Mathri / Mathiya

( A fried, flaky, crunchy, tea-time Indian snack, made from Maida and Rawa ).

In India, tea or chai is much more than just a beverage—it’s a part of everyday life. An afternoon cup of chai with a plate of crunchy snacks is a ritual in many homes. Dry snacks are especially popular because they can be stored easily and enjoyed with a cup of tea (chai) whenever you like.

One such much-loved tea-time snack is Mathri, also known as Mathiya. These traditional North Indian savoury bites are made with a simple combination of maida and semolina (rawa). Their salty, savoury flavour pairs beautifully with a warm cup of sweet chai.

Crispy, flaky and wonderfully delicious, homemade Mathris are the perfect tea-time treat!

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (maida)

• 3 tbsp semolina (rawa)

• 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)

• 2 tbsp crushed Kasuri methi

• 1/4 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)

• 1.5 tsp salt

• 4 tbsp clarified butter (ghee)

• water for kneading

• oil for frying

Method

• Mix all-purpose flour(maida), semolina(rawa), carom seeds(ajwain), salt, cumin seeds, and crushed Kasuri methi in a bowl.

• Add melted ghee and mix it with the dry ingredients by rubbing it in. The entire mixture should look like crumbly dough.

• Start adding little water and make dough. The dough should not be too soft or too hard. It has to be harder than the dough made for chapatis.

• Cover the dough and rest it for 10-15 mins.

• After resting, gently knead the dough for a minute again and make balls out of it.

• Flatten the balls by pressing them between your palms and roll them into a thick circle, just as we do while making a chapati.

• Press down throughout the circle with your fingers or with a fork on both sides. This step ensures that the mathris don’t puff up while frying.

• With a knife or a cutter, cut the circle into small squares/circles. You can also use a cookie cutter to do the same.

• Separate the little raw mathris and transfer them to a large plate/thali. Keep them one beside the other.

• Repeat making mathris for all the dough balls.

• Heat enough oil in a pan/kadhai on medium heat. When the oil gets hot, slide a few mathris in it. Fry them on both sides. As they get properly cooked, they will rise to the top and change colour (8-10 mins). Use a perforated steel spatula for frying.

• Remove them on kitchen paper (kept on a plate) to remove excess oil.

• Fry all the mathris and cool them down. As they cool, they will become more crispy.

• Store them in an airtight container.

MATHRIS ARE READY TO BE SERVED!!

Notes -

• You can add hot oil instead of melted butter to the dry ingredients.

• Don’t knead the mathri dough too much.

• The mathris should be fried over medium heat so they cook evenly from the inside while turning crisp and golden on the outside. If the oil is too hot, they’ll brown too quickly on the outside while remaining uncooked from within.

• You can also add black pepper powder to the mathris for an extra kick, but since I don’t prefer it, I usually skip it.

• We need to add a little more salt while making the dough as this snack is a little salty.

• We add semolina to add crispiness to the mathris. Don’t skip adding it to the maida.

• Ensure that the mathris are completely cool before transferring them to a jar.

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