Methi Thepla is a delicious and healthy flatbread made of whole wheat flour, gram flour, and fenugreek leaves. It's served for breakfast and lunch and a popular food choice to carry for lunch boxes, picnics, and while traveling.
2tablespoonoildivided, plus more for roasting as needed
3tablespoonyogurtcurd or dahi
Water as needed
Instructions
To make the thepla dough
In a large mixing bowl add the flours (you can sift them too), whole wheat flour, and besan, spices (turmeric, red chili, coriander powder, cumin powder), ajwain, and mix well.
Add ginger, green chilli, yogurt, 1 tablespoon oil, and methi leaves and mix all the ingredients together & kneed into a soft dough. Use a tablespoon of water at a time if required to knead the dough.
Sprinkle a tablespoon of oil at the end & kneed again.
Cover the dough with a lid or plastic wrap & let it sit for about 20 -30 mins.
To roll the thepla
Divide the dough into equal size balls (around 8-10 depending on size).
Dust the dough ball with some wheat flour and using a rolling pin, roll each ball into a thin circle approximately 6 inches in diameter. Do not roll it too thin or too thick. Use dry wheat flour as required to roll the thepla & prevent it from sticking.
To roast the methi thepla
Heat a griddle (tawa) on medium heat. Once hot, put the rolled out thepla on it.
Flip once there are small air bubbles forming on the dough surface.
Apply half teaspoon oil to the top roasted part of the thepla.
Roast for some time & flip again & let the side with oil cook. Apply half teaspoon oil to the flipped side too.
Once both sides are well cooked (you can see some brown spots), remove them from the griddle.
For softer thepla keep flipping frequently and roast for a shorter time. For crispy, roast more.
Methi Thepla is ready. Transfer it to a plate and apply more oil or ghee over it.
Repeat the entire process to make the remaining theplas or refrigerate or freeze any leftover dough. Stack the theplas on top of each other to keep them soft.
Serve Methi thepla warm with aam chunda and or yogurt, pickle ketchup, or green chutney or as a side with your favorite curry.
Notes
Knead the dough soft using yogurt. Add water only if needed. Methi will release some water of its own so take that into account.
Tough dough will result in hard and dry thepla and too much water will make the dough sticky to roll so the right consistency is important.
If your dough is sticky, add some whole wheat flour a tablespoon at a time and knead until you get the right consistency.
The refrigerated dough might get sticky, This is due to the water released by methi. You can still use this dough, just use more whole wheat flour while rolling.
Besan also helps keep the dough soft and adds a great nutty toasty flavor to this recipe.
Go liberal with the oil while roasting especially if you are planning to store the theplas for longer or carry it for traveling. Oil helps theplas stay soft otherwise they tend to dry out.
Roast the theplas flipping frequently and for a shorter duration to get soft theplas.
Stack the thepla on top of each other after roasting to keep them soft. Also, keep them covered.
You can freeze the thepla dough as well as cooked theplas for up to 3 months.