Namak pare or Nimki as I like to call them, is a crunchy and savory Indian snack that is a must during Indian festivals. These are my absolute favorite Indian snack and now it is passed on to my kids, as they can never have enough of these, no matter how big of a batch I make!

With Diwali right around the corner, namak pare are the first thing that came to my mind to make. They are usually made of all-purpose flour but this time I tweaked the original recipe to include whole wheat flour along with some AP flour….they turned out to be crispier and soaked less oil while deep-frying. I even added dried mint leaves to enhance the flavor. They were devoured by my son who is a big fan of mint flavors!!

I have to say after trying these and the fact that my kids absolutely enjoyed them, I am not going back to all-purpose flour version!

Recipe                                             Servings: 4-5 cups                                   Time: 1.5 hours

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. ajwain (carom) seeds
• 1 Tbsp. dried crushed mint leaves
• 1 tsp. freshly or coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. chat masala
• 4 Tbsp. oil
• Salt to taste
• ¼ cup water or as needed to make firm dough
• Oil for frying

Method

1. Add all ingredients in the flour and mix well.
2. Add water, little at a time and knead into firm dough.
3. Cover and let it rest for about 15-20 minutes.
4. Take some dough, make a ball and roll out like a thin chapatti.
5. Cut into strips, diamonds or squares.
6. Heat oil on medium low heat.
7. Fry the namak paras on medium low heat for 10-12 minutes.
8. Take out and drain on a paper towel.
9. Store in an airtight container once cooled.

Notes:

• You can add red chili powder to make these spicy.
• It is important that you fry these on medium low heat for them to cook properly and get crispy.
• I added a cup of AP flour as the whole-wheat flour I used was stone ground and was much coarser than regular atta (wheat flour). You can use 3 cups of regular atta if you prefer.