Recipe for Mathri

Mathri is a popular tea-time snack. The recipe originates from the northern parts of India, and this snack is quite popular in that belt.

Nowadays, it is quite easily available as a ready-made snack in shops. Despite that, many people prefer making it at home because that way, they can ensure the usage of good-quality ingredients and adjust the recipe according to their taste.

So, what is Mathri? Mathri is a fried snack made from refined wheat flour and a few select spices. The process of making the dough for Mathri is quite similar to that of any shortcrust pastry, in which the fat is incorporated into the flour by rubbing them together. Then, the dough is just brought together ( and not exactly kneaded ).

Once the dough is prepared, small portions are rounded and fried in oil. The resulting end product is a delicious, crunchy, flaky tea-time snack with a shelf life of 10-15 days ( when stored in an air-tight container). Due to its good shelf life, people make these in large quantities so they can be stored and eaten together for days. But the taste of this snack is so good that it hardly lasts that long.

Since Mathris are made with mild spices and have a high fat content, they are ideal tea-time snacks.

If you are looking for other snacks that can be made in advance, stored, and eaten for many days, check out my Dry Snacks Page for more recipes.

Let us start with the recipe for Mathri.

Ingredients needed for making Mathri:

1. Refined flour: 4 cups
2. Oil: 8 tablespoons for mixing into the dough and extra oil for deep frying
3. Salt: 3 teaspoons, or as per taste
4. Dry fenugreek leaves: 1 cup
5. Carom seeds: 2 teaspoons
6. Crushed Black Pepper: 2 teaspoons
7. Baking Powder: 1 teaspoon
8. Baking Soda: 1/2 teaspoon
9. Coriander seeds: 2 tablespoons, coarsely ground
10. Water: for kneading

Method for making Mathri:

1. Start by mixing all the dry ingredients – flour, salt, dry fenugreek leaves, coriander seeds, carom seeds, black pepper, baking powder, and baking soda.

2. Now, add oil and rub it all together, using both hands, till the mixture resembles bread crumbs.

3. Add water and knead it into a semi-soft dough. Do not overwork the dough.

4. Take small portions of the dough, round them roughly into small balls, and flatten them.

5. Heat oil for deep frying. On medium heat, fry the mathris till they are light brown.

6. Take them out and allow them to cool before storing them in an airtight container. Matris can be enjoyed with tea and tastes delicious with pickles, too.

Some Notes about Ingredient Sourcing in Germany:

1. Refined flour: It is called Weizenmehl 405. To learn more, read my article about flour varieties in supermarkets in Germany.
   
2. Oil: Use any neutral, refined oil. I used sunflower oil. Read my article about oil varieties in German supermarkets here.
   
3. Salt: I used regular table salt. Read my article about salt varieties in German supermarkets here.
   
4. Dry fenugreek leaves: This is called Kasuri Methi in Hindi. It is easily available in Indian stores.
   
5. Carom seeds: This is called Ajwain in Hindi. It is easily available in Indian stores.
   
6. Black Pepper: This is also available in Indian stores and supermarkets in Germany. It is called Sabut Kali Mirch in Hindi and Schwarz Pfeffer in German. Crush it with a mortar and pestle for this recipe.
   
7. Baking Powder: It is called Backpulver in German. It is available in supermarkets.
   
8. Baking Soda: It is called Natron in German. It is available in supermarkets.
   
9. Coriander seeds: These are available in Indian shops. Grind them in a mixie or use a mortar and pestle to grind them coarsely.