Thepla | Gujarati Methi Thepla Recipe
Hailing from Gujarati cuisine, thepla is a well-loved flatbread crafted from whole grain flours. These spiced and savory methi thepla are nutritious, featuring fresh fenugreek leaves and a blend of multigrain flours.
Ingredients
- 1 cup fenugreek leaves (methi) – tightly packed
- 1 cup whole wheat flour – 120 grams
- ¼ cup gram flour (besan), 40 grams
- ¼ cup pearl millet flour (bajra flour), 40 grams
- ¼ cup sorghum flour (jowar flour) or 40 grams
- 1 inch ginger – crushed to a paste
- ½ to 1 teaspoon chopped green chillies or serrano pepper – crushed to a paste
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder (ground cumin)
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder (ground coriander)
- ¾ teaspoon salt or add as required
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 4 to 5 tablespoon curd (yogurt) or water for kneading or add as required.
- oil as required for roasting thepla
Instructions
Kneading Dough
- Rinse 1 cup methi leaves very well in water. Then drain them and chop finely.
- In a mixing bowl, take whole wheat flour, besan, sorghum flour and pearl millet flour. I have used millet flours but you can skip them if you don't have. In this case, simply add 1.25 cups whole wheat flour and ½ cup besan.
- Add all the spices and herbs.
- Add the chopped methi leaves. Mix everything well.
- Add curd (for a vegan option add very little water instead of curd).
- Mix again and knead into a dough. Don’t add water while kneading as methi leaves release water.
- Knead to a soft and smooth dough. Add more curd if needed while kneading.
Rolling To Flatbreads
- Make medium sized balls from the dough.
- Take a medium sized ball and sprinkle some flour on it.
- With the rolling pin begin to roll the thepla.
- Roll them to a round of about 5 to 6 inches in diameter.
Cooking Thepla
- On a hot tawa or skillet, place the thepla. Flip when one side is partly cooked, about one-fourth or half cooked. You will see some faint air pockets on the top and this is the time when you need to flip it.
- Spread oil on this side. Flip the thepla again when the second side is half-cooked.
- Now spread the oil on this side. Flip a couple of times till you get golden spots and the methi thepla is cooked evenly.
- You can also press the thepla with spatula while cooking.
- Remove and keep it in a roti basket.
- Serve methi thepla hot or warm or at room temperature.
Serving Suggestions
- Enjoy methi thepla with plain curd (yogurt), lemon or Mango Pickle, Mango Chutney, or Mango Chunda.
- You can also eat these with a simple Batata nu Shaak. Methi thepla also pairs well as a side snack with Masala Chai or Ginger Chai.
Storage
- Methi thepla are best when enjoyed either right away or later the same day. They will keep well for up to 3-4 days when you make them without curd.
- So if you want to have them later after a few days, do not add curd as it will lessen its shelf life. Simply knead the dough with water. Store cooled flatbreads in an airtight container and keep at room temperature.
- They also freeze well. Simply wrap a stack of cooled methi thepla in foil before storing in an airtight freezer bag and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Thaw in the fridge and later reheat these flatbreads either in a skillet on the stove or in the oven for just a few minutes until warm.
Notes
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- Flours: You can include various combinations of flours with different ratios. However, always add more whole wheat flour. With lesser amounts of wheat flour, your thepla can become chewy or hard and you won’t be able to roll the dough easily. A relevant point to be remembered is not to increase the amount of gram flour (besan) too much. This can make your methi thepla hard and dry.
- Dough consistency: The thepla dough has to be smooth, soft, and pliable. If your dough looks hard, the thepla will become dry and hard. With a soft and sticky dough, you won’t be able to roll evenly and it may tear. To correct hard dough, add a few tablespoons of curd or water and knead. For a sticky dough, add some wheat flour.
- Longer storage: If you want to make thepla for a journey or you plan to store it for some days. Then add about 3 to 4 tablespoons of oil to the flour, while you form the dough. Not only adding oil will make thepla soft but also help in preserving them for some days. Omit to add the curd (yogurt) as it decreases the shelf life of thepla.
- Spicing: For a spicy thepla add more green chilies and red chili powder. You can always add less or more ground spices and green chilies according to your preferences.
- Fats: For roasting, you may use ghee (clarified butter) instead of oil.
- Other Greens: You can make this recipe with green leafy vegetables like spinach or amaranth leaves.
Nutrition
Calories: 136kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 4gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 167mgPotassium: 102mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 37IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 101mgIron: 2mg
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