perfectly all right.)
9-10 cardamom pods, peeled and the seeds crushed or ½ tsp cardamom powder
heaped ½ tsp baking powder or baking soda/sodium bicarbonate
a small pinch of salt
6-7 tbsp ghee or as required (preferably homemade for that extra 'something')

Method:

1. Sieve the flour and baking powder/soda together into a mixing bowl. If using store-bought powdered sugar, sieve it along.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients apart from the ghee.
3. Add ghee, a little at a time, while mixing and kneading the dough until you have it the consistency of chapati dough. It should be pliable enough to be shaped into a ball. Like in the picture below.

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In the glass bowl : kneaded Nan Khatai dough

4. Cover the dough well or put it into a container with a tight lid. Keep it in a cool place (not the fridge!) for a few hours or overnight. (I know, this is different. I know, we have already added the baking powder/soda. I know, they always say that you add it just before baking. But this is how my MIL does it, and asked me to do it. And it still worked! She anyway has a thing against rules, you know. :))
5. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
6. Grease/Line a baking sheet. Divide the dough into 16 portions. Shape those portions into round balls and flatten them a little between your palms.
7. Arrange them on the baking sheet well away from each other. Like this.

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8. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 15 minutes or until the biscuits develop a few 'scars' on top and are slightly browned at the bottom.
9. Take them out of the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet itself.
10. Once cool, store them in an air-tight container.

Remember to store the container under lock and key. Or be prepared to see it empty after a few hours. :) :) :)

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Let me rush to Santhi now. Hope she accepts these crisp and flavourful biscuits, although late.


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60 comments:

Ashwini said...

So sorry about that bag...I am sure the folks at AI ate the goodies...too good to resist probably!

The nankhatais look out of this world. Exactly like the ones you get in India to dip in your tea/ coffee.
So you add either baking soda OR baking powder?
How long did you keep the dough aside for?
(I have never made them before so I want precision lady :-))

Vaishali said...

Hey Ashwini, that was fast!
Now to your questions.
1. Yes, you add either baking soda or baking powder. (As I have said in the post, my MIL isn't a stickler for rules.)
2. MY MIL keeps the dough aside overnight. Which is anywhere between 8 to 10 hours. No rules again. I'd say 4 hours minimum and 8 hours maximum.
Whatever precision is there in the recipe, is all because of me. (Great Job! Pat pat!) What my MIL gave me was all by 'Andaaj'. You know that well, because you have written about it in one of your earlier posts. :)

Anonymous said...

What a fantatsic entry vaishali...
This went into my to do list..
They sooooo good.... melt in the mouth kind...

Thank you for being a part of JFI..

Mika said...

That looks scrumptious. Pity it is not in front of me in that bowl...

Krithika said...

Big fan of Nankhatai. Will try it this weekend and let you know. What did you use B.soda or B.powder ?

Vaishali said...

Santhi, thanks for hosting the event. Also for choosing a great ingredient.

Mika, I am ready to exchange a bowl of Nan Khatai with you...with a bowl of that mixed veg. chutney from you. ;-)

Krithika, I used baking soda this time. However, my MIL confirmed it to me (orally), that b. powder too gives good results.

Anonymous said...

Do you think the X-ray machine operator flicked your MIL's bag?? I think so!!
However, I should tell this joke connected to this sweetmeat. My great-grandfather's name was 'Narayan' and since his daughter-in-law (my grandmother) was forbidden from using his name openly, the cookies were called 'Maavalnava Kataar' .. meaning 'Father-in-law's-name' Kataar!! ......
Is there any dish that has your father-in-law's name in it???
-AnontheOriginal

Anonymous said...

This is a first for me - using either baking soda or baking powder with the quantity remaining the same! You can usually substitute baking powder for baking soda but not vice versa because baking powder contains additional ingredients.

However, I do remember my aunts saying baking soda and when asked "baking SODA ki baking POWDER?" They would say: "Teych tey, ga!" And then they would head into the kitchen and pull out a tin of soda bi-carb (baking soda).

