Crispy Baked Spinach Sesame Jowar Sticks

Nimki is one of those snacks that shows up at tea-time in many North Indian homes, usually fried and stacked in a steel tin for the week. This version keeps the spirit of it but swaps the frying pan for the oven. The dough is a mix of jowar atta and whole wheat flour, which gives the sticks a nutty, slightly rustic flavour that plain maida never quite manages. Jowar, or sorghum, is a grain that has been grown in India for a very long time, and it makes a sturdy base for crackers like these.

The spinach is the part I like best. Finely chopped palak goes right into the dough, so it disappears into the flour and leaves a faint green colour and a savoury note behind. Spinach is naturally high in water, so the dough will feel a little looser than you expect. Add the water slowly and stop once it comes together into a semi-stiff ball. If it gets sticky, a pinch more flour on the board is enough to save it.

A few things I have learned from making these more than once. Roll the circles as thin as you can without tearing them, because thin sticks are the ones that turn properly crisp in the oven. Cut them with a sharp knife or a pizza cutter so the edges are clean. Watch them in the last few minutes, since the sesame seeds can darken quickly even when the rest is still pale. And let them cool completely on the tray before you touch them. They firm up as they cool, and if you bag them while still warm they will go soft by the next morning.

They keep well in an airtight tin for several days, and a quick crisp-up in a low oven brings them back to life if the weather has been humid. I often pack a handful into a lunch box with some cucumber and a little cheese. For something more filling, a bowl of Savory Spinach Oat Pancakes makes a good companion on a weekend breakfast table, and the two share that same green, savoury feel. If you want something warm to dip them in, a simple Garlicky Mushroom and Onion Soup on a cold evening goes beautifully with them.

Serve them with plain chai, green chutney, or just on their own. They are at their best the day you make them, but they are very forgiving, and I think they taste even better with a cup of tea in the late afternoon.