Namak Paray, a desi classic desi snack. A crunchy, savory, crispy deep-fried snack. It’s made with some very basic ingredients. Flour oil and salt mainly.
Oil is added to flour that makes the namak para flaky and then kneaded into a dough. This dough for namak paray (plural) is firm, there is very little water added to keep the snack crispy. Semolina is also added for extra crunchiness.
The dough is then flattened out and cut into strips and fried in hot oil on medium heat until golden in color.
“There is no way you can have just one….
Chai is an integral part of everyday life in Karachi, where I was born. Unlike “teatime” that is 
a time of day when people have tea in many places around the world, there is no time for chai ( black tea with a splash of milk and sugar) in Karachi, you can drink it anytime during the day, but then there is evening tea.
The evening tea known as, Shaam ki chai, is served when most of the family is home for work and school. This is the teatime when usually something is served with chai. some times its cake and biscuits, it could be samosas or sandwiches. any kinds of saltly or sweet snack that serves as a little something before dinner that is eaten a few hours later.
There is no time for chai, you can have it anytime during the day, and namak paray makes perfect companion to cup of chai
If by some miracle you have leftover namak paray, you can make Dahi bara chat and add a layer of crushed namak paray on the top. It gives the chaat a crunch that makes it so much better.
Allow to cool completely before storing, Namak paray can be stored in an airtight jar for a week.
namak Para
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper powder
- 1 tablespoon semolina
- ¼ teaspoon Carom seeds
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons oil + more for deep frying
- ¼ cup + ½ tablespoon Water
Directions
- Take all-purpose flour, sooji, salt, sesame seeds, black pepper powder, and carom seeds in a bowl, mix well.
- Add oil and rub it with flour mixture and it will resemble crumbly texture.
- Now add little water at a time and start kneading the dough. Make semi-soft (similar to paratha) dough. Water quantity may vary. The dough should not be too tight or stiff nor too soft.
- Cover the dough and let it rest for at least 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, knead the dough once again. Divide it into two equal portions. Flatten it out between your palm.
- Start rolling it into a big circle using a rolling pin.
- Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat for frying namak paray.
- Cut into the desired shape using a sharp knife. 9 Once the oil is hot, add few pieces of namak para in the oil. Do not overcrowd them. Flip them halfway through for even browning, Fry from both sides until golden brown and crispy.
- Remove it to the plate, lined with a paper towel so it absorbs the excess oil.
- Let it cool completely, about 20 minutes. And it will become more crispy. Once cooled down completely, you can serve them or store them in an airtight jar or container.
