Baked Methi Mathri
Nov 04, 2018, Updated Sep 29, 2019
Baked Methi Mathri (Savory Crackers) flavored with dried fenugreek leaves and a bunch of other spices! This healthier version of the traditional mathri is easy to make and best enjoyed with chai!
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Crispy Baked Methi Mathri – the baked version of the traditional mathri is easy to make and a healthier alternative to the fried ones!
Make a batch this festive season and enjoy with a cuppa chai. These will also make great Diwali gifts!
I think I am done with sweets for a while. Seriously, I shared a lot of Diwali sweets this year (& I hope you guys found something you like!) but now I am kind of done with them.
So I thought of sharing one healthy Diwali savory recipe with you guys before it’s the Diwali day.
Oh and before sharing the recipe, I have an exciting news to share with you guys – I am going to be on TV!
Yeah I will be shooting for segment which will shot in Seattle and I will be talking about my cookbook and also cooking few recipes from it.
I am excited but also nervous! I hope it goes well, I will be sure to share the link with you guys once it’s done. If you have any tips about live TV, please let me know. That would be helpful!
Okay now back to today’s recipe of baked methi mathri. I love mathri and almost all fried Indian snacks. What is mathri you might ask? It’s just fried flour which is seasoned with salt, carom seeds, dried fenugreek leaves and other spices.
It’s one snack which almost everyone makes at home for Diwali. It can be known by different names in different parts of the country. Ever since I can remember, I have been addicted to namak pare and mathri and basically all fried savory snacks.
This year I tried to bake mathri and trust me when I say this – it turned out so good that I will be only baking these from now on!
How to Bake Mathri?
It’s actually very simple! You make the dough in the same way as you would make for regular fried mathri. There’s whole wheat flour, some besan (chickpea flour) and spices.
I added a lot of kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) here since I was making Methi Mathri but you can add any spice that you like. I also added some red chili powder, turmeric, salt, sesame seeds and ajwain (carom seeds).
Don’t think I can ever make mathri without ajwain- it’s a must for me!
Coming to the oil- I have used olive oil here. You may use ghee or any oil of choice. I would highly recommend not cutting down on the oil. We are baking them and to get that right texture we do need the oil.
Once the dough is done, let it rest for a bit and then roll and cut into pieces.
You can cut them into any shape you like. I made some squares and cut some into circles using my cookie cutter.
I like to keep these around 1/4 inch thick. If it’s too thin, it might burn quickly and too thick will take a long time to bake and become crispy.
Once cut into shape, simply bake in the oven at 375 F degrees until they are crispy.
These Baked Methi Mathri
✓ are flavored with lots of dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
✓ are crispy and crunchy
✓ taste as good as (if not better!) than the fried mathri
✓ super easy to make
✓ made with whole wheat flour
✓ make the perfect chai time snack
I hope you guys give these a try because they are seriously very good! Sarvesh ate some with pickle (mathri and pickle is a very popular combination in north India) and he said these were even better than the fried ones.
Go bake these healthy treats and enjoy some with a cuppa chai this festive season!
Method
1- To a large bowl add atta (whole wheat flour) and besan (gram flour). Now add to it all the seasonings – kasuri methi, red chili powder, turmeric, ajwain (carom seeds), sesame seeds, salt and baking powder.
2- Mix to combine it all together. Add oil or ghee and mix it well with the flour using your hands (rub the flour between your palms to incorporate the oil).
3- The oil should be well incorporated into the flour. The mixture will turn crumbly.
4- Now, start adding water little by little to knead the dough.
5- Once the dough comes together, knead it for 5 minutes. I used my stand mixer to knead it. Cover and rest the dough for 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile pre-heat the oven to 375 F degrees.
6- After the dough has rested, divide it into 2 parts. Take one part of the dough and roll it, around 1/4 inch thick.
7 & 8- Now you can either use cookie cutter or pizza cutter to shape the mathri. I simply cut some into squares (1.75 inch x 1.75 inch) using my pizza cutter and also some circles (2 inches diameter) using my cookie cutter.
Using a fork poke the mathris so that they don’t rise much while baking. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Place the squares/rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone mat. Leave a little space between each mathri.
Bake at 375 F degrees for 20-22 minutes, flipping them once half-way. I usually bake around 23-24 minutes since I like quite crispy mathris. If you don’t like super crispy, bake around 20 minutes.
Let cool and then store baked methi mathri in an airtight container.
If you’ve tried this Baked Methi Mathri Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen!
Baked Methi Mathri
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups atta (whole wheat flour) 195 grams
- 1/2 cup besan (gram flour) 52 grams
- 2 tablespoons kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) slightly crushed
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder or adjust to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 3/4 teaspoon ajwain (carom seeds)
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/3 cup olive oil or ghee 80 ml, or use oil of choice
- water to knead the dough, little more than 1/2 cup
Instructions
- To a large bowl add atta (whole wheat flour) and besan (gram flour). Now add to it all the seasonings - kasuri methi, red chili powder, turmeric, ajwain (carom seeds), sesame seeds, salt and baking powder.
- Mix to combine it all together. Add oil (or ghee) and mix it well with the flour using your hands (rub the flour between your palms to incorporate the oil).
- The oil should be well incorporated into the flour. The mixture will turn crumbly.
- Now, start adding water little by little to knead the dough.
- Once the dough comes together, knead it for 5 minutes. I used my stand mixer to knead it. Cover and rest the dough for 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile pre-heat the oven to 375 F degrees.
- After the dough has rested, divide it into 2 parts. Take one part of the dough and roll it, around 1/4 inch thick.
- Now you can either use cookie cutter or pizza cutter to shape the mathri. I simply cut some into squares (1.75 inch x 1.75 inch) using my pizza cutter and also some circles (2 inches diameter) using my cookie cutter.
- Using a fork poke the mathris so that they don't rise much while baking. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Place the squares/rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone mat. Leave a little space between each mathri.
- Bake at 375 F degrees for 20-22 minutes, flipping them once half-way. I usually bake around 23-24 minutes since I like quite crispy mathris. If you don't like super crispy, bake around 20 minutes.
- Let cool and then store baked methi mathri in an airtight container.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thanks for the recipe, turned out delicious. Some of them got over baked, but can be fixed time. I’ll try basting with ghee next time, before I put them in oven and when I flip them half way through. Overall, loved it.
Excellent recipe! The mathris turned out wonderful 😊