Nankhatai (Indian shortbread biscuits)

Ingredients

125g butter or margarine

⅓ cup caster sugar (can be substituted with regular white sugar)

1 cup self-raising flour

½ cup atta (Indian whole wheat flour)

1 tbsp fine semolina

¼ tsp ground cardamom

⅛ tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Use an electric mixer to beat the butter or margarine with the sugar until it’s light and creamy. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix on low speed until you have a soft dough.
2. Break off a small piece of dough and form it into a ball with a diameter of approximately 2½cm. Use the palms of your hands to flatten the dough into a circle. Place the dough on the baking tray, then gently press down on it with a fork to make an indent. You should now have a circle with a diameter of approximately 4cm. Repeat until all the dough is used.
3. Bake at 165°C fan-forced for 22 minutes, or until the biscuits are lightly golden. Cool them on a wire rack and store in an airtight container.

Note

• Atta is available at all Indian grocery stores and some supermarkets; you can also swap it out for plain flour or wholemeal flour.
• Nankhatai biscuits also freeze well and can keep for months.

Recipe from Indian-Jewish Food: Recipes and Stories from the Backstreets of Bondi (Sydney Jewish Museum). Photography by Shibani Mishra.