Nepali cuisine shares many similarities with North and East Indian cooking. Given our close geographical proximity, it is only natural that we share common food traditions and culinary ideas.
Nimki is also a popular Indian snack, especially in the northern regions. Variations of this crispy treat can be found across many parts of the country. I chose this recipe for its sheer simplicity and its appeal as a snack for my little one.
Traditionally, nimki is deep fried. However, in recent years many Indian snacks that were once fried have adopted the “pseudo-healthy” route of baking. In my view, baking does not necessarily make the snack significantly healthier, but it is still a convenient option—especially if you are like me and feel too lazy to stand around frying batches in hot oil. The oven simply does the work for you and often saves time.
For this version, I added dried methi (fenugreek) leaves for extra flavor, though it is entirely optional. You can also replace the butter with ghee for a more traditional Indian taste. Lately, however, I find butter easier to work with when baking.
Ingredients
1 cup All Purpose Flour/ Maida
1/3 cup softened butter (salted is fine)
1 tbsp crushed dried fenugreek leaves
1 tspn red chilli powder (optional)
1 tspn sesame seeds (optional)
1 tspn baking powder
1 pinch of crushed carom seeds (ajwain)
Salt to taste
Method
1) In a bowl, add all the ingerdients except butter and mix well.
2) Now add the butter and using the tip of your fingers rub it into the flour mixture.
3) Add 2 tspn water at a time to make a soft yet firm dough. Let it rest for 10 min.
4) Now take the dough and knead it gently to smoothen it out
5) Pinch out small balls and roll it out flat to make the desired sized nimkis
6) Place these on greased baking sheet.
7) Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180c for 10-12 min or until the color changes to deep red(or golden if you have missed the red chilli powder)
8) I did not prick much holes into my nimkis and allowed them to inflate. After about 7 or 8 min, I flipped them over and placed it back into the oven which deflated them. This way I got some bubbles on the top. You may prick each with fork or knife to avoid this.
When done, let them cool down completely, store in air-tight container.
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