Masala kaju is a type of namakpara a popular Indian Tea time snack and also made during the festival. It is a crunchy savory snack made with maida or all purpose flour and sooji mix with carom seeds, kasuri methi, mints leaves and flavored with spices. It is made in various shapes but mostly in long sticks. I gave them the shape of Cashews (Kaju) with help of small bottle cap. They are crispy and a perfect snack with a hot cup of tea at this festival.
This recipe is very simple and requires very few ingredients which are easily available in the market or even at home. It requires little extra effort to give this shape but the result is so different that it’s worth all the efforts. I have rolled the dough thick as I like little thick shaped namak pare, but if you prefer thin you can definitely roll it thin. Also thick namak para takes little longer time to cook so if you want to save some more time, you can roll it thin.
Made the traditional namakpara in an innovative manner by changing the shape from long sticks to cashew nut shapes. So try out these healthy kaju namkeen matar at home and enjoy as a perfect tea time savory snack.
Serving suggestion: It is served as an afternoon snack or evening snack with a hot cup of tea. This can be served for Diwali snack as well.
#Special Note: Want to reduce cooking/preparation time, then don’t forget to read the recipe notes/tips at the end ?
⇒Do give this recipe a try and share your comments below with me.
recipe card:
Masala kaju recipe | how to make masala kaju namakpara | Cashew shaped namakpara
Ingredients
- 3 cup all-purpose flour maida
- 1 cup suji/semolina/rava
- 1 tbsp carom seeds ajwain
- 1 tbsp crushed dried mint leaves
- 2 tbsp red chili powder
- Salt to taste
- 1 tbsp chat masala
- 1 tbsp Kasuri methi
- 3 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/4 cup + 2 ½ tablespoons water
- Oil for frying as per requirement
- 1 tsp chat masala for coating
- 1/4 tsp red chili powder
Instructions
- Collect all the required ingredients.
- Take all purpose our, sooji, ajwain, dried mints leaves, kasuri methi, turmeric powder, red chili powder, chat masala and salt in a bowl.
- Mix everything very well.
- Now add oil in the dry flour mixture.
- Mix it by rubbing between your thumb and fingers till everything is incorporated well. It should look like breadcrumbs and if you press it into your palm, it will come together like a crumbly dough.
- Make a tight and stiff dough by adding very little water at a time. I have used only 1/4 cup + 2 ½ tablespoons of water.
- Cover the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes take the dough and knead it once again using little oil.
- Divide it into 4 equal portions.
- Start rolling one portion on the clean shelf or the cookie sheet or your chopping board. Roll it in 1/2 inch thickness in an approximate round shape to get thick flaky cashews.
- For cutting out cashews, take a small, clean cap from a bottle. The smaller the diameter, the better the shapes you will get. I took out the cap of a water bottle and sterilized it and then used for my cutting.
- Starting with the edge, start cutting crescent shapes from the rolled dough with the cap.
- Now start cutting it from the top of where you made the first cut, so as to get a cashew shape as shown in the photos.
- Make as many cuts as possible. Roll the leftover part of the dough to make more.
- Repeat the above steps and prepare all the cashews.
- Heat oil in a deep wok or pan on medium flame.
- Slide a few cashews in the hot oil or depending on the available space in your wok.
- During the frying process maintain the oil temperature by adjusting the gas heat. If the temperature of oil drops then it will soak up more oil becomes crispy. If the temperature of oil increases then they will get golden colorfast and inside stays raw.
- You need to flip them in order to cook from both sides. As they are fried and cooked they will start to float on top. And they will get a light golden color. One batch takes around 7-8 minutes for frying. So be patient and fry on low medium hot oil.
- Drain the excess oil and remove them with a slotted spoon and pile them in a paper towel lined plate. As it cools, it gets more crispy and will become slightly darker in color.
- Fry rest of the cashews in the same way. Let them cool down completely.
- Once cooled, add 1 tsp chat masala and 1/4 tsp red chili powder.
- Toss all the fried cashews and mix them well with the spices. Adjust spice level according to your taste. The yummy cashews are ready to devour.
how to make masala kaju (step by step directions with pictures) :
1. Collect all the required ingredients.
2. Take all purpose our, sooji, ajwain, dried mints leaves, kasuri methi, turmeric powder, red chili powder, chat masala and salt in a bowl.
3. Mix everything very well.
4. Now add oil in the dry flour mixture.
5. Mix it by rubbing between your thumb and fingers till everything is incorporated well. It should look like breadcrumbs and if you press it into your palm, it will come together like a crumbly dough.
6. Make a tight and stiff dough by adding very little water at a time. I have used only 1/4 cup + 2 ½ tablespoons of water.
7. Cover the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes.
8. After 15 minutes take the dough and knead it once again using little oil.
9. Divide it into 4 equal portions.
10. Start rolling one portion on the clean shelf or the cookie sheet or your chopping board. Roll it in 1/2 inch thickness in an approximate round shape to get thick flaky cashews.
11. For cutting out cashews, take a small, clean cap from a bottle. The smaller the diameter, the better the shapes you will get. I took out the cap of a water bottle and sterilized it and then used for my cutting.
12. Starting with the edge, start cutting crescent shapes from the rolled dough with the cap.
13. Now start cutting it from the top of where you made the first cut, so as to get a cashew shape as shown in the photos.
14. Make as many cuts as possible. Roll the leftover part of the dough to make more.
15. Repeat the above steps and prepare all the cashews.
16. Heat oil in a deep wok or pan on medium flame.
17. Slide a few cashews in the hot oil or depending on the available space in your wok.
18. During the frying process maintain the oil temperature by adjusting the gas heat. If the temperature of oil drops then it will soak up more oil becomes crispy. If the temperature of oil increases then they will get golden colorfast and inside stays raw.
19. You need to flip them in order to cook from both sides. As they are fried and cooked they will start to float on top. And they will get a light golden color. One batch takes around 7-8 minutes for frying. So be patient and fry on low medium hot oil.
20. Drain the excess oil and remove them with a slotted spoon and pile them in a paper towel lined plate. As it cools, it gets more crispy and will become slightly darker in color.
21. Fry rest of the cashews in the same way. Let them cool down completely.
22. Once cooled, add 1 tsp chat masala and 1/4 tsp red chili powder.
23. Toss all the fried cashews and mix them well with the spices. Adjust spice level according to your taste. The yummy cashews are ready to devour.
recipe notes:
- Knead smooth but elastic dough that will give us crisp namak pare.
- Roll the dough thicker than chapatti.
- Temperature is the key to success in this recipe I really recommend you to watch my video which will help you in making perfect kaju.
- Oil is added into the dough and mixed by rubbing between your fingers. This step is important to make the flaky texture.
- Once cool down you can store masala kaju in an airtight container for almost a month.
- Adjust spices according to taste.
- While kneading the dough sprinkle little water at a time so that you how much more water is needed.
- Always fry the namak para on low to medium heat and never on high heat as it won’t get cooked from inside and gets brown suddenly from outside.
finally, do check my recipes collection like snacks recipe collection, further, do not forget to visit my other recipes like,
- Indian macaroni pasta recipe | evening snack
- besan bread toast recipe | tea time snack
- Spicy & tangy bhel recipe | dry bhel
- Veg mayo sandwich recipe |Kids Snack
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One reply on “Masala kaju recipe | how to make masala kaju namakpara | Cashew shaped namakpara”
nice
thanks for sharing