Mooli Thepla is a healthy and tasty Gujarati flatbread made with whole wheat flour, white radish (mooli), and spices. They are light, quick to make, and also nutritious. You can make these for breakfast, or as a snack, or even pack in a tiffin or lunch box. They remain soft so you can have them any time of the day.
About This Mooli Thepla
My recipe for mooli thepla is very different from methi thepla as I have not made these with millet flours.
Though most of the time we prefer Methi Thepla on occasions, I do make these savory flatbreads with different veggies. I have also shared a variation made with lauki or bottle gourd – Lauki Thepla.
Especially if you are a working person, then these healthy flatbreads come as a big rescue since they are made quickly. The addition of mooli makes these flatbreads more nutritious and healthy. We usually love to make them during winters.
You can either roast them with oil or ghee on them. Adding besan flour gives a nice nutty flavor to them. We like the flavor of besan but if you don’t prefer then skip it.
These flatbreads taste good and you cannot make out that they are made from radish. So it is great to make these for your loved ones, especially fussy kids.
With tender white radish, I also make Mooli Paratha. But let me tell you that radish paratha is made differently and is not the same as thepla. Also both are different in terms of taste and flavor.
The main difference is that in a paratha, the rolled dough is stuffed with a layer of grated radish, while a thepla dough has the grated radish added to the flour and kneaded. These varying preparation methods give a unique taste, texture, and flavor to them.
Mostly mooli thepla are served with Mango Pickle, curd or aam chunda, or any veggie. We love to have warm mooli na thepla with a hot cup of Masala Chai or Ginger Tea.
How to make Mooli Thepla
Making radish, spices mixture
1. Rinse, peel and grate the mooli in a bowl or plate. Grate about ¾ to 1 cup mooli. Use radish that is fresh, tender and juicy.
2. Measure and keep all the ingredients ready.
3. Add grated mooli in a big plate or bowl. Also add the following ingredients:
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon ginger-green chili paste
- ¾ teaspoon salt or as required.
Note that you can vary the spices as per your taste preferences.
4. Mix the spices very well with a spoon or with clean fingers.
5. Keep covered aside for 5 minutes. Soon mooli will release its juices.
Preparing mooli thepla dough
6. Then add 1.5 cups of whole wheat flour.
7. Next add 3 tablespoons of besan (gram flour or chickpea flour). If you are not using gram flour, then skip this step.
8. Mix well with your fingertips.
9. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons yogurt (curd) and 1 tablespoon oil.
10. Mix well and begin to knead the dough. Make a smooth soft dough. If the dough becomes sticky, then add some more whole wheat flour. If the dough looks dry or hard, then add 1 to 2 tablespoons more curd and knead again.
11. Cover the dough with a plate or linen cloth or cotton napkin. Allow the dough to rest for 5 to 6 minutes. Again knead the dough for a minute.
Make medium-sized balls from the dough. Cover with a cloth or lid and set aside.
12. Dust some flour on the rolling board and the dough ball.
13. Gently flatten with a pin roller first. Then sprinkle some more flour if required and roll to a round shape, about 5 to 7 inches in diameter.
Roasting Mooli Thepla
14. Heat a tawa or skillet. Place the rolled dough on a hot tawa or skillet. Keep the heat to medium to medium-high.
15. Roast until you see faint air pockets on them.
16. Then flip them using a spatula or tongs.
17. Spread some oil or ghee all over according to your preferences.
18. Flip again.
19. Spread oil or ghee on this side too.
20. Flip them once or twice until they are cooked well. Press the edges also with the spatula so that they are cooked evenly.
Similarly, make all the flatbreads in this manner. If you are making them to pack for tiffin or picnics then spread some more oil, so that they stay soft.
21. Serve Mooli Thepla hot or warm or at room temperature with pickle or curd or aam chunda or mango chutney. You can have them for breakfast, brunch or as tea time evening snack.
Helpful Tips
- Radish: Mooli thepla is usually made with white radish. Buy radish that is fresh and tender. Do not use radish that is hard, fibrous, or stringy.
- Flours: You can skip adding gram flour (besan) if you do not prefer it. You can also add some healthy flours like pearl millet, finger millet (ragi), or sorghum flour.
