When I was growing up, we knew the Christmas Season was upon us because mum would start making her Christmas sweets. She would usually start at the end of November with her fruitcake (recipe on the site) and then follow up with neuries (like a sweet stuffed empanada but deep fried – yum), nankhatais, kulkuls (sweet dough deep fried – nuff said!), dos (gram sweet), baath (coconut and semolina cake), and a host of other things traditional to our Goan culture. This is a Nankhatai (think scented Indian shortbread) and will definitely add an international flair to your sweet table.
I clearly got my love of cooking from my mother, but I wish I had paid more attention to her when she was cooking for us! I was eager to help so I did learn technique from her (equally important in my mind) but sadly missed the recipe ingredients/quantities. I didn’t have a sweet tooth growing up but always lent some muscle to the stirring of a coconut sweet or dos etc. My attention was more on the Spicy Cheese Biscuits and chili laden Chevdo. So while this is not my mother’s recipe, it’s pretty close. It’s very much like a shortbread recipe, the difference is the use of besan (gram/chickpea flour) and semolina. There are lots of variations that use all purpose flour or whole wheat flour, and even a combination of the two. I like this recipe.
Besan flour is available at most grocery stores with an ethnic section and most definitely in an Indian shop. It has a distinct flavor, toasty and nutty that gives this Indian shortbread a distinct flavor. You can substitute other flours but then you are really just making a traditional shortbread. The other flavor is that of cardamom – a staple in almost any household with a foodie in it. This is my version of a classic Goan treat at Christmas. As always – enjoy!
Ingredients
100g Besan or chickpea flour
1 tablespoon semolina
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Seeds of 5 green cardamom, powdered or 1 teaspoon ground cardamom powder
65g icing sugar
75g butter, softened – almost to melting – you can also use ghee (clarified butter) if you have it
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350f and line a baking sheet with parchment – set aside
2. If using green cardamom pods, crack them open and using a mortar/pestle – grind the inside black seeds to a powder – or use the bottled pre-ground cardamom – transfer to a medium bowl
3. Place a sieve over the medium bowl with the cardamom in it and sift the flour, semolina and baking powder into the bowl
4. Add the very soft butter to the bowl and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula – like shortbread, it is important not to overmix the dough
5. When the dough comes together, use a teaspoon to transfer a portion of dough to your hands, squeeze and roll into a ball the size of loonie and place on the parchment lined baking sheet
6. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes, the dough balls will flatten slightly but still have a nice mound on top – they should be able to move off the parchment with a gentle nudge, only take them out if nudging moves the cookie
7. Remove to a wire rack and let cool completely before storing
