What is Namkeen?

Namkeen refers to a diverse range of savoury snacks popular in South Asian cultures. ‘Namkeen’ translates to savoury or salty flavour, which is the perfect description for this unique range of snacks. 

These are eaten at any time of day, often with a cup of chai (tea), as a snack with a meal or as a starter. They can be eaten straight from the packet, used as a crunchy topping for dishes like chaat or combined into savoury meals. 

Here are some popular types of namkeen - 

Popular types of namkeen 

Bombay Mix

Bombay Mix is one of the most well-known Indian snacks often served as a popular street food, party snack or paired with chai (tea). There are hundreds of different varieties of Bombay Mix, with ingredients and spices changing depending on the region where they are made. 

Bombay mix is a traditional Indian snack consisting of a medley of dried, spiced ingredients. A typical Bombay Mix is often savoury and spicy with a variety of fried, roasted and puffed ingredients like peanuts, dried peas, lentils, gram flour noodles (sev) and chickpeas. They are then mixed and seasoned with a blend of warming spices. 

We have 2 versions of Bombay Mix, with Navratan being the mild version and Kolhapuri being the hot version - both are equally delicious! 

The Navratain Mix is a North Indian style Bombay mix, lightly spiced and with a sweet edge. Navratan means ‘nine gems’ and is usually associated with jewellery. This mix contains an elegant mix of nuts, lentils and raisins all coated in a delicate blend of spices.

Fancy something hotter? Try the Kolhapuri Mix, a spicy Bombay mix popular in Kolhapur, Maharashtra. This blend includes crunchy gram flour noodles, peanuts and pulses. It is flavoured with spices, chilli and curry leaves.

Sev

Fried gram flour noodles (sev) are one of the main ingredients used in Bombay mix. They are made by pressing chickpea flour dough through a traditional sev press. When the handle is turned, the dough is pressed through a plate with holes. 

These holes can vary in size to create different-sized sev. The dough then directly falls into hot oil and is fried until cooked. 

Thin sev is usually sprinkled on top of street food snacks. However, this thick Tikha Sev is perfect as a stand-alone snack.

Try our Tikha Sev made from gram (chickpea) flour and spiced with turmeric, asafoetida and chilli. 

Gathiya 

Gathiya or Ganthiya are deep-fried snacks made from gram (chickpea) flour that are very popular in the region of Gujarat. 

We have our Gathiya Sticks, which are based on a Jamnagari-style recipe, spiced with ajwain, asafoetida and black pepper. 

Bakarwadi 

Bakarwadi or Bhakardwadi is known for its unique sweet, spicy and tangy flavour. A sweet and spicy mixture is spread on the dough, then rolled - this creates the spiral type swirl. The chickpea and wheat flour dough is cut into small disc-shaped bites, then deep-fried until golden brown. Try our Bakarwadi Swirls to experience these unique spicy snacks. 

We’d love to hear if you’ve tried our Snack range. Let us know your feedback on our Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. We love to see your curry creations, so please send us your foodie photos across.