Namkeen Kaju Biscuits are crunchy, spicy and melt in mouth cashew shaped snack. In Andhra, these are often added to boondi along with fried black masoor dal and sev to make mixture (khara). Kaju Biscuits are my childhood favorite school and after school snacks. If you like homemade jar snacks, then you should try these simple and easy kaju biscuit recipe.
What Are Kaju Biscuits?
As I said, these are half-moon shaped, deep fried (or baked), crunchy and spicy savory little snacks. The name kaju biscuits is given to these as these beauties look exactly like fried cashews (cashew nuts). Kaju is the Hindi word for cashews. So, the name kaju biscuits. The recipe of this Namkeen Kaju Biscuits is much like namak pare.
Kaju biscuits are,
- crunchy
- spicy
- savory
- kid-friendly
- perfect snack with tea or coffee
- best homemade munching snack
- vegan (skip adding ghee, to make these vegan)
- makes best homemade edible gift
Other Names Of Cashew Biscuits
These kaju biscuits are also called as maida kaju or masala maida kaju or maida masala kaju or small half-moon biscuits or khare chand biscuits. These are also called as chandamama biscuits in Telugu. Munthiri Biscuits and Kaju Namak Pare are other names of these savory biscuits.
Shaping Kaju Biscuits
To shape cashew biscuits, you can either use bottle cap or backside of an icing nozzle or cookie cutter.
You can shape the dough into any desired shape of your choice. But as we are calling these as kaju biscuits, we cut the dough to look like cashews.
What You Need To Make Masala Kaju Biscuits?
All you need are these five simple and easily available ingredients in your pantry to make these crunchy and spicy biscuits,
All Purpose Flour | Maida: This is the main ingredient in making these biscuits. Now you know, why these biscuits are also called maida biscuits, right??
Carrom Seeds | Ajwain: This will bring good taste and flavour in the biscuits.
Salt: As we are making savory biscuits, salt is one of the most important ingredients in making these.
Red Chili Powder: Adds spice, brings flavour and heat in the recipe.
Ghee: Used for binding the flour and also for bringing the crunch in the biscuits.
Oil: Used for deep frying these biscuits.
Variations And Substitutes
You can easily substitute, ghee with oil or dalda (vanaspati).
Sprinkle of red chili powder brings spicy taste in these biscuits. You can skip adding red chilli powder and can make plain ones too.
For extra taste you can toss these with chaat masala or black salt.
For sweeter version, you can toss these kaju biscuits with cardamon flavoured powdered sugar.
Instead of carrom seeds you can add crushed cumin or cumin powder. This will bring good taste in the biscuits.
Popular Homemade Indian Jar Snacks To Try
Tips To Make Crunchy Kaju Biscuits
- Ghee or oil should be lukewarm when you add it to the flour.
- Adding a pinch of baking soda will make these biscuits crunchier.
- Sieve the flour 2-3 times to avoid lumps and to get rid of any dirt.
- As soon as the biscuits, turn nice golden, remove them from oil. By the time they turn cool, they change little darker.
How To Store Kaju Biscuits?
You can store these in a clean, dry and moisture-free airtight jar.
Whenever I make jar snacks, I divide them into 2 boxes. One big box and other small one.
As soon as the small one completes, I fill it up with the snacks from the big box.
Doing this will keep the snacks fresh for long time.
These namkeen kaju biscuits stays fresh for 15-20 days.
Namkeen Kaju Biscuits Recipe
Namkeen Kaju Biscuits are crunchy, spicy and melt in mouth cashew shaped snack. These are kid-friendly and fits under "The Best Indian Jar Snack Recipe". Masala Kaju Namak Pare are perfect homemade snack to munch on while watching IPL and also with evening tea.
Ingredients
- 1 cup All purpose flour | Maida
- ½ cup All Purpose Flour, for dusting
- 4 tbsp. Ghee | Oil
- ½ tbsp. Carrom seeds | Ajwain
- Salt, as per taste
- Oil for deep frying
- Water, as required
For Tossing:
- 1 tbsp. Red chili powder
Instructions
How to make Namkeen Masala Kaju Biscuits
Making Dough:
- Melt ghee and keep aside. If using oil, then heat till lukewarm.
- Sieve the flour for 2-3 times and add it to a wide bowl.
- Now to this add lukewarm ghee (or oil), salt and carrom seeds.
- Combine well and start to make dough by adding little by little water.
- Knead until you get a hard dough. Apply ½ tbsp. of oil to the dough.
- Cover it with a damp cloth and leave the dough to rest for 30 minutes.
Shaping Kaju Namkeen:
- After 30 minutes, remove the damp cloth and knead the dough for 5-6 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 3-4 balls. Keep them covered.
- Sprinkle some flour on the rolling surface, take a dough ball and roll into an evenly thick 2mm size round. NOTE: Do not worry about round shape, as we are going to cut these into kaju shape, the edges or corners, can again be rolled and cut again).
- Now take a bottle cap or icing nozzle and cut the dough and collect these on a plate.
- Repeat and complete till the rolled dough is complete.
Deep Frying Kaju Biscuits:
- In the meantime, heat oil on medium high flame.
- To check whether the oil is hot enough to fry biscuits, add one biscuit to the hot oil and check. NOTE: If the biscuit sizzles and raises up, then the oil is
very hot, our biscuits will not be cooked from inside. Reduce the flame and
wait for few minutes, till oil cools down a little. Ensure oil should be hot
but not piping hot. - Once the oil is hot, reduce the flame and start adding our kaju biscuits. Wait for 30-45 seconds.
- You can fry in batches too depending on the size of vessel in which you are frying these biscuits.
- The biscuits will start to float on top. On low flame, using a slotted spoon gently tap the oil for 2-3 times.
- Doing this will loosen up the biscuits, if they have sticked to each other.
- Keep turning the biscuits, until all of them turn nice light golden brown on all the sides.
- Carefully, remove on a kitchen plate lined with tissue paper. Set aside and continue until you complete all the dough.
Tossing Masala Kaju Biscuits:
- Take fried kaju biscuits in a big bowl. S
- Sprinkle red chili powder and salt. Toss well.
- Leave these to come to room temperature and then store in clean and dry airtight jar.
- Add love to make these Namkeen Kaju Pare taste ‘Yummy’.
Notes
Lubna's Serving Suggestions:
You can serve these kaju biscuits,
- with evening tea or coffee
- in school or office snack box
- school bus snack
- after school snack
- picnic snack
- snack for long road trips
- you can mix these with boondi and make mixture
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 140Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 83mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 2g
Aimee Mars says
These look like they’re highly addicting and I’d probably eat them all immediately. I also love that these were a favorite from your childhood, which makes me want to make them for my own kids. I bet they’d love it for an after-school snack!
Dannii says
I have never heard of these before, but the flavours sound amazing.
Tavo says
You got me so intrigued! I am definitely going to get my hands on those ingredients and make them on Sunday! Seems like these are going to be my next favorite snacks!
Pavani says
Wow, such crispy and addictive kaju biscuits. A perfect accompaniment for chai time. My family would probably eat them by the handfuls.