MUMBAI BAKERY STYLE NAN KHATAI (BAKED BISCUITS EGGLESS)

MUMBAI BAKERY STYLE NAN KHATAI (BAKED BISCUITS EGGLESS)

If there is a biscuit that’s authentically and genuinely Indian then it’s the Nan Khatai.

Is it really of Indian origin?

Wikipedia says that, Nan khatai is believed to have originated in Surat(Gujarat) in the 16th century, the time when the Dutch and the Indians were the important spice traders. A Dutch couple set up a bakery in Surat to meet the needs of local Dutch residents. When the Dutch left India, they handed over the bakery to an Iranian.

Yet there is a version that says, that the word Nan Khatai is derived from the Persian word Naan, which is a type of flatbread and Khatai is an Afghan word and means biscuit. In fact, this biscuit is also famous in Iran and Afghanistan, that could be the reason that we see most Islamic bakeries make different assortments of these lovely baked biscuits. Now, yet another version doing the rounds is that the Parsi Bakers invented the Nan khatai.

It really doesn’t matter who invented these beautiful delicacies but I’m glad they did it.

In the yesteryears, Nan Khatai’s were baked in old style urn ovens using firewood.

Nan khatai is popular and available all over India and every region has its twist to it.

My daughter who loves baking says that Nan khatai cannot be classified as a cookie. It’s more like a biscuit. According to her cookies are much buttery and melt in the mouth and the texture of Nan khatai is like a biscuit.

The eggless version that we get in Singapore during Hari Raya known as Sugee Cookies, have a high content of vegetable shortening in it, which feels rich and soft but leaves a waxy coating on the roof of your mouth.  

The Nan khatai in India is not melt in the mouth (Although we can make it in that texture too) but my biscuits come with a crunch like the ones we get at The Mumbai Bakeries.

I personally love the home made ones as I know exactly the ingredients that go into the making and nothing tastes as good as homemade ones, so here’s a recipe if followed perfectly would result in awesome Nan khatai biscuits.

Ingredients

All purpose flour (Maida) - 1 cup + Standby (2 tablespoons)

Semolina (Rava/Suji) - 2 tablespoons

Caster Sugar - ½ cup

Unsalted Butter (or ghee) - ½  cup at room temperature

Baking Soda - ¼  teaspoon

A pinch of Salt

Cardamom Powder - ¼  teaspoon

Crushed Nuts - 1 tablespoons (Preferably Almond and Pistachio finely chopped)

Method

In a big bowl, Sieve the All purpose flour, semolina, baking soda and a pinch of salt.

In another Bowl take the melted butter, to it add the caster sugar, Using a whisk or hand mixer blend until smooth and frothy. Add in the cardamom powder and give it a good stir.

Add this mix to the Dry ingredients and mix well and knead into a dough.

In case the dough looks very greasy, add in the 2 tablespoons of flour that we kept as standby.

Knead well,

After this, divide dough into about 20 equal portions and make round shaped balls from it, press these between the palms and place it over baking tray. Line your baking trays with a baking sheet/parchment paper/aluminium foil and place the dough balls on it, allow sufficient space between the biscuits, usually 1.5 to 2 inches as the biscuits tend to expand in size during the baking. Top each one with a little bit of finely chopped nuts and press gently with your finger.

The next step…….Baking, if this goes wrong everything is wasted, so here I’m sharing some tips of how to bake the Nan khatai

Baking♨

·       For even baking, position the rack at the centre of the oven and bake one tray of the biscuits at a time. If you want to bake two trays, space the racks, and switch the racks from top to bottom halfway through the baking.

·       Always Preheat the oven 10 to 15 minutes before baking the first batch.

·       Check the oven temperature with an oven thermometer (if you have it or else you can go by Visual judgement).

·       Once pre-heated, bake your cookies for about 15-20 minutes @180 degrees centigrade (350 degrees Fahrenheit)

·       Visual judgement is the best when it comes to baking your biscuits, follow the abovementioned time and check for the colour (light beige golden)

·       Using a timer would be good. Most Ovens come with a recipe book or instruction printed on it, which includes a range in baking time; check what’s the range for your oven. If not follow the minimum time stated in the recipe. Example, my recipe says, minimum time is 15 minutes.

·       Every oven has different settings and it may take a little longer or shorter time based on the oven you use.

Once Baked…..♨

Remove the baking tray from the oven and transfer the biscuits to a cooling rack (or wire rack). The biscuits can’t be eaten yet. Internally the heat is still cooking it. After about half an hour you can indulge in these beautiful Nan khatai Biscuits. Store them in an airtight container.

Enjoy these beauties with your tea/ coffee☕. I love dunking them into my tea☕. Sweet and Sinful Indulgence.

Tips

·       Just follow the Recipe As-is

·       Ensure that the butter in the recipe is soft but not completely melted

·       If Caster sugar is not available, you can powder the coarse sugar in the dry blender

·       If you are using ghee instead of butter, it should have semi solid consistency. It should not be completely melted or look like oil.