Shakkar Para

• Mix flour, sooji, and oil in a bowl and make a stiff dough adding water slowly as needed. Knead it well. Dough also can be made using food processor.
• Cover the dough and set aside for 15 minutes or more.
• Divide dough in two equal parts.
• Take each part of the dough and make a flat ball shape. Roll them into 8-inch circles and thickness of salted crackers.
• Prick them with a fork all over the rolled dough, so the paras do not puff when frying.
• Cut each of the rolled dough into about 1 inch square. Note: you can cut them in your desire shape.
• Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat.
• The frying pan should have at least 1 ½ inch of oil. To check if the oil is ready, just put a small piece of dough in the oil. The dough should make the oil sizzle and come up slowly.
• Make sure to place just enough shakkar paras to cover top of the oil in frying pan. Fry the shakkar paras until both sides are a light golden-brown.
• Let the shakkar paras comes to the room temperature and they should be crisp.

Making Sugar Syrup

• Put the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil on medium-high heat.
• When the syrup comes to a boil, turn the heat down to medium and stir to dissolve the sugar.
• Let it simmer until the syrup is about half thread consistency or 220 degrees F. on a candy thermometer. Close the heat.
• Add coconut powder and cardamom to the syrup mix it well.
• Put all the paras to the syrup and mix it quickly, making sure all the paras are coated with syrup.
• Take them out on a greased tray, making sure that paras are not clumped together.
• Allow them to cool.
• Shakkar paras can be stored for several weeks in airtight container.