These wheatish toned Nankhatai with cardamom flavoring are the Indian version of the shortbread biscuits, there was always a jar of these on our nashta table, along with Mum’s Vanilla, Oats or Ginger biscuits.  I don’t remember ever having processed biscuits.  

The origin of this cookie goes back to the 16th century when the Dutch occupied Surat and set up a bakery to feed their troops.  When leaving India they handed over the bakery to a trusted employee called Faramji Pestonji Dotivala, who also created the Irani Biscuit, Farmasu Surti Batasa or butter biscuits, and the Nan Khatai.  The etymology is quite possible from Mr. Dotivala’s Persian background the words nan (meaning bread) and khat (meaning six, referring to the six ingredients – flour, eggs, sugar, ghee (butter), leavening, and almonds).  You can omit the egg or replace it with 2-4 tablespoons of whole milk.

How do you know East African Indian made them? Lookout for the top marked with an X and the signature orange “bindi” dot middle, my mum made two versions of these – one using a mix of all-purpose flour, fine semolina and chickpea flour, and the other using just all-purpose flour and fine semolina, her Gujarati version was always egg free and always made with pure ghee.  My only tweak to her recipe is adding a few splashes of vanilla for my kids.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup ghee 
• 3/4 cup icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract/paste 
• 1 cup fine semolina (sooji)
• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp or pinch baking powder
• 1.5 tsp cardamom powder
• Yellow food coloring 
  
  
  
  

Method:

1. Cream the ghee and icing sugar until light and frothy.
   
   
2. Add the semolina and mix. 
   
   
3. Stir in the flour, baking powder, vanilla extract and cardamom. 
   
   
4. Make walnut-sized balls and slightly flatten ( don’t press it too hard; these will flatten as they bake) on a greased (or parchment lined) cookie sheet. (You can use a penda mould to press a design if you want something fancy).
   
   
5. Or use the traditional method and cut a cross on each cookie with a knife. Then mix a little yellow food coloring with a little water or use gel food coloring and using your fingertip or end of a dowel or rolling pin dip into the colored water and make a dot on each cross. 
   
   
6. Bake at 350 for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Let them cool on the tray for  few minutes and then transfer to cooling rack. These cookies tend to brown very quickly on the bottom so check at 25 minutes and remove if done. 
   
   

How to make Vegan Nankhatai ?

Simply swap ghee with vegan butter or vegetable shortening or even almond butter.