When we used to live in CA, a couple of us friends would go for walking in the morning after dropping the children at school. After walking, I would spend at-least an hour with Thahira sipping tea and listening to her stories. She is an amazing story teller. Here is a sample. When she was really young may be in her first or second grade, she saw that everyone in school was really sad one day. She learnt that it was to do with her language teacher who was in a christian missionary. She came back home and told her mom that the teacher had become “Reddiar”. Reddiar is a community in Tamilnadu. Her mother was totally shocked and did not quite comprehend what Thahira was saying. Later on, her mother came to know that the teacher had actually “RETIRED”. I just could not stop laughing after hearing this. We still laugh so hard when we talk. There are very few people in life who can make you laugh till your stomach hurts. Hold them tight. நன்பேண்டா. OK. Back to the recipe. So one day Thahira had this Christmas party that was coming at school. She was to bring some Indian snack for the children. Her son was in Kindergarten then. She asked me what she could make that would be kindergarten friendly. We thought about a lot of snacks and sweets but were not convinced. Then she shouted “KALAKALA”. I dint know what kalakala was then. We just called it diamond biscuits. It was a huge hit at school among the little ones. Kalakala is crunchy and very slightly sweet. Its the perfect snack. This is also very traditional Christmas snack made in Tamilnadu. Here is how to do diamond biscuits.
Grind the sugar and the cardamom in a small mixie / grinder to a smooth powder. Set aside.
Mix in the Maida (All purpose flour), sugar mixture, a big pinch of salt and a big pinch of baking soda. Add in 2 teaspoon of ghee. Don’t add too much ghee. The biscuits will become too soft and soggy. Combine well with your fingers to make sure the ghee is evenly mixed.
Start adding water. Add very little at a time. Sugar is hygroscopic. So a little water will go a long way. Make a very stiff dough. Make 8 balls out of the dough. Set aside. Dust the dough ball in maida generously and roll each dough ball into a flat circle. Don’t roll it too thin. Roll it a little thicker than chapati.
Cut the circle into little diamonds with the help of a pie cutter or a knife. I like to use a knife as its super easy and the shape reminds me of my child hood memories. If you want to use a spiral cutter like the one in the picture below, go ahead. If you have a bench scraper, use it. I find it really helpful to transfer the cut diamonds to a plate. I transfer them directly to the oil for frying.
Heat oil in a pan in medium flame. Gently add in the diamond cuts to the oil. Do not fry the diamonds in very hot oil. As the dough contains sugar, it will caramelize and become really dark if fried in hot oil. Fry on low medium flame until golden.
Drain the biscuits on paper towels. Store in an airtight container for up-to 4 days.
- Measurements Used 1 Cup = 250 ml and 1 teaspoon = 5ml
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 Cardamom
- 2 Cups Maida / All Purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoon ghee
- a big pinch of salt
- a big pinch of baking soda (aapa soda)
- Little Flour for dusting
- Vegetable Oil for deep frying
- Grind the sugar and the cardamom in a small mixie / grinder to a smooth powder. Set aside.
- Mix in the Maida (All purpose flour), sugar mixture, a big pinch of salt and a big pinch of baking soda. Add in 2 teaspoon of ghee. Combine well with your fingers to make sure the ghee is evenly mixed.
- Start adding water. Add very little at a time. Make a very stiff dough. Make 8 balls out of the dough. Set aside. Dust the dough ball in maida generously and roll each dough ball into a flat circle. Don’t roll it too thin. Roll it a little thicker than chapati.
- Cut the circle into little diamonds with the help of a pie cutter or a knife.
- Heat oil in a pan in medium flame. Gently add in the diamond cuts to the oil. Fry on low medium flame until golden.
- Drain the biscuits on paper towels. Store in an airtight container for up-to 4 days.
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