Methi Ka Thepla

Methi Ka Thepla is a recipe from the western state of Gujrat in India. These pan-fried flatbreads are not only loved as breakfast, but they are also one of the most preferred travel foods. Thin and soft theplas made using a smooth dough of whole wheat flour, gram flour and fresh fenugreek leaves taste delicious even when they are not hot ( in fact, for many, the preferred way of eating theplas is when they are at room temperature) and stay good for days together when packed properly.

Recently, when I made a fresh harvest of Fenugreek leaves from my terrace garden, I decided to make these theplas.

Growing Fenugreek leaves is very easy. You can read my article about growing fenugreek leaves to know more.

Now, let’s start the recipe for Methi Ka Thepla:

Equipment Needed:

• Mixing bowl: https://amzn.to/42dy3YD
• Pan: https://amzn.to/3MsPnDV
• Cutting Board: https://amzn.to/3n9IXjM
• Knife Set: https://amzn.to/3FDcojG

Ingredients needed for Methi Ka Thepla: 

• 2 Cups Finely Chopped Fresh Fenugreek Leaves
• 2-inch Piece of Ginger
• 2-3 Green Chillies
• 2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
• ½ Cup Gram Flour
• 1 tsp Carom Seeds
• 1 tbsp Sesame Seeds
• 1 tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1 tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
• ½ Cup Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves
• 2 tbsp Yoghurt
• Water; for kneading the dough
• 2 tbsp Oil
• Extra Oil for frying

About Ingredient Sourcing in Germany:

Fenugreek leaves can be easily grown at home from spring to autumn. You can also get these leaves in Indian shops.

Other Indian Ingredients needed for this recipe can also be bought from an Indian store near you or from the online store of Spicelands. They are a big store in Frankfurt, delivering all across Germany.

Method to make Methi Ka Thepla:

• Make a coarse paste of ginger and green chillies. Keep it aside.
  
  
  
• In a mixing bowl, combine whole wheat flour, gram flour, sesame seeds, salt, red chilli powder, carom seeds and turmeric powder.
  
  
  
• To this, add the ginger-chilli paste made in Step 1, fenugreek leaves, coriander leaves and yoghurt.
  
  
  
• Mix everything.
  
  
  
• Slowly add water, a little at a time and knead a smooth dough.
  
  
  
• Add oil and knead it again. Cover and rest the dough for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, knead it once more.
  
  
  
• With the help of dry wheat flour, roll small portions of the dough as thin as possible.
  
  
  
• This way, make all the theplas and keep them aside.
  
  
  
• Now, heat a pan.
• When the pan is hot, put the rolled thepla. Flip it in about 30 seconds. Brush oil on the surface. Flip again after 30 seconds. Brush oil again. Press with a spatula. In about 2 minutes, one thepla would be ready.
  
  
  
• This way, quickly pan-fry all the theplas. Serve with butter, pickle and yoghurt.
  
  

Some Additional Tips:

Theplas are typically made thin. After being cooked, they should be super soft.

The way to achieve this is by frying them briefly in a very hot pan. If the pan is on low or medium heat, the theplas would require more time to cook fully, and in the process, they will also not come out soft. That’s why I have mentioned in my recipe that you must roll all the theplas and keep them ready before you start frying them. Then, on a very hot pan, quickly fry them one by one. There are multiple reasons for this:

1. Unless you have another helping hand in the kitchen, it is impossible to roll the theplas and pan-fry them at the same time.
2. Also, once the Thepla is on the hot pan, it requires your full attention. Since teplas are thin, they get cooked pretty fast at high heat, and each Thepla would not require anything more than 1.5-2 minutes on the pan.

Do keep this tip on your mind while making theplas, and you will get super soft theplas- ones that will stay soft even at room temperature.

If you plan to pack them in the lunchbox or for your travels, transfer the theplas from the pan to a wire rack and let them cool. That way, they will lose heat evenly from all sides and not catch moisture at the base. Once the Theplas are at room temperature, pack them in aluminium foil. They usually stay good for 2-3 days.

Here is the recipe in printable format:

Please note that this article contains affiliate links. If you buy using these links, I receive a small commission. This has no effect on the price for you.

Check out other recipes from my kitchen here.

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Goodreads
• Google
• YouTube