mathri recipe with step by step photos – mathri or mathiya is a popular snack in north india and there are many versions of making mathri.

this recipe is for punjabi style mathri which is flaky and is spiced with ajwain (carom seeds), kali mirch (black pepper), kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) and jeera (cumin seeds).

many people like to have these spiced flour crackers with tea or as a snack. once made in bulk you can store them in an air tight container and enjoy it for the next few weeks. so the shelf life is long.

i made both fried and baked mathri. texture wise, of course the fried mathri is definitely better, but the baked mathri is good too. they a little less golden than the fried ones and have a faint denseness. but good for a low calorie option. the first pic above is of the baked mathri and the last pic below is of the fried mathri. the baked mathris are flaky but not as compared to the fried ones.

i usually make mathris for the occasion of karwa chauth vrat. in punjabi families, the ladies break the rigorous vrat or fasting by eating mathri. you can check more about this vrat in this detailed post of karwa chauth vrat recipes.

if you are looking for more snacks recipes then do check:

• paneer tikka
• shakkar pare
• gujiya
• shankarpali
• khasta matar kachori

4.67 from 9 votes

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mathri recipe

mathri is a tea time snack. flaky, crisp and spiced flour crackers. 

course snacks, starters

cuisine north indian, punjabi

prep time 40 minutes

cook time 30 minutes

total time 1 hour 10 minutes

servings 30 mathri

author dassana

ingredients (1 cup = 250 ml)

• 2 cups maida (all purpose flour) + ½ cup atta (whole wheat flour) OR 2.5 cups all purpose flour (maida)
• 3 tablespoon ghee or 3 tablespoon oil
• 5 to 6 tablespoon water or as required
• 2 teaspoon ajwain (carom seeds)
• 2 teaspoon black pepper (sabut kali mirch) - crushed coarsely or kept whole if you prefer
• 2 teaspoon kasuri methi or dry fenugreek leaves
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
• 1 pinch asafoetida (hing) - optional
• 1 pinch baking soda, optional for frying but do add if baking the mathris
• salt as required
• oil for deep frying

how to make mathri recipe

making dough for mathri

1. first heat the ghee or oil. take the hot ghee or oil and maida, whole wheat flour, all the spices, salt and baking soda in a mixing bowl.
2. mix everything well and rub the fat evenly in the flour with your fingertips. the whole mixture should resemble breadcrumbs. the more you do this, the more better texture the mathris will have.
3. just add 1 or 2 tbsp of water each time and only mix the dough. don't knead like a roti or poori dough.
4. only mix the water in the dough.
5. when the whole mixture can be easily clumped or gathered together into a ball, cover and keep aside for 30 mins.
6. heat oil for frying in a kadai or pan.
7. pinch small balls from the dough. just roll them lightly in your palms to even them. no need to give them a proper round shape etc.
8. keep the balls covered so that they do not dry out.
9. flatten each ball with a rolling pin or belan to medium thickness.
10. prick each mathri with a fork. the jagged uneven edges are alright. in case you want a smooth finish, then use a biscuit or cookie cutter. roll a large piece of dough and cut with a cookie cutter.

frying method to make mathri

1. check the hotness of oil before frying the mathris.
2. drop a small piece and if comes to the surface gradually, then the oil is ready.
3. if it comes to quickly, then the oil is very hot and the mathris will brown from out but remain uncooked from inside and will become soft.
4. if it comes slowly, then the oil is cold. result would be the mathris would absorb a lot of oil and become dense due to over frying.
5. fry the mathri is medium hot oil till crisp and golden.
6. regulate the flame between low to medium if required.
7. drain on kitchen paper towels and when cooled store them in an air tight box.
8. prepare and fry the mathris in batches.
9. serve these flaky spiced punjabi mathris with ginger tea or masala tea as an evening snack.

baking method to make mathri

1. preheat your oven to 180 degrees C.
2. prepare the circular mathris as mentioned above.
3. place in a pan or tray and bake for 20-30 mins or till light golden.
4. after 10-12 minutes, turn over the mathris for even baking and browning.

5. if even after 20-30 mins the mathris are not baked, then bake for some more minutes.

6. please keep an eye on the baking as oven temperatures differ in various models and brands.

7. remove mathris and cool on a wire rack.

8. once cooled, store the baked mathri in an air tight container.

recipe notes

1. you can increase or decrease the spices as per your taste buds.
2. if you plan to bake the whole dough, then consider adding 1 to 2 tbsp more oil or ghee in the flours.

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how to make mathri recipe

1. first heat the ghee or oil. take the hot ghee or oil (known as “moyen” in punjabi language) and the dry ingredients in a bowl – maida or all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, all the spices and baking soda in a mixing bowl.

2. mix everything well and rub the fat evenly in the flour with your fingertips. the whole mixture should resemble breadcrumbs. the more you do this, the more better texture the mathris will have.

3. you will see the mixture can be gathered together like shown in the pic below.

4. just add 1 or 2 tbsp of water each time and only mix the dough. don’t knead like a roti or poori dough. only mix the water in the dough. i used 6 tbsp water and this amount was enough to bind all the dough together and gather into one ball. if the dough is kneaded than the flaky texture is lost. cover the dough and keep aside for 30 mins.

5. heat oil for frying in a kadai or pan. pinch small balls from the dough. just roll them lightly in your palms to even them. no need to give them a proper round shape etc.

6. flatten each ball with a rolling pin or belan to medium thickness. prick each mathri with a fork. the jagged uneven edges are alright and this is how they are meant to be. in case you want a smooth finish, then use a biscuit or cookie cutter. roll a large piece of dough and cut with a cookie cutter.

7. fry about 4-6 mathris is medium hot oil till crisp and golden…. tips mentioned on the hotness of oil in the recipe card above.

8. drain the mathris on kitchen paper towels to remove excess oil. fry the mathris in batches. when cooled then store mathri in an air tight box. the shelf life for mathri is long. i think its more than few weeks. i can not tell you how many weeks or months the mathri stays well because it does not last that long in our house. for baking method, please check the recipe card above.

serve punjabi mathri with tea or as a snack.

dassana amit

Founder, Designer, Recipe Developer, Food Photographer || MORE ABOUT US

i started vegrecipesofindia.com in feb 2009. it is a pure vegetarian blog and shares recipes with step by step photos that will help you to make delicious and tasty vegetarian food easily.

i am passionate about cooking from childhood and learnt cooking from my elders. having a home science degree greatly enhanced my cooking & baking skills and took it to a different level which i now share as foolproof recipes. i was trained both in mainstream indian as well as international cuisines.