Your nankhatai look wonderful! My mother made nankhatai with slivered pistachios on top. I haven't been able to find her recipe yet. They were the most khoosh-khooshith nankhatai ever!

Anonymous said...

Looks very delicious Vaishali. Can't wait to try it. Thanks for the recipe.

Nabeela said...

oh yummmm...Indian cookies!

Ashwini said...

Hey Vaish I tried your pumpkin raita for dinner today. It was finger lickin good :-)
We actually forgot to eat the veges we liked the raita so much!!!

Menu Today said...

Hi Vaishali,
Delicious "Nan Khatai" !!! Thanks for sharing.

Mamatha said...

Yum-o!!! I love these cookies. We call it "Venna biscuit" (Venna -> butter). I could eat that whole bowl myself. I think there's a savory version too - I forget what goes in them though (salt, cumin?)

Sumitha said...

Have come across this snack several times,its on my must try list from a long time.Oh no!but loosing that baggage was terrible!I lost my baggage too last time in Emirates but thankfully it reached our doorstep 2 days later!Never being able to retrieve the lost baggage is very rare.Were you guys atleast compensated for the loss by Air India.

Anupama said...

Vaishali, first of all thanks a ton for this recipe. i am really into a baking mood these days so you can rest assured that i will be making these tomorrow when I can drag myself away from Blogging. Gosh its becoming addictive.
Secondly, for all other bloggo-buddies reading this recipe. I have eaten these nan katais at Vaishali's and believe me you will never buy another Nankatai from a store ever after making and tasting these.

Priya said...

Hi Vaishali, those Nan Khatias look really melt-in-the-mouth kinds..could I order them online :-p ...and I can truly understand you despair over the lost luggage. On my way back from India I lost one of my huge suitcases with all the best goodies.( why do the ones with the goodies always loose their way..hmmm) I hope u get them back

Vaishali said...

AnonTheOriginal, hahahaha...that was a funny anecdote. No, my FIL's name is too complicated to be a part of a dish. I could give you one clue, though. He was named after a freedom-fighter. Keep guessing now! :)

Manisha, I too have always thought that b. powder and b. soda as such cannot be substitutes for each other. I think I'll just try baking these cookies with b. powder one of these days, and will let you guys know whether it really works. What say?

You bet they are delicious, Madhu.

If you tried making these, Nabeela, I'm sure you'll have fantastic results. You are so good at baking.

Ashwini, thank you so much for the feedback. Btw, I remember you having said that you don't really like pumpkin. Hmmmmmm.....

MT, thanks for stopping by.

Faffer, I know that word coz I know 'Venna Muruku'. As for the savoury biscuits, I don't know what goes into them. Will ask my MIL.

Sumi, no, we haven't got the compensation yet. It is only after six weeks of losing the baggage that the airline declares it as 'lost'. The process for compensation starts after that. We have another two weeks to go by that.

Anupama, thanks for endorsing my MIL's Nan Khatai. But hey, now it's revealed that we know each other. I thought we wanted to keep it a secret. ;-)

Priya, really? You lost that bag altogether? Which airline was it? And did you get compensation? Please let me know.

Manjusha Nimbalkar said...

Hey Vaishali,

Those nankhatais look so good.
Will sure give it a try and shall et u know .

-M

Unknown said...

Hey dearie
Thanks sasuma on my behalf-been wanting to try this for a while! Pleaseee ask her if i can make the same recipe with SALT and Zeera, want to make the salted ones...will await your reply on this one-and the method of letting it sit (like yeast) is quite new, but I'm sure it's correct because the stuff looks well-turned out :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks a lot! I always wanted to make these....thank you so much!

Anonymous said...

I'm still playing catchup on my reading, so I'm late -- they look wonderful Vaishali. Sounds almost like a shortbread type of biscuit, but with nicer flavoring :)

Anonymous said...

hi vaishali,
i live in shanghai, china and tried this with my new oven toaster grill...
they are a HIT with my kids, both loved it, thanks for the recipe, keep them coming...
Veena

Vaishali said...

