Khastha Dhaniya Mathri/ Flaky Coriander Mathri

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Mathri is a Rajasthani snack made out of flour and spices and is deep fried in oil. There are two varieties of mathris. One is the flat one which is crispy and the other is made thick which is flaky and crumbly. These are perfect tea time snacks. As mathris are mildly spiced, they are served with pickles. During festivals, Mathri-Achar along with a mithai is served to guests. I have made the flat mathri before ( Click on the link for recipe) For this month’s South Vs North Challenge, host Nupur challenged the southern team with this Kastha Dhaniya Mathri which is thick, crumbly and flaky. I was so thrilled at the challenge as I am a great fan of north Indian snacks.

Yesterday, I made these mathris. I halved the actual recipe and made a dozen of mathris. It is quite easy to make. No rolling or slicing or cutting involved. It was like making a savoury chapathi dough. The flakiness of these mathris comes from the oil and ghee used in the dough. The dough needs to be tight. Do not make it soft and elastic. Use minimum water to bring the dough together and you will be amazed at the results. While shaping the mathris they tend to develope cracks and it is fine. A cracky dough is perfect for flaky mathris. While deep frying, heat oil on high flame until it is ready, then reduce flame to medium low and add the mathris. You need to slow cook them. As they are thick, they take a lot of time to cook fully. Low or medium low flame will do the trick. Each batch of mathris take 10-12 minutes for full cooking. If you fry on high flame, the top will brown fast while the interior will stay raw. When stored in airtight jar, this will keep for 4-5 weeks in room temperature. But if you make the amount suggested in the recipe, it will be over within two or three days. They are so so delicious. My hubby had it with sauce. I prefer green chutney. Recipe Source: UK Rasoi

Makes 12 Mathris

Ingredients:

Flour/ maida-2 1/2 cups

Oil-1/4 cup

Ghee-1/8 cup

Salt-to taste

Chopped Coriander Leaves-1/2 cup

Carom Seeds-1/2 tsp

Cumin Powder-1/4 tsp

Kasuri Methi-1/2 tbs

Black Pepper Powder-1/2 tsp

Oil-To Deep Fry

Procedure:

1. In a large bowl combine flour, oil, ghee, carom seeds, salt, cumin powder, coriander leaves, kasuri methi and black pepper powder.

2. Mix until crumbly.

3. Now gradually add enough water to knead it into a tight dough. It will take less than 1/3 cup of water to make the dough.

4. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.

5. Heat oil in a pan.

6. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions.

7. Roll each portion into a ball and slightly flatten it. If it cracks then it is fine.

8. Deep fry the mathris in batches. The number of mathris fried depends upon the size of the pan used. I fried them in two batces with 6 mathris in a batch.

9. When golden, remove from oil and allow it to cool completely before storing it in air tight jar.