Khasta Atta Mathri (Wholemeal)
This is my take two on preparing Mathri’s. I have previously made mixed flavour Mathri’s (the recipe link can be found here). This version is special to me as my husband helped me prepare them (side effects of self-isolation). If you follow the steps mentioned below in the recipe, a crispy (Khasta) Mathri is a sure end result.
Like for most baking recipes, proofing of yeast is similarly essential for mathri, steps to knead the dough are crucial. Let’s get started; First add salt, ajwain, black pepper and Kalonji in the atta and mix all these dry ingredients together, now add oil to the dough and mix the dough well till all the oil is mixed in and a crumbling texture is achieved as shown in the picture below (this is an important step). When you hold the dough between your palms it should hold the shape and then crumble. Now, with this dough you can get creative and add ingredients of your choice, my other post for making mathri – recipe link here, has more ideas for flavours.
Further, like any other dough, knead the atta mixture using water and make sure to knead a very stiff dough, so add water gradually. Don’t stress thinking how would you roll a very stiff dough, trust me, it will be okay as we would allow the dough to rest for a while and during resting process the moisture will make it a little soft. So keep in mind to knead a stiff dough, then cover it with a damp muslin cloth and leave aside.
While the dough is resting, we need to make a mixture of ghee and atta. This is the secret ingredient to get prefect crispiness in your mathri.
Keep a wide mouth kadai/wok with oil on medium heat. It’s always good to fry lots of mathri together. Make sure that the oil is hot and fry on medium flame or else the mathri won’t cook through.
Once the oil is hot, we start working with the dough. First, knead the dough again and divide it in three equal parts. It’s easier to work on small batches of dough, cover rest of the dough. Roll the dough evenly on a working surface, for this step you won’t need any excess atta and the dough should smoothly roll out, do not worry about the shape. Just keep rolling in every direction as shown in the picture below. Then apply the mixture of atta and ghee evenly all over, make sure to cover the edges. You can use a brush or your fingers for this process.
Now starting from one end of the dough, which is closest to you, roll the dough as tightly as you can in a long tube, and then cut this tube in small pieces.
Press each piece using pressure from your palm and not fingers and flatten them and then roll them further using a rolling pin.
Then fold it in half and then quarter.
Prepare these triangle’s from all the dough following the above mentioned steps. Then fry the triangle’s, make sure to fry them on medium flame for the mathri’s to cook evenly.
Leave the mathri to completely cool down and then store them in air tight container. You can keep them for a long duration. The picture shows how crisp the mathri has turned out. Definitely try them out and share your reviews.
Khasta Atta Mathri
Ingredients:
- 2 cups Atta / wholemeal Flour
- 1 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Ajwain
- 1 tsp Kalonji
- 1/2 tsp cracked black Pepper
- 4 tbsp Oil
- 3/4 cup Water (for kneading)
- 2 tbsp Ghee
- 2 tbsp Water (for mixture)
Method:
- In a bowl mix flour, salt, ajwain, kalonji, pepper and oil. Mix it well till a crumbling texture is achieved. When you hold the dough in your palm it should hold it’s shape and then crumble(picture reference above). This is a very important step.
- Then using water knead a very stiff dough, cover it with a moist cloth and leave it aside for half an hour.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a wide mouth kadai, make sure gas is on medium flame and oil gets very hot.
- Divide the dough in three equal portions and start working on each part at a time. Cover the dough which is not in use, so that it doesn’t dry out. Roll the dough thin and even on your working bench, for this process who should not need flour, as the dough is stiff, it should roll out easily (picture reference above).
- Once its rolled into a big sheet, apply the atta and ghee mixture evenly all over. Then start rolling the dough, starting from the edge which is closest to you. Try to roll as tightly as you can, forming a long tube.
- Once the dough is in a form of a tube cut them in 1 inch pieces.
- Using your palm flatten the pieces to make them like a disc(picture reference above) and then using a rolling pin roll them in small circle. Then fold them in half and fold in quarter again. Once all the triangles are ready we can fry them in batches in hot oil.
- Oil needs to be on medium flame, deep fry the mathri till they are golden brown and keep them aside to cool down completely.
- You can store them in air tight container.
- Mathri is best served with hot chai or pickle!
More snack idea:
Categories
Food Kalakaar 
Awesome receipes.. I tried both. Amazing. Thank you so much. Keep blogging.
Thank you 🙏