DIAMOND BISCUIT / KALA KALA SWEET

      Kala Kala is a traditional Indian Christmas snack prepared to be given as goodies.  It is prepared in different ways in different regions around India. It has quite a number of versions, cut/shaped to whims and fancies, as well as it has different names too,  Kala Kala/Kal Kal/Kul Kul, Shakarpara/Shankarpali, Maida Biscuit as it is prepared basically with All-Purpose Flour.  But I have always known and called it as Diamond Biscuit/ Square Biscuit.
     Though called by names... it is a wonderful tiny byte of snack which will treat your tastebuds with its mild sweetness and crunchy texture.  Traditionally Diamond Biscuits are prepared with Coconut Milk and Eggs are added to the recipe.  But I have prepared it with Cows Milk and do not add Egg in my recipe. I have always liked the ones they sell at Coimbatore Nellai Lala Sweet, which had a mild Cardamom Flavour in it.
     My Dad makes this Diamond Biscuit in a different way, slightly bigger in size with a slit at the centre.  He adds eggs to the recipe, it was one anticipated snack during my childhood days because my Dad prepares this Diamond Biscuit only when he was free.  He had learnt it during his teenage days where he had worked in his Uncles Bakery in Kotagiri.  I can never forget the day a nasty Stray Cat broke the whole snack bottle.  Literally, it was not the bottle the Cat had broken, it broke my heart and I was almost at the brim of tears to see those wonderful Diamond Biscuits lying in midst of those broken glass shreds.  What my Dad did to that stray cat is another story.  Since then we named this Snack as POOCHA(Cat) Biscuit. Lovely childhood memories flocking through my mind.

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Cuisine : Indian
Recipe Type : Snacks
Difficulty : Medium
Author : SM

Preparation Time - 30-45 Minutes
Cooking Time - 30 -45 Minutes

INGREDIENTS :

All-Purpose Flour - 2 Cups
Milk - 1/2 Cups
Sugar - 1/2 Cups
Butter/Ghee - 4 Tbpsn
Cardamom - 3-4 Pods(Optional)
Baking Soda - 1/4 Tspn
Salt - 1/2 Tspn

For Deep Frying :

Oil

METHOD :

• Warm-up the Milk and keep it aside.
• Sieve All-Purpose Flour along with Salt once, and keep it aside.
• In a bowl, Cream the Butter, Sugar and Baking Soda together by using a fork or a wooden spatula until the ingredients are just combined.
• Add the All-Purpose Flour and mix with your hand until the ingredients are well combined.
• Initially, pour in a little warm Milk and knead the dough.
• Knead the dough by adding little milk at a time.
• The dough should be slightly stiffer.  
• Divide the Dough into 6 Balls and keep them aside.
• Dust the Dough Balls with some All-Purpose Flour and roll it out into a flat, thick circle.
• Cut the circle into tiny Diamonds/Squares with a Knife/ Spiral Cutter.
• Transfer the Cut Diamonds/Squares to a plate dusted with All-Purpose Flour.
• Follow the suit for rest of the dough balls.

For Deep Frying :

• Heat Oil in a Deep Pan or a Wok.
• Once the Oil is really hot reduce the flame to Medium.
• Gently drop the Cut Diamonds/Squares into the Oil.
• Fry the Diamond Biscuits on a Low Medium Flame until it turns into Golden Colour.
• The Sugar in the Dough can Caramelize the snack if fried on a high flame.  
• Once done, Remove the fried Diamond Biscuits with slotted spoons from the oil.
• Drain them on Paper towels 
• Once cooled down, store them in airtight containers.
• Stays good for a week to 10 Days.

NOTES :

• If using Cardamoms, grind them into a fine powder along with some Sugar.
• Can add Coconut Milk instead of Cows Milk, Coconut milk gives an authentic flavour to the snack.
• Can use Ghee/Butter for the recipe.  Both work equally well.
• Don’t roll it too thin. Roll it as you do it for chapati, but slightly thicker.
• Can use a Knife/Spiral Cutter/Pizza/Pie Cutter for the purpose.
• Cut the flat circles into any desired shape. Also can shape them like shells or into any desired shape and colour(By adding food colouring) according to your preference.
• Fry the Diamond Biscuits on a Low-Medium Flame until it turns into Golden Colour.
• The Sugar in the Dough can Caramelize the snack if fried on a high flame.