Snack Recipes: Sweet Diamond Cuts (Shankerpali) Recipe

There are three ways to make diamond cuts:

Diamond cuts are popularly known as "shankerpali." You can make them in three ways. All three types taste awesome.

• Spicy: The first one is only spicy. They will be super crunchy and will be like thin crackers.
• Sweet: The second type is only sweet. They will be thicker than the spicy ones. They are made using ghee for the dough. These turn out to be flavorful and delicious. They can be compared with the sweet cookies.
• Sweet and Spicy/Salty: The third variety is mainly sweet and a little spicy or salty. This too has a special taste. You can store all these varieties of diamond cuts in airtight container for months in room temperature.

I made the third type of diamond cuts yesterday. They are both sweet and a little spicy. My daughter likes this kind. I used plain flour, a small quantity of fine semolina, sugar, a little red chili powder, and salt. I kneaded the dough with ghee. I fried them on low fire because sweet snacks turn dark if you fry them on high heat. The diamond cuts came out crunchy and tasty. I share the recipe here.

1. Keep all ingredients handy.
2. Take ghee, sugar, and water in a pan. Heat the pan. Mix the contents. Let it boil for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the fire. Pour the mix into a big bowl. Keep aside for cooling.
3. Add salt, fine semolina(gives crunchiness to the snack), and red chili powder to the bowl containing the liquid mix. Add plain flour little by little and knead to get a soft, firm dough. You can use 1-2 tsp milk or water while combining the dough. No need to rest the dough.
4. Heat oil for deep frying.
5. Pinch out a big lemon size dough. Make a ball shape, flatten it. Roll it to get a round shape of moderate thickness. It should not be too thin or too thick.
6. Cut it by drawing parallel lines with the help of a diamond cutter or knife. You can cut them in square shapes or in diamond shapes. Chop uneven edges if any. Combine the discarded pieces with the remaining dough.
7. Drop the diamond shapes into the hot oil. Fry on medium high fire for 2 minutes. Turn them occasionally to ensure uniform frying. Reduce the fire, fry till they get golden. Place diamond cuts on an absorbent paper towel.
8. Repeat the process for the remaining dough. When they cool down, collect them in an air-tight container. Munch these crunchy snacks anytime you desire!