Nan Khatai

Ingredients

Dough

• 150 gplain flour
• 50 gfine semolina
• 50 ggram flour
• 150 gghee, softened
• 150 gicing sugar
• 1 tspground cardamom
• 1/4 tspbaking powder
• a pinch of salt

To finish

• 24pistachio halves, or blanched almonds
• a few strands of saffron, if wanted

Equipment

• a lined baking tray

Note

• no eggs and no liquid go into this dough

Directions

1. Take it out of the fridge an hour ahead if it is solid. The rule about liquid is absolute. Beat the softened ghee with the icing sugar in a bowl. Beat it for four or five minutes until pale and fluffy. Use icing sugar rather than granulated. Beat the ground cardamom in as well. Adding the flours is done in stages.
2. Sift the three flours with the baking powder and salt. Add them to the creamed mixture in three additions. Fold them in rather than beating them. Bringing the dough together needs your hands. Press it together with your hands in the bowl.
3. Squeeze it rather than kneading it. It should come together into a smooth soft dough. Wrap it and refrigerate it for thirty minutes. It should firm up but should still be pliable.
4. Divide the dough into twenty-four pieces. Roll each into a smooth ball between your palms. Set them on a lined tray with space between them. Flatten each one very slightly with your palm.
5. Press a pistachio half into the centre of each. Press it in firmly so it does not fall off. Heat the oven to 165C in good time. A hot oven browns them before the middle sets.
6. Bake them for eighteen to twenty minutes. They should stay pale rather than turning golden. Leave them on the tray for fifteen minutes without touching them. They are far too fragile to move while hot.
7. Cool them completely before packing them. Keep them in an airtight tin or box. They keep for two weeks and soften in humid air. Serve them with tea, which is what they exist for.

Technique

• No egg, milk or water goes in; any liquid develops gluten and ruins the crumb.
• Use icing sugar, since granulated leaves the biscuit gritty.
• Leave them on the tray for fifteen minutes, as they are too fragile to move hot.

Substitutions

• Softened unsalted butter in place of ghee, though ghee is better.
• Ground almonds in place of some of the gram flour.

Variations

• With saffron infused into the ghee.
• With chopped nuts worked through the dough.
• Made larger, as bakery-sized biscuits.

History

Said to have begun in Dutch-era Surat bakeries; now a fixture of Karachi and Lahore bakery counters.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nan Khatai?

Nan Khatai is a bread & pastry from Pakistan: crumbly cardamom shortbread biscuits, pale and cracked on top, dunked in tea. Said to have begun in Dutch-era Surat bakeries; now a fixture of Karachi and Lahore bakery counters.

How long does Nan Khatai take to make?

Nan Khatai takes 25 min plus 30 min chilling of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 24 biscuits. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Nan Khatai?

Yes, within limits. Softened unsalted butter in place of ghee, though ghee is better. Ground almonds in place of some of the gram flour.

What is the most important thing to get right in Nan Khatai?

Take it out of the fridge an hour ahead if it is solid. The rule about liquid is absolute. Beat the softened ghee with the icing sugar in a bowl. Beat it for four or five minutes until pale and fluffy. Use icing sugar rather than granulated. Beat the ground cardamom in as well. Adding the flours is done in stages.