mooli thepla recipe with step by step photos – mooli thepla are flat breads made with whole wheat flour, white radish (mooli) and spices.
theplas are light, quick and nutritious snack. though most of the time we prefer methi thepla but on ocassions, i do make thepla with different veggies. i have shared a variation of thepla recipe made with lauki or bottle gourd here – lauki thepla.
you can make mooli thepla as a breakfast, a quick snack or even pack for tiffin box or lunch box. theplas remain soft so you can have them any time of the day. especially if you are working then theplas come as a big rescue since they can be made quickly and are very easy to prepare.
these mooli thepla taste good and one cannot make out that they are made from radish (mooli). so its great to make these for your loved ones, especially the fussy eaters. addition of mooli makes thepla more nutritious and healthy. another flatbread recipe i make with mooli is this punjabi mooli paratha recipe.
you can apply oil or ghee on the mooli thepla. adding besan flour gives a nice nutty flavor to theplas. we like the flavor of besan but if you don’t prefer then skip it. mostly theplas are served with mango pickle, curd or aam chunda or any veggie. we love to have warm theplas with hot cup of masala chai.
few more flatbread recipes for you!
mooli thepla
INGREDIENTS FOR mooli thepla
- ¾ to 1 cup grated mooli (radish)
- 1.5 cups whole wheat flour (atta)
- 2 tablespoons gram flour (besan) - OPTIONAL
- 1 to 2 tablespoon curd (dahi or 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 (dhania powder)
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder (jeera)
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder (lal mirch powder)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
- 1 tablespoon oil or ghee
- ¾ teaspoon salt or as required
- oil for roasting as required
HOW TO MAKE mooli thepla
kneading dough for mooli thepla
- 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 for making mooli thepla.
- add grated mooli in a parat or big plate. add all the spice powders, salt and ginger-chili paste.
- next add ½ teaspoon coriander powder, ½ teaspoon cumin powder, ½ teaspoon red chili powder, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon 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 mooli thepla
- make medium sized balls from the dough.
- dust some flour on the ball.
- gently flatten with a pin roller (belan).
- sprinkle some more flour if required.
- roll to a round or oval shape thepla, about 5 to 6 inches in diameter.
roasting mooli thepla on tawa
- place the rolled mooli thepla on a hot tawa or griddle.
- when you see faint blisters on mooli thepla then flip.
- spread some oil or ghee on the thepla all over, flip again.
- spread oil or ghee on this side too.
- flip thepla once or twice till they are cooked. make all mooli thepla this way.
- if you are making mooli thepla to carry for tiffin or picnics then apply some more oil, so that thepla stay soft.
- serve mooli thepla warm or at room temperature with pickle or curd (yogurt).
NOTES
- you can use ghee or oil for roasting the theplas.
- adding besan (gram flour) is optional.
how to make mooli thepla recipe:
1. rinse, peel and grate the mooli in a bowl or plate. grate about ¾ to 1 cup mooli.
2. measure and keep all the ingredients ready for making mooli theplas.
3. add grated mooli in a parat or big plate or bowl. also add ½ teaspoon coriander powder (dhania powder), ½ teaspoon cumin powder (jeera powder), ½ teaspoon red chili powder, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi), 1 teaspoon ginger-green chili paste and ¾ teaspoon salt or as required.
4. mix the spices very well.
5. keep covered aside for 5 minutes. soon mooli will release its juices.
6. then add 1.5 cups of whole wheat flour (atta).
7. next add 3 tablespoons of besan (gram flour). if you are not using gram flour, then skip this step.
8. mix well with your finger tips.
9. add 1 to 2 tablespoon yogurt (curd or dahi) 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 flour. if the dough looks dry or hard, then add 1 to 2 tablespoons more curd.
11. 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 mooli thepla
12. make medium sized balls from the dough.
13. dust some flour on the ball.
14. gently flatten with a pin roller.
15. sprinkle some more flour if required.
16. roll to a round or oval shape thepla, about 5 to 6 inches in diameter.
roasting mooli thepla on tawa
17. place the rolled mooli thepla on a hot tawa or griddle.
18. roast till you see faint blisters on thepla.
19. then flip mooli thepla.
20. spread some oil or ghee on the thepla all over.
21. flip again.
22. spread oil or ghee on this side too.
23. flip theplas once or twice till they are cooked. make all mooli thepla this way. if you are making mooli thepla to carry for tiffin or picnics then apply some more oil, so that thepla stay soft.
24. serve mooli thepla warm or at room temperature with pickle or curd or aam chunda or mango chutney.
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 or any flatbread 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.