Gluten free Mathri
                            (Crispy salty crackers)

Mathri is a traditional classic North Indian afternoon tea time snack. It is usually made with All-purpose flour, soozi and oil and Ajawain is add for flavor. But if you have Gluten allergy and you cannot eat wheat flour and its product, you can still enjoy eating Gluten free Mathri’s. they are very tasty and have irresistible flavor. You could easily purchase Gluten free bread flour mix which is the combination of several Gluten free Flour and cream of rice. Mixing of cream of rice gives crunch to Mathris. These Mathri’s are easy to make and made the same way as traditional Mathri’s.

Ingredients:
​
2 Cups Gluten Free flour
1 Cup cream of rice (optional)
1 Teaspoon Ajwain (Carom seeds)
2 Teaspoon salt or to taste
¾ Cup oil
1  Cup + 3 Tablespoon water or as needed 
Oil for frying Mathri's


Cooking measurement conversion
Measurement converter

Gluten free flour

Cream of Rice

Carom seeds (Ajwain)

Salt

Oil for frying Mathri's

Oil

water

Also needed:
​
Thick food wrap (Freezer storage bag plastic is thick)
​
Bowl with flat bottom
​

Freezer storage bag

Bowl with flat bottom

Direction:

1.  In a bowl place Gluten flour and cream of Rice and mix them together.

Gluten free flour

Cream of Rice

In a bowl add Gluten flour & Cream of rice

Mix cream of rice with flour

 2. Add carom seeds and salt and mix with flour.    ​

Add carom seeds (Ajwain)

Mix carom seeds well

3.  Add oil and mix it by rubbing between your thumb and fingers till everything
     is incorporated well and flour mix becomes crumbly.

Add oil

Mix oil with flour well

 4. Take a hand full of flour in your palm and press down. Flour should hold the
     shape, meaning it has the right amount of the oil required for the crest.

Take some flour in your palm

Flour holding the shape

5. Add a little water at a time and mix it with flour in a rotating motion from the
    center of the bowl to outward until it form a dough and it cleans the sides of
    the bowl, knead it for few minutes. ​

Mathri flour incorporated with oil

Add water in flour

Mix water in flour & make dough

Mix water & knead the dough

6.  Once the dough become smooth, knead the dough with greased hands make a
      ball  and cover it with a damp towel and let it rest for 15 minutes. Dough
      should be firm but not stiff it should be little soft and moist. If dough is hard
      then Mathri will break when yon will roll them.​

Dough for Mathri

Cover the dough with damp towel

​Directions for rolling the Mathri’s:
 
1.  Grease the hand and knead the dough for few minutes to make it smooth, keep
      it covered with the damp towel so that dough doesn’t become dry while
      making the Mathris.

 2. Take a portion of the dough and knead and roll over the rolling board to make
     it smooth.

Knead the dough to make it smooth

Roll the dough

3. Take a little dough and roll it into a small ball. Gently press the ball flat a little.

Roll the dough

Lightly press the dough

4. Place the thick plastic sheet on the rolling board (I used Ziplock freezer bag. I
​    cut the zipper from the top and sides of the bag and spread on the rolling board)

Mathri dough balls

Place the plastic sheet on rolling board

5. Place the rolled dough balls on the rolling board over plastic. Place another
    sheet on the top of the dough balls.

Place the dough balls on the rolling board

Cover the Dough ball with plastic

​6. With flat bottom bowl press the dough balls to spread them.

Press the dough with the bowl

Mathri's are spread

7. Mathri's are pressed in shape. 

8. If Mathri's seems to be thick then with a rolling pin gently roll them.

​9. Take the top food wrap out and with a fork poke the Mathri's.

With rolling pin roll Mathri's

Poke Mathri's with a fork

Gluten free Mathr's

​Directions for frying the Mathris:
            
1.  While rolling the Mathris heat 3 cups of oil in a frying pan or kadhai on
     medium heat for 6 to 7 minutes or until oil become hot. 

2.   To check if the oil is ready, drop a small ball of dough in the hot oil, if the
       dough starts sizzling and come up slowly it means it is the right heat but if it
       becomes too dark quickly it means oil is too hot, turn the heat down.

In a pan add oil & heat

Drop a small ball of dough in hot oil

3. Now gently drop 8 to 10 Mathri's in hot oil one at a time.

Gently drop Mathri in hot oil

4. Mathri's are sizzling in the oil. 

5. Fry mathris on low heat otherwise Mathri’s will stay soft and they will not be
     crisp.

Mathri's start sizzling in oil

6. With a slotted spoon start flickering hot oil over the top of the Mathri’s.

Flicker oil over Mathri's

7. let the Mathris fry for 1 minute then flip them to other side and fry for one-
    minute, flip Mathris around few times for about 8 to 10 minutes or until they
    become golden brown on both sides. ​

Turn the Mathr's to other side

8. Mathris become light brown. Keep flipping Mathr's around. 

Mathri's are frying

Mathri's become light brown

9. Turn Mathri's to other side.

Turn Mathri's to other side

Mathri's becoming brown

10. Once both sides of Mathri's become golden brown lift the Mathris with the
       spatula and shake all the oil out, then take the Mathris out from the hot
      oil and put them on a  plate over paper towel, so that all the extra oil absorbed
      by the towel. 

Mathri's are fried

Take the Mathri's out of hot oil

Place the Mathr's over paper towel

Gluten free Mathri's

Tips:
 
Ingredients:   If you are not adding cream of Rice   

1½ Cup Gluten free flour
2 oz  oil
½    Teaspoon salt or to the taste
½     Teaspoon Ajwain (Carom seeds)
7      Tablespoon of water (one tablespoon less water than half cup)
 

​Please take the time to let me know what you think about my recipe. Your comments would be helpful to me to improve the recipe.

Thank you      

Geeta Seth

Other recipes:

Mathri (Crispy salty crackers)            Namkeen paras - Crispy salted crackers
 
Papari / papadi Chaat                          Dahi vada

​Chole                                                    Sprouted moong dal chaat

Muttar chaat                                        Spicy scrambled eggs

 Moong dal chaat                                       Paneer bhurji