Thepla is a Roti-style bread which is heavily flavoured with fenugreek leaves, fresh ginger and other spices. They are made with curd which gives them a super light texture and fortified with Gram flour which make them slightly healthier than flatbread made with strong white flour and colour them a gorgeous saffron hue. Thepla are full of flavour and a staple on any Gujarati table, or more aptly – any Gujarati “dusterkhan”, which is the eating mat for the floor.
Here is my own recipe for Thepla which is an amalgamation of what I think I saw my Daddyma use and my own intuition. I think she’d be proud.
Methi Thepla
Course: Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Easy10
servings10
minutes10
minutesThe flatbread are fortified with Gram flour which make them slightly healthier than flatbread made with strong white flour and colour them a gorgeous saffron hue.
Ingredients
2 cups wholewheat flour, plus extra for dusting & rolling
1/2 gram gram flour
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp ajwain seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric
2 pinches sea salt
1 green chilli, deseeded & finely sliced
1 thum-sized knob ginger, grated
3 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves
1/2 cup curd/ yoghurt (I use milk kefir)
splash water as required
1 tsp oil
1/2 cup butter/ ghee
Directions
- In a dry frying pan, lightly toast the cumin and ajwain seeds until aromatic. Take out the pan and leave aside.
- In a large bowl, mix the wheat flour and gram flour.
- Add the toasted seeds, turmeric, salt, sliced chilli, grated ginger and fenugreek leaves. Combine well.
- Add the yoghurt/ curd/ milk kefir and combine the dough with a fork.
- Add a couple of splashed of water and knead the dough until you get a smooth, soft texture.
- Add the tsp of oil and knead for a further few minutes.
- Roughly divide the dough into 10 pieces by pinching pieces off with your hands. Roll, flatten and dust each ball with a little more wheat flour.
- Roll each ball into a thin circle – it should resemble something of the size and shape of a chapati.
- Place a pan over medium/ high heat and place the rolled thepla onto the hot, dry pan. Gently brush the excess flour off the bread as you do so – this stops the flour from burning in the pan.
- Cook for 30/ 60 seconds on each side.
- Brush with butter or ghee and enjoy hot or cold.
- served mine here with a comforting Tarka Dhal and chilli chutney.