- Curd (yogurt): When making the recipe, it is best to use fresh yogurt which is not sour. If yogurt is not available, add water or buttermilk in the flour as needed to make a smooth and soft dough
- Spicing: For a spicier taste, add more green chilies and red chili powder.
- Fats: You can roast the thepla with oil or ghee (clarified butter). Peanut oil gives a good flavor and taste. Though any neutral-flavored oil can be used.
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Mooli Thepla
Ingredients
- ¾ to 1 cup grated radish (white radish or mooli)
- 1.5 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons gram flour (besan) – optional, can sub chickpea flour
- 1 to 2 tablespoon Curd (yogurt) – add 1 to 2 tablespoon more, if required while kneading the dough
- 1 green chili + ½ inch ginger – crushed to a paste in mortar pestle or 1 teaspoon ginger-green chili paste
- ½ teaspoon Coriander Powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon oil or ghee
- ¾ teaspoon salt or as required
- oil as required, ror roasting
Instructions
Kneading dough
- Rinse, peel and grate the mooli in a bowl or plate. Grate about ¾ cup to 1 cup mooli.
- Measure and keep all the ingredients ready.
- Add grated mooli in a parat or big plate. Add all the spice powders, salt and ginger-chili paste.
- Next add coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder, ginger-green chili paste and ¾ teaspoon salt or as required.
- Mix the spices very well.
- Keep covered aside for 5 minutes. Soon mooli will release its juices.
- Then add 1.5 cups of whole wheat flour.
- Next add 3 tablespoon of besan (gram flour). If you are not using gram flour then skip this step.
- Mix well with your finger tips.
- Add 1 to 2 tablespoon yogurt (curd or dahi) and 1 tablespoon oil.
- Mix well and begin to knead the dough.
- Make a smooth soft dough.
- Cover the dough with a plate or linen cloth. Allow the dough to rest for 5 to 6 minutes.
- Again knead the dough for a minute.
Rolling dough
- Make medium sized balls from the dough. Cover with a cotton napkin or lid.
- Dust some flour on the rolling board as well as the dough ball.
- Gently flatten with a rolling pin.
- Sprinkle some more flour if required.
- Roll to a round shape about 5 to 7 inches in diameter.
Roasting
- Place the rolled dough on a hot tawa or skillet. Keep the heat to medium to medium high.
- When you see faint blisters on them then flip.
- Spread some oil or ghee all over, flip again.
- Spread oil or ghee on this side too.
- Flip them once or twice until they are cooked well. Make sure that the edges are also cooked well.
- Make all the flatbreads in this manner.
- If you are making them to carry for tiffin or picnics then spread some more oil, so that they stay soft.
- Serve these warm or at room temperature with pickle or curd (yogurt).
- You can also enjoy them as an evening tea time snack.
Notes
- Radish: Mooli thepla is usually made with white radish. Buy radish that is fresh and tender. Do not use radish that is hard, fibrous, or stringy.
- Flours: You can skip adding gram flour (besan) if you do not prefer it. You can also add some healthy flours like pearl millet, finger millet (ragi), or sorghum flour.
- Curd (yogurt): When making the recipe, it is best to use fresh yogurt which is not sour. If yogurt is not available, add water or buttermilk in the flour as needed to make a smooth and soft dough
- Spicing: For a spicier taste, add more green chilies and red chili powder.
- Fats: You can roast the mooli thepla with oil or ghee (clarified butter). Peanut oil gives a good flavor and taste. Though any neutral-flavored oil can be used.
- Scaling: The recipe can be scaled easily to make a small or big batch.
Nutrition Info (Approximate values)
This Mooli Thepla post from the archives first published in February 2017 has been republished and updated on 17 December 2021.
When I ate it immediately after making it I loved it. But my husband had it after a couple of hours and he found it kachcha.
Anything I can do differently next time? Can we roast the thepla a little more? Won’t it become hard?
Also, can we substitute Besan with sattu?
hi shruthi, thepla should be always roasted on a hot tawa. if the tawa is not hot enough, the thepla will not cook well. if the thepla is cooked properly, there won’t be any raw taste in it. cook on a medium-high to high flame. you should see charred spots or blisters on the thepla. press the thepla (center, edges etc) with a spatula while cooking, so that it roasted well. you can roast thepla for some more time if you see that they are not roasted well but do not too much as then they will become hard. you can use sattu flour instead of besan.