Mathri
(Crispy salty crackers)
Mathri is a traditional classic North Indian afternoon tea time snack. It is made with maida (all-purpose flour) and sooji (cream of wheat), to make mathri crispy and flaky oil is added to the dough and ajawain (carom seeds) is added to it to give the flavor. After making the dough it is rolled into small circles and deep fried.
Mathri is great on its own with tea but traditionally they are served with Mango or lemon pickle along with tea. It really goes well with aloo muttar ki sabzi and Aloo gobhi sabzi or chutney.
Mathris are usually served at weddings and poojas and made in almost every household on special occasions and festivals or entertaining guests. Mathri is also a great snack to carry while travelling as it is dry and can be stored for weeks in an air tight container. Mathris are the perfect snack for anywhere, anytime.
Mathri is great on its own with tea but traditionally they are served with Mango or lemon pickle along with tea. It really goes well with aloo muttar ki sabzi and Aloo gobhi sabzi or chutney.
Mathris are usually served at weddings and poojas and made in almost every household on special occasions and festivals or entertaining guests. Mathri is also a great snack to carry while travelling as it is dry and can be stored for weeks in an air tight container. Mathris are the perfect snack for anywhere, anytime.
Ingredients:
1 Cup of all purpose flour (maida) or whole wheat flour
½ Cup cream of wheat (sooji)
3 Tablespoons of vegetable oil
½ Teaspoon carom seeds (ajwaiin)
1 Teaspoon salt or to your taste
½ Cup of water or as needed to make the dough
3 Cups vegetable oil for frying the mathri’s
(Make about 32 Mathri’s)
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1 Cup of all purpose flour (maida) or whole wheat flour
½ Cup cream of wheat (sooji)
3 Tablespoons of vegetable oil
½ Teaspoon carom seeds (ajwaiin)
1 Teaspoon salt or to your taste
½ Cup of water or as needed to make the dough
3 Cups vegetable oil for frying the mathri’s
(Make about 32 Mathri’s)
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All-purpose flour (Maida)
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Rava (Cream of wheat / Soozi)
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Ajwaiin (Carom seeds)
Salt
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Vegetable oil
Water
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Directions to make dough:
1. In a bowl place all-purpose flour and cream of wheat, and mix them together.
2. Add carom seeds, salt, and and mix with flour.
1. In a bowl place all-purpose flour and cream of wheat, and mix them together.
2. Add carom seeds, salt, and and mix with flour.
In a bowl mix All- purpose flour & Cream of wheat
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Add salt and mix
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Add carom seeds (Ajwaiin)
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Mix Ajwaiin with flour well
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3. Add oil and mix it by rubbing between your thumb and fingers till everything
is incorporated well and flour mix becomes crumbly.
is incorporated well and flour mix becomes crumbly.
Add oil in the flour
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Mix oil in flour
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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.
shape, meaning it has the right amount of the oil required for the crest.
Take some flour in your palm
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Flour holding the shape
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Mathri flour incorporated with oil
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.
center of the bowl to outward until it form a dough and it cleans the sides of
the bowl, knead it for few minutes.
Add water in flour
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Make dough for Mathri
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6. Once the dough become smooth, knead the dough with wet hands make a ball
and cover it with a damp towel and let it rest for 15 minutes. Dough should
be firm.
and cover it with a damp towel and let it rest for 15 minutes. Dough should
be firm.
Dough for Mathri
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Cover the dough with damp cloth
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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. Divide the dough into small portion.
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. Divide the dough into small portion.
Knead the dough
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Divide the dough into small portion
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3. Take a small portion of the dough and roll it in between your palms in to a
small flat ball. Make few balls and keep them aside.
4. Place the ball on the rolling board or on a chackla (Indian roti rolling board)
and with the help of a rolling pin roll in to a 2 to 2½ ” circle, it should be rolled
thicker than puri and roti, repeat until you make at least 10 to 12 mathris.
small flat ball. Make few balls and keep them aside.
4. Place the ball on the rolling board or on a chackla (Indian roti rolling board)
and with the help of a rolling pin roll in to a 2 to 2½ ” circle, it should be rolled
thicker than puri and roti, repeat until you make at least 10 to 12 mathris.
