Nan Khatai

The past week my thoughts were consumed with all the goodies that I'd bake for Christmas kuswar( goodies platter). The only friend who bakes this season in the spirit of Christmas is a a fellow foodie, Mamata Uttangi. Her house is always loaded with baked/fried goodies..all home-made and in massive quantities. When I say massive, I mean m-a-s-s-i-v-e. Her cup for measurement is a 'ser/sher aka pav'. You get the point!



Last week, nan khatai was the highlight of the eve. Upon offering these, I shamelessly forgot to offer my husband one, ignored my kids & relished them like they were the first time I had laid my hands on them. You don't understand...If you are a materialistic person, in your view, these are like gold to me, let's say "a melt in your mouth" kind of gold. They were the first home-made nan khatais that tasted authentic & far better than bakery ones, tantalizing my nostalgic memory...teasing for more.

Would nan khatai purists be terribly upset for doing this to plain old cookies? (BTW,the crushed pistachio goes in before being baked so it adheres well as well as hides unsightly cracks ( two-fer again!)...if you are a perfectionist like me & don't like to see your goodies  crack on top while baking)




Recipe source: Mamata Uttangi
pretty easy '5321' in her words. So here goes:
Half recipe yields 72 nan khatais.

Ingredients:
5 cups maida/ AP flour
3 cups sugar
2 cups ghee
1 cup besan
Elaichi powder

Mix all of the above. Place on counter top (covered) overnight.


The next day, shape into balls, flatten them. Place on parchment lined sheet pan, bake at 350F for 10-15 mins. I say 10 minutes for just done ivory colored nan khatai. For brown edges 15 mins.


Turn them to see slight browned bottom. Cool.


Seriously, that's it!

FYI, no extra lbs were put-on in the making of these.
All my goodies were shared with Sheila, Indu, the librarians at my town & Mamta of course!

G's note:
*Mamta rolled it into a log and cut up discs & baked (considering the amount she had to tackle that day with a toddler in tow).
*I made half of the recipe, had all the time on hands to shape these babies and went a step further like mentioned above.