Kucho nimki aka kucho nimki recipe Bengali is a pure Bengali delicacy and one of the most popular Bengali snack recipes. It is a traditional recipe which has been prepared from generations to generations, every year in almost every Bengali house during Durga puja. Honestly, kucho nimki recipe does not require any introduction. It is basically small diamond or rhombus shaped deep fried savoury crackers recipe prepared with all-purpose flour, nigella seeds, salt, oil. It is mostly served at tea-time with a cup of hot tea or as a snack for munching.
Table of Contents
About the recipe
Tips and Suggestions
How to make Kucho Nimki (step wise photos)
Recipe Card
What is kucho nimki?
Kucho nimki is a traditional Bengali snacks recipe which has been prepared in every Bengali kitchen from ages. The name itself explains the recipe. The word ‘Kucho’ means tiny and ‘Nimki’ means savoury munchies. In short, kucho nimki recipe is tiny diamond shaped savoury munchies prepared with all-purpose flour and seasoned with salt and nigella seeds. These are deep fried snacks prepared in batches and kept in airtight containers for weeks.
Usually, in any Bengali house, people start preparing kucho nimki before the start of Durga puja and serve them in bijaya Dashami when people come to visit their houses. After Bijaya Dashami, people visit relatives and neighbours house and touch elders’ feet to seek blessings. It is a custom followed by generations with joy and happiness. When guests come to visit home after Bijoya Dashami, serving them plate of snacks with sweets, homemade narkeler naru and kucho nimki is a must.
Difference between kucho nimki and namak para
Though the preparation of kucho nimki and namak para are similar but are not same to same. The processes of preparing both the recipes are similar but ingredients vary.
Kucho nimki is the Bengali version of namak para which is prepared with all-purpose flour. In this recipe, only nigella seeds are added to flavour up the crackers.
On the other hand, namak para is a north Indian snack recipe prepared with wheat flour or combination of wheat flour and all-purpose flour. Namak para is flavoured up with different whole spices like cumin seeds, carom seeds, hing, black pepper powder etc.
As I have already mentioned, kucho nimki is an old recipe. In early days, packaged snacks and junk foods were not normally available. At that time, our grannies and great grannies used to prepare kucho nimki, murir mua etc. in batches and used to keep it in glass containers. At that time, those homemade stuffs were the only wonderful delights during teatime and evening snacks. Till now, Bengalis have been preserving these asset recipes and prepare them at least once in a year during Durga puja.
Since I got my senses, I have always seen my mom preparing two to three batches of kucho nimki recipe every year during the festive season. It was compulsorily served with narkeler naru and other sweets to guests who used to visit our house during Durga puja to Bhai fota.
I still remember how I and my elder brother used to stand behind my mom during the time of preparing kucho nimki. It’s a complete moreish and almost impossible to resist yourself to devour.
For any Bengali, the festive season is very special when joy is in the air. People spread only positivity, happiness and laughter. The bonding between family, relatives and friends gets stronger. Kucho nimki is an inimitable part of Bengali culture to cherish those special moments during that festive occasion.
Kucho nimki recipe is not only a homemade snacks recipe, but is always more than that. It contains the love, hard work, memories, emotions and blessings of your loved ones. For any Bengali, kucho nimki means pure nostalgia.
Other than festive season, kucho nimki is a perfect veg snacks recipe which you can munch anytime and anywhere whenever hungry. In fact, you can add some chopped onion, green chillies, tomato, some chutneys and spices to the nimkis and prepare nimki makha for evening snacks recipe.
Kucho nimki recipe Bengali is very simple and easy to make. It requires only 5 basic ingredients to be prepared and each ingredient is easily available in any kitchen pantry. The best part of the recipe is that you can store it in an airtight container in a cool dry place for many days and have it during teatimes. It will be an asset for your evening snacks.
Though now a days kucho nimki is readily available in sweet shops or as packaged food in supermarkets but still, I always prefer homemade kucho nimki over the market bought ones. It not only tastes better, but it is also much healthier than readymade ones. Though a small effort would be required to prepare it at home, but you can easily see the difference after making it at home.
Kucho nimki with step by step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instruction’ section of the recipe. I have included all the tips and tricks to make the recipe easier for you. If you follow each step of my recipe precisely then you will get the perfectly crispy and flaky nimki which will taste much better than the market bought ones.
Tips to prepare perfect kucho nimki
- Traditional kucho nimki is prepared with all-purpose flour. It gives better texture and taste to the nimki.
- Don’t skip nigella seeds from the recipe. It gives better flavour to the dish.
- Addition of sugar along with salt makes the nimki tastier.
- It is very important to add moyan (fat added to the flour) properly. It provides perfect flaky texture along with crispiness to the nimki.
- Always prepare a tight dough for the perfect texture of nimki. Addition of too much water makes the dough soft and addition of less water makes the dough stiff and hard.
- After preparing the dough always cover it with wet cloth and allow it to rest for 15-20 minutes. It helps to relax the glutens.
- Roll the dough ball to a thin circular disc. The thickness should be like a paratha.
- Cut the kucho nimki evenly and separate them from the rolling board with the help of knife before adding into the oil for frying.
- The temperature of oil is very important to deep fry the kucho nimki perfectly. First check the temperature of oil by dropping a piece into it. If it floats up immediately then the temperature of the oil is perfect.
- Always fry the nimiki only till the colour is golden and not golden brown.
- Put the flame in low during the time of straining kucho nimki or else few of them many get over cooked in hot oil. Over frying makes it brown in colour and bitter in taste.
