Savory diamond biscuits got its name for the specific diamond shape they are cut into. This snack made with maida is a very traditional recipe made during Diwali. This Maida Biscuit is one of the easiest savory snack that we can prepare and are very addictive. Maida Biscuits are made with very basic ingredients and can be made within an hour. I personally like the sweet version of this biscuit called the Shakkarpara, but this time I was craving for something spicy, My thoughts immediately went to this
Why Make these Maida Biscuit
Growing up, making snacks was a ritual in every household. There were not too many varieties of snacks that were sold in the stores. Hence everyone made them at home for the kids to eat when they came back after school or when they were traveling. Now because of the wide choices of snacks sold in the stores, I see the snack-making trend disappear. I would still prefer to make the snacks at home whenever possible just because I know what goes into the recipe and it is definitely healthier and safer than the store-bought ones. My theme for this week is ‘snacking all the way’ and this is my second recipe for the theme after the Crostini recipe.
Ingredients, tools and substitutes
We just need an handful of ingredients to make this Khara Maida Biscuit. The most fun is the part where we use a roller attachment to cut the rolled dough. I bought a fancy roller last year and used it, but it really didn’t show up when frying the biscuit. A pizza wheel will perfectly work for the recipe. Check the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact measurements and printable detailed recipes. Maida / All Purpose flour - This is the flour that we knead with spices to make the khara biscuit. I hardly buy the maida sold in the Indian stores and use All Purpose flour to make this. Oil - We need any frying oil to deep fry the maida biscuits. Apart from it we also need a little hot oil to pour into the flour when kneading the dough. Red Chili Powder - This is what we use to spice the khara biscuit. I use kashmiri red chili powder as it gives the bright color without adding too much heat. Omam / Ajwain / Carom seeds - Another spice to add some flavor to the maida biscuit. This is optional and can be skipped. Substitutes - We can use cumin seeds, garlic and ginger as well in the dough. If using the ginger and garlic we can skip the carom seeds and use these instead.
Procedure
In a bowl, add the flour, red chili powder, and the omam (Step 1).
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a small pan and add the hot oil to the flour mixture (Step 2).
Now add water little by little and make it into a stiff dough (Step 3). Cover the dough with a moist cloth and let it rest for at least half an hour. It is very important to rest the dough, otherwise, it will be hard to roll it out.
Once the dough has rested, divide it into equal sized balls (Step 4). Dust the dough with flour and roll it out to form a thin circle (Step 5).
Using the pizza cutter, cut the rolled out dough into thin strips about ½ inch wide (Step 6). Now cut it horizontally to form a diamond shape (Step 7).
Remove the cut pieces and lay them out on a plate (Step 8). The dough scraper helps a lot to scoop out the cut pieces. If not use a flat spatula to scoop the pieces.
In the meantime heat the oil. Add the cut pieces to the oil (Step 9) and deep fry them until golden brown and crisp (Step 10). Make sure you fry these on medium flame, otherwise the outer will cook too quickly and the inside will still be soft. To get a crunchy texture, fry it in low to medium flame.
Drain the diamond biscuit on a paper towel and once cooled, transfer it into an airtight container.
Expert tips
Make sure to make a stiff dough with the all purpose roll. That helps when rolling and also to keep the shape of the diamond. Adding hot oil to the dough helps in making the maida snack crunchy. Use a dough scraper or a flat spatula to remove the cut dough pieces from the surface. Dust the dough liberally with flour before rolling to help remove them easily after rolling. Deep fry the diamond biscuits in medium flame through out. If the heat is too high, they will become too dark outside and yet remain soft inside.
More Spicy Snacks
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Printable Recipe
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