Shakkarpare

Shakkarpare is very common in north India . It is a sugar coated sweet made of white flour. My mom used to make them for me and I just loved them for their taste and softness. I never tried making it myself, but this Diwali I tried and it turned out well (ofcourse mom was troubled a couple of times over phone :). But then, I can take this liberty with none else but my most talented mom who taught me everything- cooking, stitching, crochet, needle work, painting, and what not. All I am and everything I know, I owe to my mother. I love you mom!
I am bringing you here one of my favorite home made sweet..

You require: 
Maida (White Flour): 4 cups
Ghee to fry and add moin (binder)
sugar: 1 1/4 cup
clove: 4-5 pices
cardamom : 2 pieces, seeds powdered

• Add 10 tbspn ghee (moin) to maida and rub well. Try to bind it in fist and it should take the shape (mutthi moin).
• Knead it with warm water (neither too hard, nor too soft).
• Make five portions. Roll one portion to make a 7" dia pancake, about 1/2 cm thick.
• Cut 1" *1/2" pieces (shaped like a parallelogram)
• Heat ghee, slide 15-20 at a time and cook on slow flame for 4-5 minutes. Before taking out increase the flame and fry for half a minute continuously turningthem, so that the shakkarpare's get a beige colour (I missed taking pics at this stage).
• Frying tip: Add the shakkarpare in high flame, later reduce the flame and fry in low flame, turning 2-3 times. Increase the flame before removing, so that the oil is hot for the next round. The colour of the shakkarpare is light beige. So take care that the oil never gets very hot to turn them brown.

For sugar coating/ chaashni chadana.

• Take sugar in a thick bottomed pan  and add 1/3 cup water. Keep it on low flame stirring in between. The sugar dissolves and starts boiling in some time. To check when it is done, take little syrup on laddle, press it between your fore finger and thumb, release them. It is about two strings and makes a ball when rubbed. Or try to cover a shakkarpara, it should coat it well and start drying. At this stage remove from  fire and add cloves and cardamon seed powder. The cloves are removed later but they add a nice flavour to the sugar coating.
• Meanwhile take all the shakkarpare in a big plate, or bowl  (Paraat). Pour the chaashni/sugar syrup on them and turn them so that sugar coats on all of them. 
• Let them cool , separate them if they stick to each other and serve.