Mathri recipe - traditional punjabi snack made during diwali or karwa chauth. it is one of the popular tea-time snacks.
Just like any other deep fried snacks, this mathri has very good shelf life and stored for many weeks. So this is great snack to carry while travelling. Have it with a cup of tea or coffee, or enjoy with pickle or chutney. These will make very filling snack.
Sometimes I make methi mathris as well.
There is another similar recipe on the blog - Farsi puri (a Gujarati snack). The ingredients used and procedure are almost same. Ghee is used in the dough for farsi puri unlike mathri recipe. And farsi puris are slightly thin compared to this.
Mathris has crispy yet flaky texture. To achieve this texture, the ingredients proportion should be perfect. The slowly deep frying part also plays major role.
The stiff and tight dough is made from all purpose flour and sooji. Oil is added into the dough and mixed by rubbing between your fingers. This step is important to make the flaky texture. After making the dough, it is rolled in small circles and pricked all over the surface using fork and then deep fried. This pricking process prevents them puffing while frying.
Check out other diwali snacks
Chakli // Namak para // Chivda // Cornflakes chivda
How to make mathri recipe (Step by Step Photos):
1) Take all purpose flour, sooji, ajwain and salt in a bowl.
2) Mix well.
3) Then add oil.
4) Mix it by rubbing between your thumb and fingers till everything is incorporated well. It should be look like bread crumbs and if you press it into your palm, it will come together like a crumbly dough.
5) Make tight and stiff dough by adding very little water at a time. I have used only 4 ½ tablespoons of water. Cover the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes.
6) While the dough is resting, take peppercorns in mortar and pestle. Crush them only once or twice. They should be crushed into half. We need big pieces, not powder.
7) After resting time knead it once again. Divide it into 15 equal portions. Make smooth balls and flatten it slightly between your palm.
8) Now roll it into 2 to 2 ½ inch diameter circle. It should be thick (not thin like masala puri)
9) Now take 3 pieces of peppercorns and arrange them on mathri.
10) Now using rolling pin roll one more time, so it pressed inside. So it will not fall out or get separated while frying.
11) Now using fork, prick all over the surface, flip it and prick other side as well. This prevents from puffing while the frying process.
12) Do same with rest of the balls. Once you have enough mathris rolled for one batch, heat the oil for deep frying in pan on low-medium heat. So while first batch is frying, roll the second batch. so do both jobs simultaneously.
13) The temperature of the oil should be low to medium. Oil should not be hot like we make while frying pakora. It should be just hot. How to check the oil is at right temperature? take small piece of dough, add into the oil. The dough will stay at the bottom for some time, after few seconds the dough will come on top. Meaning oil is ready for frying.
14) Slide few in the hot oil. During the frying process maintain the oil temperature by adjust the gas heat. If the temperature of oil drops then it will soak up more oil becomes crispy. If temperature of oil increases then they will get golden color fast and inside stays raw.
15) You need flip them in order to cook from both sides. As they are fried and cooked they will start to float on top. And they will get light golden color. One batch takes around 7-8 minutes for frying. So be patient and fry on low-medium hot oil. Drain the excess oil and remove them using slotted spatula.
16) Keep them in the paper towel lined plate. As it cools, it gets more crispy and will become slightly darker in color.
Fry rest of the mathri. Let them cool down completely before serving or storing in container. Once cool down completely, then store them in airtight container/dabba. It stays good for 15-20 days.
Serving suggestion: it is served as a afternoon snack or morning breakfast with hot cup of tea. This can be served with pickle or chutney as well.
Mathri recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup All purpose flour (maida)
- 2 tablespoons Sooji (rava or semolina)
- ½ teaspoon Ajwain (Carom seeds)
- Salt to taste
- 3 tablespoons Oil + more for frying
- 4-5 tablespoons Water
- 1 teaspoon Black peppercorns crushed once or twice in mortar and pestle
Instructions
Making the dough:
- Take all purpose flour, sooji, ajwain and salt in a bowl. Mix well.
- Then add oil. Mix it by rubbing between your thumb and fingers till everything is incorporated well. It should be look like bread crumbs and if you press it into your palm, it will come together like a crumbly dough.
- Make tight and stiff dough by adding very little water at a time. I have used only 4 ½ tablespoons of water.
- Cover the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes.
- While the dough is resting, take peppercorns in mortar and pestle. Crush them only once or twice. They should be crushed into half. We need big pieces, not powder.
Making mathri recipe:
- After resting time knead it once again.
- Divide it into 15 equal portions. Make smooth balls and flatten it slightly between your palm.
- Now roll it into 2 to 2 ½ inch diameter circle. It should be thick
- Now take 3 pieces of peppercorns and arrange them on mathri.
- Now using rolling pin roll one more time, so it pressed inside the mathri. So it will not fall out while frying.
- Now using fork, prick all over the surface, flip it and prick other side as well.
- Do same with rest of the balls.
- Once you have enough mathris rolled for one batch, heat the oil for deep frying in pan on low-medium heat. So while first batch is frying, roll the second batch. so do both jobs simultaneously.
- The temperature of the oil should be low to medium.
- Slide few mathris in the hot oil. During the frying process maintain the oil temperature by adjust the gas heat.
- You need to flip them in order to cook from both sides. As they are fried and cooked they will start to float on top. And they will get light golden color.
- One batch takes around 7-8 minutes for frying. So be patient and fry on low-medium hot oil. Drain the excess oil and remove them using slotted spatula.
- Keep them in the paper towel lined plate.
- As it cools, it gets more crispy and will become slightly darker in color.
- Fry rest of them. Let them cool down completely.
Can you use milk instead of water, to mske the dough?
I have never tried with milk.
But why use milk? Water works just perfect for this.
Excellent recepie and perfect proportions. Not too much sooji!! Thanks.
Glad that you liked.
hi kanan
I tried mathri following same directions for this diwali..and it came out super good..everyone likes it..i am going to keep the recipe because it is a winner ..thank you for uploading it
Glad to know that it came out good.
Hello Kanan. You have a very nice blog with a great collection of delectable recipes. I am inspired to try a few recipes from your blog, starting with this mathri. One doubt. The sooji mentioned here is fine sooji or the coarse one? Could you share why some recipes call for sooji? Does it add to the texture?
I have used coarse sooji, but you can use any coarse or fine, doesn't matter.
Since mathris are quite thick, if only flour is used then you might get slightly dense. But addition of sooji will make it light in texture and will also provide the more crispness compared to all flour ones.