• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Contact Us

Tiffin And Tea logo

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Contact Us
    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • About Me
    • Recipes
    • Contact Us
    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes

    17th April 2021 Desserts and Baking

    Home » Recipes

    Nan Khatai

    Sharing is caring!

    63 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    My mum's Nan Khatai is the best that I have tasted. I may be biased when I say this, but I think they have the perfect balance of flavours, chew and bite. Or as my son says..they just melt in the mouth.

    Nan Khatai on a plate on a colourful scarf

    One of the things I really miss being the furthest sibling away from home (get your violin out), is my mum's cooking. She is naturally gifted and has the ability to conjure up the most mouthwatering dishes. 

    There are many other things that I do miss but I wouldn't want to burden you with those. Or have you wondering where you put the Cello. 

    Her Nan Khatai is one such recipe. It has travelled the world to be in the hands of relatives who wanted needed some with their chai.

    Variations

    Now I know that not all Nan Khatais are the same. There are some that are more powdery then others and some that have a very obvious gaping hole in the middle. These have neither and they are perfect just as they are.

    Some make them using Semolina, Gram and Plain Flour but my mum only uses Plain Flour. Some don't use Egg at all. I think the Egg yolks used in this recipe give them the chew that I LOVE.

    What is Nan Khatai?

    Nan Khatai is an Indian shortbread type biscuit but with more sugar, the perfect dome and the perfume of Cardamom scattered throughout it. I am romanticising them a bit, I realise. 

    It could be that my fasting is making me see them through rose tinted spectacles. Or it could be that they really are that good. I will let you decide.

    You don't have to tell me either way but any praise of my mum's recipes is always welcome. There are 3 such recipes coming up. (Get your typing fingers ready).

    The best bit? These are made in 1 bowl (stand mixer or by hand) with zero fuss. You don't even have to line the trays. HURRAY!

    Nan Khatai on a white plate

    Nan Khatai close up on a plate

    Ingredients for Nan Khatai

    • Plain Flour
    • Egg Yolks
    • Ground Cardamom Powder
    • Sugar
    • Ghee 
    • Baking Powder

    How to make them

    This is my favourite bit.

    Add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix to combine. 

    Ghee in container with spoon

    Sugar and Ghee in bowl of stand mixer

     

    Flour added to stand mixer

    Dough in bowl

    Form into small balls. 

    Nan Khatai balls on a tray

    (Uniformity has never been my strong point).

    Nan Khatai balls on a tray

    Bake at 180C/GM 4 for 15 - 20 minutes until lightly golden. 

    A pile of Nan Khatai on a plate on a windowsill

    Nan Khatai on a plate on a shawl

    Storing Nan Khatai

    These delicious biscuits can be stored in an airtight container for 3 weeks. 

    Tips to make the best Nan Khatai

    • Do not overmix. You need to mix the ingredients just enough to bring them together to form a dough.
    • It is best to use room temperature Ghee or Butter in this recipe. So not completely melted but not fridge cold either.

    Variations

    • You can replace some of the Plain Flour with Semolina or Gram Flour.
    • You can use Butter in place of Ghee.

    more cookie recipes you may enjoy:

    Popcorn Cookies

    Biscoff Cookies

    Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies

    Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

    Oat Cookies

    Dulce De Leche Cookies

    Nutella Cookies

    Brownie Cookies

    **if you make something from  tiffin and tea, i would love to see your creations! don’t forget to rate this recipe and leave a comment below! we love to hear from you. safira x
    Nan Khatai close up on a plate
    5 from 2 votes
    Print

    Nan Khatai

    My mum's Nan Khatai is the best that I have tasted. I may be biased when I say this, but I think they have the perfect balance of flavours, chew and bite. Or as my son says..they just melt in the mouth.

    Course Baking, Baking/Dessert
    Cuisine Indian
    Keyword Indian Shortbread, Nan Khatai, Nankhatai
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes
    Total Time 30 minutes
    Servings 90 Nan Khatai
    Calories 110 kcal
    Author Safira

    Ingredients

    • 1 Kg Plain Flour
    • 2 Egg Yolks
    • 2 tsp Cardamom Powder
    • 450 g Granulated Sugar or Caster
    • 500 g Ghee
    • 2 ½ tsp Baking Powder

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 180 C/Gas Mark 4.

    2. Add all the ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer and and mix to form a dough. You can also do this by hand. 

    3. Form into small balls - around 3/4 inch. Place on trays leaving a space between each ball.

    4. Bake at 180C/GM 4 for 15 - 20 minutes until lightly golden. 

    Recipe Notes

    Storing Nan Khatai

    These delicious biscuits can be stored in an airtight container for 3 weeks. 

    Tips to make the best Nan Khatai

    • Do not overmix. You need to mix the ingredients just enough to bring them together to form a dough.
    • It is best to use room temperature Ghee or Butter in this recipe. So not completely melted but not fridge cold either.
    • Feel free to halve quantities. They do disappear fast which is why my mum always makes such huge quantity.

    Variations

    • You can replace some of the Plain Flour with Semolina or Gram Flour.
    • You can use Butter in place of Ghee.
    Nutrition Facts
    Nan Khatai
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 110 Calories from Fat 54
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 6g9%
    Saturated Fat 3g19%
    Cholesterol 19mg6%
    Sodium 12mg1%
    Potassium 13mg0%
    Carbohydrates 14g5%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 5g6%
    Protein 1g2%
    Vitamin A 6IU0%
    Vitamin C 1mg1%
    Calcium 9mg1%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Share this:

    • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
    • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
    • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
    • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
    • Click to share on stumbleupon (Opens in new window)
    • Click to share on yummy (Opens in new window)

    Related

    More Recipes

    • Rigatoni Al Forno with Béchamel Sauce
    • Korean Egg Drop Sandwich with Beef Bulgogi
    • Lemon Syrup Loaf Cake
    • Chicken Naanwich

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Saj says

      June 02, 2021 at 10:18 pm

      5 stars
      Having tried Dishoom's recipe (which turned out to be highly disappointing), your mum's recipe really hit the mark, so thank you for sharing it! I wondered whether you have ever tried adding a few drops of vanilla essence at all, as I noticed some recipes suggest adding it in.

      Also, how does Semolina and Besan change the texture/flavour of the naan khatai?

      Reply
      • Safira says

        June 04, 2021 at 6:22 pm

        Thank you so much. So happy to read this!
        Definitely trying them with Vanilla. I imagine it will work really well.
        I haven't tried it with either Semolina or Besan. I have baked cookies with Besan before and because it is slightly drier, had to add a splash of milk. Would love to know how they turn out, if you try using the alternatives yourself. Thanks so much for your feedback. It is so appreciated. 🙂

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Cake with rose petals scattered around

    hey...I’m safira! I share accessible Global Recipes as well as Baking recipes for home cooks. One of my passions is to teach home cooks to become more confident in the kitchen and this comes with time and experience.

    More about me →

    Recipes

    DON'T MISS ANY RECIPES

    Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Featured Recipes

    • The BEST Homemade Dark Chocolate Brownies
    • No bake Milk Chocolate Cheesecake with Oreo Crust 
    • Easy Freezer Friendly Mini Pizzas
    • Caramelised Brown Sugar Carrots

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Blog

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 Tiffin and Tea

    63 shares