This is a recipe I found inside a pack of lemongrass tea which was gifted to me. It is a Sanjeev Kapoor recipe and what caught my eye was that it was a baked version of a traditionally deep fried savoury Indian snack.
I have very vague memories somewhere in my childhood about eating the deep-fried namakparas, which I knew as “diamond cuts”. I also remember my mother making these. She would knead an all-purpose flour dough, roll out pieces of the dough into very thin circles and then cut them into small diamonds which would be deep fried.
The cooled “diamond cuts” would be soaked in a very thick sugar syrup which would dry out to make a crisp, crunchy sugar coated snack. I have left these savoury but you may coat them in sugar if you choose.
While they’re not quite the same as the deep fried namakpara (naturally), these baked ones are very nice in their own way. They’re the perfect tea/ coffee time munchies. You can also bake them like crackers and serve them with a dip or sauce.
Namakpare - A Savoury Indian Snack : The Baked Version
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup ghee (or oil or a mixture of both)
- to taste salt
- 1/2 cup chilled water (approx)
Instructions
- I haven't tried this, but you could perhaps use oil instead of ghee. Your namakpare will not have the unique flavour and taste that ghee adds to them though.
- Put all the ingredients, except the water, in the food processor bowl and blend. Then add the water, a little at a time, to make a dough that is more on the stiff side yet elastic. You do not want the dough to use more water than necessary or your namkpare/ crackers will not become crisp on baking. You can do this by hand too.
- Cover the dough and let it rest for about half an hour. Divide the dough into 2 or 3 portions (depending on what is easier for you). Roll out each portion into as thin a circle as possible (should be about 1/8" thick or less). Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the circle into small diamond shaped pieces or about 12 triangles (like pizza wedges).
- Dock the pieces/ triangles using a fork so that airpockets don't form during baking.
- Place them on lightly greased sheets and bake at 200C (400F) for about 15 to 20 minutes till light brown and done. Cool on a rack and store in an airtight container.
I'm Aparna and My Diverse Kitchen is my ovo-lacto vegetarian food blog where you'll find recipes, food stories & photography. I've been blogging since 2007 and believe the kitchen, and the dining table (by extension) is really the heart of a home. 
Though its baked,its come out so perfect….looks healthy & delicious aparna
I am always on the lookout for savory crackers (and haven’t tried namakparas because they are deep fried). But this version looks so lovely!
I tried baking these sometime back. It came out hard and hence not very easy to bite into. I will try again keeping in mind few points from yours.
Just in time for Diwali and so glad that this is not deep fried. I have been looking for a good baked version for a long time now.
I bake the tiny diamond sweet squares for my diwali mixture.This will be novel addition to my mixture this time. Thanks.
These look lovely =D. I love the little diamonds!
i first read it as namaskara 😀 i know.. i have issues :)the snack looks just right for a sunday evening with tea, when one is upset that tomorrow is monday 😀
I have made a baked version too which I prefer than the deep fried one. I like these better sugar coated but in that case deep fried and I hardly ever make or have them!!What a twist life is:DThe pictures look very good.
Oooh! Amaaaazing pics! I loved the first one so much A!!I am going to try this VERY soon 🙂 Let me get back home 🙂 [Wedding trousseau shopping PART 2] 😀
i just did a post on diamond cuts as they are known to me…actually i had tried baking em but they turned out too hard…will try ur version..thanks..
THis is directly entering my bookmarked recipes..they look perfect for a evening snack without guilt..
wow that’s really so tempting aparna…
Yes, know these well. Many of the Maloos in hostel used to bring this back from home with them. Yours look gorgeous!
These are very impressive! I bet they taste wonderful. I need to bake more savory items, so this is going on the list!
These look great, and so much healthier than the fried version.
This sounds easy to make and looks great.
Yummy photos Aparna.With Diwali round the corner will surely try this baked version!Thanks.
my mother makes the sweet version of this for deepavali.. I love this :)perfect with coffee/tea
I was thinking of making it for Diwali.the baked version is healthier and looks great.Too good to be true
This one is perfect snack for me. I prefered the savory and baking!
Baked? Neat! They look so cute and perfectly cut.:)
Its come out soo well though baked.. Aparna… I made the methi version of it and deep fried them yesterday…
These look amazing.
This looks so easy to make and delicious of course. I am planning to make these tonight for diwali.
Baked ?, they look very perfect, must try this never done this before
I have baked them without ghee..yes u are rite, it does not tastes as great….even adding 1tbsp of ghee does wonders and replace rest of the ghee with oil….try that it will taste good!
I LOVE namakpure! My nani makes them for years, I always call them diamonds! And they ARE worthy of the title 😛
Tried your recipe yesterday and it came out very well, loved it. Thanks for sharing and if possible check my post.http://aaha-oho.blogspot.com/
Nidhya, glad it turned out right and you liked it.Thanks for getting back to me.
I like that that’s my favourite Indian food
Made the namakpare and everybody is asking for the recipe. Thank you.
That’s good to know. Enjoy!
Hey can please tell me which rack in OTG it should be placed and at what mode of OTG we use?
Thanks in advance
The middle rack should be fine. I’m not sure what mode you’re asking about? The baking mode should be your option.
Thank you for the baked version, truly incredible. I tried today and it turned out very well. I added some carom seed, cumin, sesame seed and chilli powder as well, so yummy. Is it possible to bake ‘murukku’?
Hi Kalai, happy to hear that the namakpare worked out for you. It should be possible to bake Murukku but I haven’t tried doing it.