Nan Khatai / Nankhatai refer to a light and crunchy authentic eggless Indian sweet or savory buttery cookies with Ghee, Flour (Maida) Rava/Sooji (Semolina) sometimes Gram Flour (Besan/Kadalamavu) are also added and for sugar for the sweet version. Cardamon is also addded for that aromatic taste. Nowadays, some people are adding extra flavor to it, by adding Chocolates and Rose water to the dough. It is also described as crumbly, soft, delicate and smooth shortbread cookie.

Rava or Sooji is added for extra crunchy and cripsy texture. Some also add chopped nuts to their recipe.

Traditionally, an Indian cookie, Nan Khatai has a Dutch origin when the Dutch occupied Gujarat. It is said the recipe Nan Khatai originated the large port city of Gujarat, particularly in Surat at the end of 16th century when Dutch set up a bakery and handed down the recipe to a trusted Farsi employee named Faramji Pestonji Dotivala when they left India.

Nan Khatai is famous in Goa and distributed as goodies for Christmas. It is not only popular all over India, but also in Pakistan.

Nan Khatai is also called Nankhat and is a popular Diwali dessert. The story nowadays is that Nankhatai is a dying tradition with the emergence of so many cookies and biscuits from all over the western world. It is getting harder to find them in the local market and bakeshops. In New Delhi, however, there are still those who make sell them as street food in pushcarts.

The picture below of Nan Khatai was a gift to a family friend in Kerala who wanted very much to taste Nan Khatai because it always reminds him of his childhood. This particular cookie reminds everyone of childhood. It brings back lots of happy memories.


Related Articles to the term 'Nan Khatai / Nankhatai'

'Rava Idli' ■■■■■■■■
Rava Idli is a south Indian vegetarian dish, a variation of the traditional Idli which is made of steamed . . . Read More
'Syrup' ■■■■■■■■
In cooking, a syrup or sirup is a thick, viscous liquid consisting primarily of a solution of sugar in . . . Read More
'Bhatura' ■■■■■■■
Bhatura or bhaturas refers to a very common North Indian bread which is made out of dough of fine wheat . . . Read More
'Hangwa' ■■■■■■■
Hangwa refers to Korean traditional sweets. There are many types of traditional Korean sweets and cookies . . . Read More
'Water' ■■■■■■■
Water: "water" refers to the clear, odorless, and tasteless liquid that is essential to life and used . . . Read More
'Gulabjamun' ■■■■■■
Gulabjamun refers to nationally popular sweet delicacy in India. It is made with khoa, a desiccated milk . . . Read More
'Fondant' ■■■■■■
Fondant refers to an icing made by boiling sugar solution and glucose, which is cooked to a specific . . . Read More
'Amagwinya' ■■■■■■
Amagwinya also known as Vetkoek refers to a popular traditional Zulu food which is flour mixture with . . . Read More
'Syrniki' ■■■■■■
Syrniki refers to Russian cheese pancakes or can also be called "Tvorog Burgers" since they are made . . . Read More
'Kesari Bath' ■■■■■■
Kesari Bath is a sweet delicacy of Karnataka and other southern states of India. It is made from Rava . . . Read More