Diwali is the Indian New Year and its a time for great festivities – basically just like festivals all around the world – its a time where you get to be together with your family and friends, and its a time of the year where a variety of sweets are to be made and gifts are to be given. For me growing up in Mumbai, Diwali was synonymous with loud fire-crackers, blaring music , pretty sweet boxes and my amma making homemade sweet goodies that we would exchange with our neighbors. This would mean that the preparations would start at least 4-5 days in advance with every night after an early dinner , mom and we girls would gather in the kitchen making each of these traditional sweets. Diamond cuts or Shankar pali as it is called in Maharashtra is a sweet fried snack that actually tastes very much like fried dough. My son loves fried dough and so the first time he tasted these diamond cuts, he called them fried dough diamonds! These are soooo good and delectable especially when you have them when they are really warm! These used to be my favorite Diwali sweet growing up and that’s why maybe even now I feel like a kid when I eat them!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup or 1 stick unsalted butter (or ghee), melted
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- Pinch of salt
- Vegetable or any cooking oil for deep frying
Method:
1. Take a large mixing bowl and add the melted butter, milk, sugar and the salt and mix well.
2. Now wait till the butter mixture gets a little cooler and then add the flour into the bowl slowly and first stir using a spoon to mix all the flour with the butter and milk mixture. Then use your hands to form a nice soft dough. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes.
3. Heat a wide pan with enough oil for deep frying the diamond cuts.
4. Now divide the dough into about 6 small portions and taking one portion at a time, roll the dough into a flat round shape. It should not be too thin – keep it a little thick . It will resemble pastry dough.
5. Now using a pizza cutter or a knife cut the uneven edges out and then make horizontal and vertical lines on the rolled dough so as to make small diamond shapes
6. Now carefully place these cut diamond shapes into the deep fryer and fry on medium heat until golden brown
7. Drain on paper towel to remove excess oil. Add powdered sugar on top and enjoy with a cup of tea!
