Baked Nippatu (crispy crackers) - Mini Bites

 Nippatu is a traditional delicacy from Karnataka and is very similar to Thattai of Tamil Nadu. 

Nippats are mostly deep fried and prepared unfailingly for Ganesh Chaturthi and Diwali . I shall post the fried version of nippat sometime soon .

I say it is similar because there is a difference in the set of ingredients that go into the making of Nippat and Thattais . 

If you have lived in Bangalore even for a few days, you surely could not have missed enjoying some baked treats at the Iyengar Bakery outlets spread across the length and breadth of the city.

Iyengar Bakeries are known for their melt in mouth Khara Biscuits,  Veg Puffs, Dilpasand,khara buns and my all time favorite Baked Nippats . 

Baked Nippats are ideal for weight watchers since we skip the deep frying but my 2 cents is do not compromise on the quantity of butter and hot oil that needs to be added to the Nippat dough to achieve the perfect crunch and crackling effect .

The crispy and crunchy baked cracker is a burst of flavors with each bite.  Nippats are a perfect treat for evening snacks with tea or coffee . The ones we get at the bakeries are big in size ,but I have tried to make mini Nippats  for the ease of serving as well as eating . If you want to make the Nippats big in size just as we get in the Bakeries, then use a bigger cookie cutter to get the desired shape. 

Preparation Time - 10 mins
Resting Time - 10 mins
Baking Time - 20 -25 mins 
Makes - 18 to 20 nippatus
Complexity - medium 

Ingredients 

1cup maida / APF 
1.5 tbsp salted butter (room temperature)
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 tsp powdered sugar 

1/2 tsp baking powder 
2 green chillies 
Handful of fresh corriander
Few mint leaves (optional)
Few curry leaves 
2 tsp white sesame seeds /til / ellu (skip if allergic)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
Salt if needed 

Pinch of asafoetida 

Method

• In a small mixie jar , pulse the green chillies ,mint leaves, curry leaves and corriander to a coarse paste .Alternatively ,you can finely chopped all these if you donot want to pulse them . I like the light green yellow color of the nippats after baking ,hence I prefer to add the chilli paste.
• Sieve the maida, baking powder, Asafoetida and powder sugar into a wide mixing bowl.
• Add the softened butter,chilli paste,jeera and sesame seeds to the sifted flour and mix gently with your fingers to form a crumbly mixture. 
• Heat the oil in a small pan until it gets really hot and the pour the oil over the crumbly mixture . The mixture will begin to sizzle . Use a fork and incorporate the hot oil into the flour . Donot use your fingers as the oil will be really hot . 
• At this stage check for salt and if you feel salt is less,add as required and mix it well .
• Gradually add water little by little and form a stiff dough.  Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 mins.
• Meanwhile preheat the oven to 180 degree celsius .
• Arrange a baking tray with parchment paper and keep ready .
• Take a small portion of the nippat dough and roll it into a thick roti . Take a cookie cutter or a small lid and mark deep cuts . Prick each nippat with a fork and make holes .
• Arrange these cut nippatus on the baking tray and put it in the oven at 180deg for 15 min .
• The base of the Nippatu would have become nice and crisp, if it is not browned continue to bake for another 2 or 3 mins at 180 degrees again .
• Remove the Nippats and let it cool until it reaches room temperature. They will become crisp and crunchy . 
• Repeat the same step for all the dough that is remaining and carefully store the baked Nippats in an airtight container. 

Tips to remember 

• I have used the convection mode of my microwave oven to bake these nippats .
• If you are baking for the first time on your convection microwave oven ,pls read the user manual to make sure how your oven works .
• You may use 1/2 cup maida and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour if you donot want to use maida .
• Half way through baking keep an eye on the nippats so that it doesn't burn.  Heat settings at times differ from oven to oven.

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