So, did you try them out, Manjusha?

Nandita, I'll ask her about the 'Salt+Jeera' version. Sorry, my reply is late.

You are welcome, LG.

Linda, I am sure the 'natives' got the idea of making these after they saw the shortbreads baked by the British Sahib. :)

Veena, you are in China? Wow, how does it feel there? Please let me know. And hey, my MIL will feel flattered when I tell her that her recipe trotted all the way to you in Shanghai.

Anonymous said...

Hi Vaishali,

Thanks for a nice & reliable recipe. I made this today and had a tough time saving few for later!! ;p

Anonymous said...

Hello Vaishali:) , I made this yesterday and it just came perfect, it was the first time i was trying out nan katai, and my husband loved it:0 thanks to ur recipe:) , and yeah i added u to my favortie link list, hope u dont mind:)

made said...

hi vaishali!
i have tried out your cookies today.they came out great.but i have a question.the recipe asked to l;ook for cracks.so i waited for the cracks to come on cookis.but,even after baking for nearly 40 mins i cud not find like the ones your cookies had in the picture.wanted to know if i shud bake it only for 15 mins?but the cookies were really yummy,melting and delicious...even though i baked them a little more.thanks for such a nice redcipe.actually i was searching for recipes for my 13 month old kid.she likes non sticky food.she likes biscuits,cookies etc.iam even planning to try your carrot,jaggery parathas .i usually prefer jaggery instaed of sugar in some of the stuiff for my kid.thanlyou again for the nice recipe.i'll be looking for anyother good cookies and biscuits in your blog

Anonymous said...

Hi Vaishali,
I came acrross your blog looking for this recipe. Your pics looked sooooo good, I immediately prepared them. Since I dint have the patience to keep the dough for sometime, I baked it right away. It was yummmmm. Thank you sooooo much! I will link this recipe on my blog. Hope its alright with u!

Anonymous said...

You did not mention at what range( oven temp) nankatai has to be kept

Divya

Anonymous said...

For dough , do i need to add water?

Anonymous said...

Hi,

Thanks for the wonderful recipe. Just had a small question. When making the dough, do we add a little water or should we use only ghee to make the soft ball dough?

Many thanks,
Geetha

Anonymous said...

Hi Vaishali

I made 2 batches of nankhati ( I tried it for the first time ) and what can I say it was awesome... thanks so much for sharing the recipe. I tried another batch with slight variations ( added some pineapple essence and some karonda candy ( aka cherries ) to it and added a bit more sugar ( since my family has a very very sweet tooth ) and what can I say it was awesome.... thanks thanks thanks again.... guess what I have on the to do list :) try the same recipe with some pistachios and then some with coconut :)

Anonymous said...

hi, the snaps look delicious! Can I make it in a microwave? I dont' have an oven.. any other way to bake the biscuits??
-Ashu

Lakshmi said...

They look so good, want to have few with some coffee..

Anonymous said...

Hi!
I stumbled upon your blog as i googled for nankhatai recipe..after a disastrous attempt following an old recipe,i made yours.they turned out so yumm,exactly the same taste....but they looked like cookies and not like biscuits.Not that im complaining.....they were too goood...;i made the recipe exactly as mentioned but used melted butter instead of ghee and i htink i must have used a little more than what is stated.Also used self raising flour as that was what i had on hand and did also add 1/4 tsp of soda bicarb.thnx for the recipe.....will make it again..

Anonymous said...

hi vaishali
i prepared these nankhats in the way u described, but don't know why it tastes a little sour .i kept the dough whole night.and added baking soda., what was the problem. why did it taste sour

Anonymous said...

Hi, I hust wanted to know what type of texture these biscuits have? R they crumbly and melt in the mouth or do they have a hard and crunchy texture??????

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