How to make nimki?
To prepare perfect kucho nimki recipe, it is very important to prepare a perfect dough for it. The dough should neither be too soft nor too hard. The dough should be tight enough so that each diamond pieces will not get stuck to each other.
First take all-purpose flour into a large mixing bowl. Then add nigella seeds, salt, sugar, oil and mix it properly. The flour should get bind when you take it in your fist and apply pressure. The moyan (fat added into the flour) of the dough is very important to get perfect texture of nimki.
Then add water slowly at a time and prepare a tight dough. Knead it for couple of minutes to make a smooth dough. Then cover the dough with a wet cloth and allow it to rest for 20-30 minutes. Again, knead the dough for a minute.
Divide the dough and make medium size balls with the help of hands and flattened them. Then roll out the dough ball to a large chapati on a chapati board with rolling pin. Then cut them into diamond shape with the help of a knife. Separate the pieces from rolling board with the help of a knife.
On the other hand, put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Add enough oil to deep fry the kucho nimki. Temperature of oil is an important factor during the time of frying nimki. First check the temperature of oil by dropping a diamond piece into it. If it floats up immediately then the temperature of the oil is perfect.
Add the diamond shaped nimkis into the hot oil in small batches and fry them over medium flame till golden. Then put the flame in low and strain out the kucho nimki from the hot oil and transfer them to a tissue lined plat.
Repeat the same process and prepare kucho nimki with rest of the dough. Once they cool down to room temperature, store them in an airtight container for couple of weeks.
Many bengali snacks recipes have already been shared in my previous posts. You can check few of them like
Bengali singara
Vegetable chop
Dimer devil
Egg roll
..And Many more…
Ingredients:
1 cup = 250 ml
- 1 cup all-purpose Flour (Maida)
- 1 teaspoon Nigella seeds (Kalonji)
- 2 tablespoons Oil for moyan
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- ½ tablespoon Sugar
- ¼ cup Water to knead the dough (Use as required)
- Oil for deep frying
Instructions:
- Take a large mixing bowl and add 1 cup all-purpose flour into it.
- Add ¾ teaspoon salt, ½ tablespoon sugar, 2 tablespoons oil into the pan and mix them thoroughly. The flour should get bind when you take it in your fist and apply pressure.
- Add the measured amount of water slowly at a time and prepare a tight dough. Knead it for couple of minutes to make a smooth dough.
- Cover the dough with a wet cloth and allow it to rest for 20-30 minutes. Again, knead the dough for a minute. Then divide the dough and make medium size balls with the help of hands and flattened them.
- Roll out the dough ball to a large thin circular disc on a rolling board with rolling pin. The thickness of the rolled-out disc should be like a paratha.
- Cut the rolled-out disc into diamond shapes with the help of a knife.
- Separate the pieces from rolling board with the help of a knife.
- On the other hand, put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Add enough oil to deep fry the kucho nimki.
- First check the temperature of oil by dropping a diamond shaped piece into it. If it floats up immediately then the temperature of the oil is perfect for frying nimki.
- Add the diamond shaped nimkis into the hot oil in small batches and fry them over medium flame till golden. Then put the flame in low and strain out the kucho nimki from the hot oil and transfer them to a tissue lined plate.
- Repeat the same process and prepare kucho nimki with rest of the dough.
- Once the kucho nimki cools down to room temperature, store them in an airtight container in a cool dry place.
Serving Instruction
Transfer the kucho nimki on a serving plate and serve them with a cup of hot tea or have it when hunger calls. Enjoy your homemade Bengali snacks recipe with family and friends with lot of gossip.
How to store kucho nimki?
Once the kucho nimki cools down to room temperature, store it to a clean and dry airtight container for couple of weeks. Keep it in a cool and dry place and don’t use wet hands to take them out.
Ingredients
1 cup = 250 ml
- 1 cup all-purpose Flour (Maida)
- 1 teaspoon Nigella seeds (Kalonji)
- 2 tablespoons Oil for moyan
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- ½ tablespoon Sugar
- ¼ cup Water to knead the dough (Use as required)
- Oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Take a large mixing bowl and add 1 cup all-purpose flour into it.
- Add ¾ teaspoon salt, ½ tablespoon sugar, 2 tablespoons oil into the pan and mix them thoroughly. The flour should get bind when you take it in your fist and apply pressure.
- Add the measured amount of water slowly at a time and prepare a tight dough. Knead it for couple of minutes to make a smooth dough.
- Cover the dough with a wet cloth and allow it to rest for 20-30 minutes. Again, knead the dough for a minute. Then divide the dough and make medium size balls with the help of hands and flattened them.
- Roll out the dough ball to a large thin circular disc on a rolling board with rolling pin. The thickness of the rolled-out disc should be like a paratha.
- Cut the rolled-out disc into diamond shapes with the help of a knife.
- Separate the pieces from rolling board with the help of a knife.
- On the other hand, put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Add enough oil to deep fry the kucho nimki.
- First check the temperature of oil by dropping a diamond shaped piece into it. If it floats up immediately then the temperature of the oil is perfect for frying nimki.
- Add the diamond shaped nimkis into the hot oil in small batches and fry them over medium flame till golden. Then put the flame in low and strain out the kucho nimki from the hot oil and transfer them to a tissue lined plate.
- Repeat the same process and prepare kucho nimki with rest of the dough.
- Once the kucho nimki cools down to room temperature, store them in an airtight container in a cool dry place.
