Mathri Recipe

Mathris are wheat crackers that are made as snacks or for festive occasions in India. These are delicately spiced, superbly flaky and tasty. Air fryer and deep fried recipes are shared.

Perfect for anytime savory treat. Goes so well with chai.

My childhood memories have a special place for mathris.

Mum made them regularly, deep frying them on low flame with a Zen concentration and storing them in stainless steel dabbas for us to gorge whenever hunger struck.

I remember her putting one peppercorn in each mathri that gave it a burst a flavor.

I make mathris sporadically. I don’t deep fry much except on special occasions.

Also, this is time consuming.

I did like making them in air fryer due to low mess and non-handling hot oil. This is a picture of air fried mathris.

You may also like namak pare in air fryer, Kachori in air fryer, Khoya Paneer Recipe, Besan ke Laddoo, Dahi vada Recipe

You may also like these tasty and easy gluten free goldfish.

Here sharing both the recipes.

Variations:

1. This recipe is already vegetarian and vegan.

2. You can make them with only wholewheat flour as well.

3. You can use ghee in place of oil if you prefer that taste.

4. You can use chilli flakes, garam masala or any other herbs of choice.

5. Using turmeric powder gives the mathris a nice golden yellow colour especially when air frying.

6. You can store these for 2-3 weeks in an air tight jar. If you feel they lose their crispness, then you can air fry at 160C or 320F for 3 minutes or microwave them before serving.

7. It is important that your dough is a bit stiff and not too soft or your mathris will not turn out suitably flaky and crisp.

Stepwise Pictures

Mix together the two flours, salt, kasuri methi (if using), carrom seeds (good for digestion) or dried oregano and turmeric (if using) along with oil.

You will get a sand like consistency. Don’t skimp on the oil here or you will get very hard mathris.

Now pour water little by little to form a stiff dough.

Your dough must not be soft or your mathris will stay a bit soft and not khasta or crispy and flaky.

Rest the dough for 5 minutes.

Now make balls and roll out using a rolling pin. I do not use any water or oil as it rolls out fairly easily. Keep it about ¼” thick.

Now using a cookie cutter or a glass, cut out mathris from rolled out dough. I then add a peppercorn in each mathri.  

Don’t forget to prick each mathri with a fork. This is to prevent it from fluffing up like a poori.

You could add pepper to the mathri dough ingredients as well.

For air frying

Preheat air fryer at 160C or 320F for 3 minutes.

Brush the basket with oil and lay the mathris so that they do not overlap. I could fit about 8 at one go.

Air fry at 160C or 320F for about 8-10 minutes till they are done.

You could brush them with oil before air frying for a more oily look.

Mine were not hence they look a bit dry. Your mathris are done. Take them out and have hot. Or store in air tight jar.

They look paler than the deep fried ones but are pretty flaky and crisp nonetheless.

Definitely a good alternative to deep fried version.

For deep frying

Heat vegetable oil of choice. I use peanut oil or mustard oil.

Drop a small piece of dough to check the correct temperature. It should float with a lot of bubbles.

Now slowly drop each mathri in the hot oil. Lower the temperature of the oil and ensure that you fry on medium hot oil.

This ensures that the mathris get cooked inside and are fried correctly.

Once they are golden brown, remove onto a plate.

Store in air tight container after cooling down. Enjoy them as evening snack with chai.

Here's the recipe card:

📖 Recipe Card

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