Naan Khatai are eggless shortbread biscuits, very popular in India and Pakistan. The word Naan khatai is derived from Persian word Naan meaning bread and Khatai from an Afghan word meaning Biscuit.

This recipe is by a very dear friend of mine , Tasneem and in my opinion the BEST Naan Khatai I have ever had. Anyone who has had her Naan Khatai would agree that there is no better Naan Khatai than hers. I even prefer them over the very famous Lahori Naan Khatais.. (yep, these are that good!!!)

When I asked her about featuring the recipe on the blog and sharing it my readers,she did not hesitate once. Not only did she share her recipe with me but gave me a detailed demo of the whole process.. with all her tried and tested tips and tricks!

So here is her recipe that she has perfected after various trials and combining tips and tricks from various sources. So thank you Tasneem for doing this for my blog. xx

Naan Khatai

Makes about 30-35 biscuits

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Ingredients

• 1 cup Ghee (preferably home made) 
• 1 cup Icing Sugar
• 1 tsp Cardamom Powder (Illaichi powder, preferably home made with seeds only) 
• ½ tsp Baking Powder
• ¼ tsp Salt
• 2 cups Flour
• 1 ½ – 2 tbsp Semolina

 

Directions

For Making Home Made Ghee:

The most important ingredient is the ghee. You can buy it but I have only ever made it with home made ghee.

Click HERE for detailed step by step instructions for making ghee…

For Making Naan Khatai:

1. In a large bowl mix the ghee and sifted icing sugar into a smooth, velvety paste.

2. In another bowl measure out all the other ingredients and mix them with a spoon. Then sift them into the ghee mixture. If the semolina doesn’t go through sieve just add in later.

3. Use your hands and knead into a soft dough. Let the flavor infuse for 15 mins.

4. Make small balls of dough, flatten them, and place them on cookie sheet, leaving plenty of space between them.(If too soft and sticky put it in the fridge for a few mins. I use a mini ice cream scoop to get a nice, even amount and to avoid sticky fingers) 

5. Press each khatai down to make it a bit flatter. Make a small indentation on each khatai and put some sliced pistachio in it.

6. Bake for 15 mins in a preheated oven at 150 degrees Celsius. You can adjust the time and temperature according to your oven and depending on how light/dark you prefer them. ( I like the bottom to be very slightly golden with the top still light).

Wasn’t that easy? And they are soooo YUM!

The perfect companion with a cup of tea…

Do give it a try and let me know how it turns out!

Until next time!