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Introduction
Mathi is a salty, crispy and flaky snacks served in India specially during festive season. It is made by adding refined flour and ghee and seasoning it with salt and spices as per your choice. This dough is further rolled, flattened and deep fried until it turns crispy and flaky. It belongs to the Indian cuisine and tastes best with tea and coffee.
Patience is the key to make perfect mathis. Mathi must be deep fried in low flame to make it crisper and golden brown. You can store it for 2 months in an airtight container. So go ahead and try this yummy recipe of ours and please don’t forget to share your views in the comments section below.
Ingredients
Refined flour- 2 cups
Refined oil or desi ghee- 1/2 cup
Salt- as per taste.
Carrom seeds- 1/2 tablespoon
Black cumin- 1/2 tablespoon
Oil- for frying.
Water- for kneading the dough.
Step by step recipe with images
KNEADING THE DOUGH:
1) Firstly take a large mixing bowl and add 2 cups of refined flour in it.
2) Add 1/2 tablespoon of carrom seeds in it.
3) Add 1/2 tablespoon of black cumin in it.
4) Add salt as per taste.
5) Finally add 1/2 cup of desi ghee in the bowl.
6) Mix and Knead it well with your hands.
7) Make sure the desi ghee gets absorbed evenly. It should resemble bread crumbs.
8) Now hold a dough in your fist, if it forms a lump and does not crumble, your dough is ready for the next step.
9) Now slowly add 8 to 10 spoons of water to bind the flour.
10)You must keep in mind that you are just adding water to mix the dough with water and not to knead it like a roti. (TIP:Add very little amount of water and that to slowly and one by one)
11) The dough must be firm and not soft, once done, let it rest for 20 minutes.
ROLLING AND SHAPING THE MATHI:
1) After resting it for 20 minutes, knead it with your hands gently and divide the dough into four parts.
2) Roll the balls into cylinders with your hands.
3) make small balls from each cylinder and keep them aside.
4) Roll them evenly.Now take a rolling pin and place a ball on it.
5) Tap it with your hands to flatten it.
6) Roll it with the rolling pin evenly.
7)It should neither be too thin or too thick.
8) Now keep it on a plate and peirce it with fork or knife. (TIP:This avoid the mathi from puffing like a puri)
9) Repeat the same with the remaining batches.
FRYING THE MATHI:
1)Heat a pan with 3 cups of refined oil.
2) Add a pinch of dough to see if the oil is ready for frying or not. If the dough comes up then the oil is perfectly ready.
3) If the dough comes up then the oil is perfectly ready.
4)Now turn the flame to low and slowly add the mathis in the oil one by one.(TIP: Don’t add more than 10 mathis in each frying batch)
5) Keep the flame at low and let it fry for two minutes.
6) Now flip it on the other side and let it cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. (TIP:Keep the flame at low throughout the process. It makes the mathi crisper)
7) Once it turns golden , your mathi is perfectly cooked.
8) Your mathi is ready, transfer them to a bowl and repeat the same with the remaining batches.
9) Let it cool down for 30 minutes.
10) Then store it in an airtight container. It can stay fresh and crisp upto 2 months , if properly stored.
Tips and Tricks
1) Don’t alter the quantities of refined flour and ghee.
2) Add very little water and that to slowly just to bind the flour.
3) The dough must be firm and not soft.
4) Don’t knead the dough, just mix everything firmly.
5) Deep fry the mathis at low flame. It will make them crisper.
7) Let it cool down before storing it in an airtight container orelse it will turn soggy.
8) Store the mathis in airtight container in order to keep them fresh for longer period of time.
Healthier version
1) You can use wheat flour instead of refined flour.
2) You can airfry the mathis if you want, but it will not be as crisper as the deep fried ones.
Recipe card
Punjabi Mathi
Ingredients
- Refined flour- 2 cups
- Refined oil or desi ghee- 1/2 cup
- Salt- as per taste.
- Carrom seeds- 1/2 tablespoon
- Black cumin- 1/2 tablespoon
- Oil- for frying.
- Water- for kneading the dough.
Instructions
Kneading the Dough:
- Firstly take a large mixing bowl and add 2 cups of refined flour in it.
- Add 1/2 tablespoon of carrom seeds in it.
- Add 1/2 tablespoon of black cumin in it.
- Add salt as per taste.
- Finally add 1/2 cup of desi ghee in the bowl.
- Mix and Knead it well with your hands.
- Make sure the desi ghee gets absorbed evenly. It should resemble bread crumbs.
- Now hold a dough in your fist, if it forms a lump and does not crumble, your dough is ready for the next step.
- Now slowly add 8 to 10 spoons of water to bind the flour.
- You must keep in mind that you are just adding water to mix the dough with water and not to knead it like a roti. (TIP:Add very little amount of water and that to slowly and one by one)
- The dough must be firm and not soft, once done, let it rest for 20 minutes.
Rolling and Shaping the Mathi:
- After resting it for 20 minutes, knead it with your hands gently and divide the dough into four parts.
- Roll the balls into cylinders with your hands.
- make small balls from each cylinder and keep them aside.
- Roll them evenly.Now take a rolling pin and place a ball on it.
- Tap it with your hands to flatten it.
- Roll it with the rolling pin evenly.
- It should neither be too thin or too thick.
- Now keep it on a plate and peirce it with fork or knife. (TIP:This avoid the mathi from puffing like a puri)
- Repeat the same with the remaining batches.
Frying the Mathi:
- Heat a pan with 3 cups of refined oil.
- Add a pinch of dough to see if the oil is ready for frying or not. If the dough comes up then the oil is perfectly ready.
- If the dough comes up then the oil is perfectly ready.
- Now turn the flame to low and slowly add the mathis in the oil one by one.(TIP: Don’t add more than 10 mathis in each frying batch)
- Keep the flame at low and let it fry for two minutes.
- Now flip it on the other side and let it cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. (TIP:Keep the flame at low throughout the process. It makes the mathi crisper)
- Once it turns golden , your mathi is perfectly cooked.
- Your mathi is ready, transfer them to a bowl and repeat the same with the remaining batches.
- Let it cool down for 30 minutes.
- Then store it in an airtight container. It can stay fresh and crisp upto 2 months , if properly stored.
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