Methi Mathri
Nov 05, 2015, Updated Jan 02, 2018
Crispy Methi Mathri are the perfect tea time snack!
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Crispy Methi Mathri are the perfect tea time snack!
I have come to this conclusion recently – I can resist chocolates, I can even resist the temptation of a cheesecake, it’s difficult but I can manage BUT when it comes to mathri I have no self control like ZERO. No wonder mom used to make mathri at home only twice in a year , for Holi and Diwali because she knew it will all be finished by one and only one person in the house, yes that’s ME! :/
Mathri, for those who aren’t aware refers to deep fried crunchy and crispy snacks. These are made in India during the festive season, mathri is especially common in North India. If you go to Delhi during this time of the year, you will see the sweet shops loaded with different types of mathri. They can be both savory and sweet however the savory mathris are more popular. Today I am sharing with you the recipe for one of my all time favorite snack – Methi Mathri.
Methi = Fenugreek so this snack is flavored with fenugreek. Dried fenugreek leaves known as kasuri methi is used to flavor a number of Indian dishes and they are used is this mathri too and hence the name Methi Mathri. These are also flavored with ajwain (carom seeds) and black peppercorns. Actually as a kid I didn’t like peppercorn in my mathri but now I really do, add that slight chili flavor to it!
I remember when I was going to Scotland for my masters, mom made me 2 huge boxes of mathri. One was simple namakpare and the other was this methi mathri. She knew it would be tough for me to survive without it in a new country! Chai + Mathri = Best combination in the whole world!
Making mathri is actually quite easy. The most common problem you will face if you have not made it before is that your mathri won’t turn out crispy. And there’s only one reason for that – your oil while frying the mathri was too hot. Mathri should always be fried at medium heat, only then it will turn crispy and crunchy. So make sure your oil temperature is perfect, you don’t want a smoking hot oil for these! Make methi mathri for Diwali and enjoy with them a hot cup of chai!
Method
In a bowl mix together flour, kasuri methi, salt, ajwain seeds (carom seeds) and black peppercorn.
Add oil to the flour mixture and mix.
Mix in 4 tablespoons of oil with the flour, rubbing with your fingers till is resembles coarse crumbs.
Start adding cold water, little by little. Bring the dough together as you add water.
Knead to form a stiff and smooth dough. Cover the dough with a muslin cloth and let it rest for around 20 minutes.
After the dough has rested, divide it into 20-25 equal sized pieces.
Take each portion of the dough, roll it round and then flatten it slightly. This mathri is little on the thicker side. Repeat with all the dough balls. In the meanwhile heat oil on medium heat.
Once the oil is hot enough, drop the mathris carefully into the oil.
Fry on medium heat till they turn crispy and golden brown in color.
Drain the methi mathri on kitchen towel after they are fried. Let them cool completely and then then store in an airtight container.
* Always remember to fry the mathri on medium heat. If the oil is too hot, the mathri won’t turn our crispy.
* You can skip the peppercorn if you aren’t fond of biting into it while eating the mathri.
* The mathri should stay good in an air tight container for weeks. It never usually lasts more than 2 days at my place!
Methi Mathri
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour [maida]
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ajwain [carom seeds]
- 1.5 tablespoons kasuri methi [dried fenugreek leaves]
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorn
- 4 tablespoons ghee or oil
- cold water as required for kneading the dough [around ½ cup]
- more oil for deep frying
Instructions
- In a bowl mix together flour, kasuri methi, salt, ajwain seeds (carom seeds) and black peppercorn.
- Add oil to the flour mixture and mix.
- Mix in 4 tablespoons of oil with the flour, rubbing with your fingers till is resembles coarse crumbs.
- Start adding cold water, little by little. Bring the dough together as you add water.
- Knead to form a stiff and smooth dough. Cover the dough with a muslin cloth and let it rest for around 20 minutes.
- After the dough has rested, divide it into 20-25 equal sized pieces.
- Take each portion of the dough, roll it round and then flatten it slightly. This mathri is little on the thicker side. Repeat with all the dough balls. In the meanwhile heat oil on medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot enough, drop the mathris carefully into the oil.
- Fry on medium heat till they turn crispy and golden brown in color.
- Drain the methi mathri on kitchen towel after they are fried. Let them cool completely and then then store in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Methi Mathri
Hi Manali I made Mathri but it’s too hard (crispy though). What could be the reason ?
you probably overworked the dough, just bring the dough together and don’t knead much.
Hi Manali,
The Mathris were really good but they turned soft after 2 days, now they are not crunchy, I followed your instructions exactly. Pls suggest why this happened so that I can take care in future
hmm if you fried them on low heat and then let them cool completely and then store in an airtight container, they should have stayed crunchy for weeks. I am not sure what happened if you followed this.
Manali – unfortunately i made this from an old recipe from mom and missed the don’t keep oil too hot.. now one batch is a little too soft. Any tips on making it crispy again? Maybe put them in the over or so?
hmm try roasting at 375 for 10 minutes or so..I an not sure if it will work but worth trying
Thanks Sarah, I finished the entire pack :/
Thank you Jen, these are my favorite! 🙂
Thanks Mira!
Thanks Anu!
haha it’s hard Rachelle but I try sometimes! Masters – MBA in Health Care Management! 🙂
Thank you Kelley! Resisting chocolate is hard for me too! :/
Aww really allergic to chocolates? That must be hard! Yup these are difficult to resist, I already finished the entire batch!
Thank you dear! 🙂
Thanks MArcie! Resisting chocolate is hard for me too!
haha yes I have no control over crispy snacks!
Thank you Dannii!
Thank you Angie!
Sometimes it’s funny how we crave what we grew up with, my mom would rather have murukku than chocolate or cheesecake anyday! Manali, your Fenugreek flavored mathri sounds absolutely delicious!
That’s so true! Actually I love murukku too, so good with chai!
My favorite savory snack for Diwali. Lovely share Manali..:)
my favorite too! Thanks Remya!