Roll the dough into a ball
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Roll the dough into Mathri
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5. Take a fork and prick several times each mathri, so that they won’t rise like
pooris when frying.
6. Repeat the process until you make all the mathris.
pooris when frying.
6. Repeat the process until you make all the mathris.
Mathri's are rolled
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With a fork poke Mathri's
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Mathr's are pricked
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Mathri's are rolled
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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.
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.
Add oil in the pan & heat
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Drop a small dough in hot oil
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3. Now pick 10 to 12 mathris one at a time and very gently slip them into hot oil
and immediately with the help of a pierced spatula start flickering hot oil over
the top of the Mathri’s.
4. Fry mathris on low heat otherwise Mathri’s will stay soft and they will not be
crisp.
and immediately with the help of a pierced spatula start flickering hot oil over
the top of the Mathri’s.
4. Fry mathris on low heat otherwise Mathri’s will stay soft and they will not be
crisp.
Gently slip in the Mathri’s in hot oil
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With a spatula flicker oil over Marthri's
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5. 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.
minute, flip Mathris around few times for about 8 to 10 minutes or until they
become golden brown on both sides.
Let the Mathr's fry
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Turn the Mathr's to other side
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6. Once both sides of Mathri's become golden brown lift the Mathris with the
pierced 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.
pierced 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.
Mathr's become golden brown
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Take the Mathri's out of the hot oil
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Place Mathri's over paper towel
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Mathri's
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7. Turn the heat down and drop another batch of Mathris, after few minutes raise
the heat, because oil is hot and you do not want to fry Mathris quickly. Repeat
the process until all the Mathris are fried.
8. Store Mathr's in an air tight container.
9. Serve Mathri's with pickle of your choice.
the heat, because oil is hot and you do not want to fry Mathris quickly. Repeat
the process until all the Mathris are fried.
8. Store Mathr's in an air tight container.
9. Serve Mathri's with pickle of your choice.
Tips:
1. To save time, fry mathris at the same time you are rolling them.
2. If you like your Mathri flaky then add more oil when making the dough for
Mathri.
3. Instead of rolling one Mathri at a time they can be rolled like you make
cookies.Take a bigger portion of the dough and roll it into a large circle.
With the fork prick all over the rolled dough. Take a round cookie cutter
cut the large circle into small circles.
If you do not have a cookie cutter then take a small glass or any bottle cap to
cut the Mathri's.
1. To save time, fry mathris at the same time you are rolling them.
2. If you like your Mathri flaky then add more oil when making the dough for
Mathri.
3. Instead of rolling one Mathri at a time they can be rolled like you make
cookies.Take a bigger portion of the dough and roll it into a large circle.
With the fork prick all over the rolled dough. Take a round cookie cutter
cut the large circle into small circles.
If you do not have a cookie cutter then take a small glass or any bottle cap to
cut the Mathri's.
Glass for cutting Mathr's
Roll the dough in a circle
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With the fork prick the dough
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Cut the large circle into small circles
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Dough is cut
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Remove the extra dough
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Dough cut into small circles
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4. Food processor or dough maker could be used to make the dough. In the food
processor add all purpose flour, cream of wheat, carom seeds, salt and oil and
run the food processor for few second to mix all the ingredients together.
While food processor is running add little water at a time and make the dough.
Take the dough out from food processor and knead the dough and make a ball
and cover it with damp towel and let it rest for 15 minutes.
processor add all purpose flour, cream of wheat, carom seeds, salt and oil and
run the food processor for few second to mix all the ingredients together.
While food processor is running add little water at a time and make the dough.
Take the dough out from food processor and knead the dough and make a ball
and cover it with damp towel and let it rest for 15 minutes.
Mathri
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
Thank you
Geeta Seth
Other recipes:
Besan sev (Gram flour noodles) Shakkr paras (sweet, crispy noodles)
Namak paras (Crispy, salty noodles) Samosa
Sooji halwa (Cream of wheat halwa) Gujia
Besan sev (Gram flour noodles) Shakkr paras (sweet, crispy noodles)
Namak paras (Crispy, salty noodles) Samosa
Sooji halwa (Cream of wheat halwa) Gujia
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