‘Nankatayi’ or Nankatai can be called as Indian biscuits(cookies). I had thought this is a Konkani name, but recently I came across this name in many of the food blogs. So I guess this dish does not need any introduction.
When I was a kid, I was a big fan of Nankatayi. We had the round oven aluminum base and glass top, I haven’t seen any such ovens anywhere these days. It used to take ages to bake anything and with the power fluctuations and power cuts at our hometown, things became worst over time. After getting the oven repaired for many times, finally mom stopped using it.
Her Nankatayis were the best I have ever had. I guess it is mostly because of the prolonged procedure she used to follow. She used to make the dough in the morning and start baking in the evening, allowing the dough to stand for 4-5 hrs. When I prepared them here, I cut down the standing time to 30mins (because I was in a hurry). Still they turned out great.
Pictorial: Mix all ingredients and keep it aside. (Usually the dough comes out very loose. This time somehow I got it quite wet). Make nankatayi. Bake till they get cracks on top.
Nankatayi
Ingredients
- 2 cups maida/all purpose flour
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup vanaspati vegetable shortening or ghee
- 1 tea spn baking soda
- 1/4 tea spn cardamom powder optional
Instructions
- Heat vanaspati/ghee till it melts and add it to flour.
- Mix all other ingredients. (Do not add water).
- Take all the mixture to one side of the bowl (press it using hand, there should not be any gaps in the dough).
- Leave the mixture for 4-5 hrs.
- Make small rounds with the mixture. Sometimes the dough breaks easily while making balls. So apply a bit of ghee to the hands and apply pressure with hands while making the balls.
- Keep the balls on a greased oven proof dish (or on a parchment paper).
- Bake in preheated oven at 300F for around 30-40 mins (till the nankatayis get a few cracks on the top).
Nankatayi
Ingredients
- 2 cups maida/all purpose flour
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup vanaspati vegetable shortening or ghee
- 1 tea spn baking soda
- 1/4 tea spn cardamom powder optional
Instructions
- Heat vanaspati/ghee till it melts and add it to flour.
- Mix all other ingredients. (Do not add water).
- Take all the mixture to one side of the bowl (press it using hand, there should not be any gaps in the dough).
- Leave the mixture for 4-5 hrs.
- Make small rounds with the mixture. Sometimes the dough breaks easily while making balls. So apply a bit of ghee to the hands and apply pressure with hands while making the balls.
- Keep the balls on a greased oven proof dish (or on a parchment paper).
- Bake in preheated oven at 300F for around 30-40 mins (till the nankatayis get a few cracks on the top).
This recipe was long time due. When we came here, I was not having the idli stand. So I used to cook in normal cooker vessels. Though there is no change in taste, those idlis didn’t look good. So I finally purchased a stand last week.
My mom always prepared this idli for evening snack. We used to return from school at 5.30 or so and would demand something good to eat. So she always kept ready very delicious dishes like this. I prepare this for breakfast, as evening snack is something difficult to fit in our busy schedule.
Ingredients: 1 cup vermicelli 1/2 cup rava (wheat sooji ) 3/4 cup curd/yogurt 3-4 strands coriander leaves 2-3 green chilies 2 tbl spns fresh/frozen coconut 1 tea spn ghee 1/2 tea spn mustard seeds A pinch baking soda 1/2 tea spn urad daal 4-5 curry leaves A pinch asafoetida Salt
Method: Heat ghee and fry vermicelli and rava for around 5-6mins. Let them cool to room temperature. Add curd and keep it aside for around 1/2 an hour. If the vermicelli and rava soaks well, the idlis come out very soft. Add more curd if the batter becomes too dry. Add coconut, salt, coriander leaves and green chilies (cut into small pieces). Heat oil and add mustard seeds and urad daal when mustard starts popping and urad daal becomes brownish, add curry leaves, baking soda and a pinch of asafoetida. Add this seasoning to the batter and mix well. Put the batter in greased idli stand and steam them. Serve with chutney pitto /powder .
Serves : 2-3 Preparation time : 20min
