Mathri is a crisp, savoury Indian cracker. It is a perfect teatime snack. This is a tried and tested Haldiram-style Methi Mathri Recipe. Be sure to watch the video!
Methi Mathri
What is Mathri?
Mathri is a savoury Indian snack like samosa and kachori. It is a flaky, crispy, vegetarian, eggless cracker that you can store for months at room temperature.
There are different flavours of mathri – methi mathri , masala mathri , ajwain mathri , baked mathri , or plain mathri .
Almost every Indian household has a jar of mathri in the kitchen cabinet. It is a quintessential teatime snack favourite of kids and adults.
My Methi Mathri Recipe
The Methi Mathri Recipe comes from my mother’s recipe journal. And she is a perfectionist when it comes to making mathri.
The entire batch is of equal size, perfectly fried at the right temperature, and subtly flavoured. There is this pleasing aroma of dried fenugreek, along with the crispness provided by semolina.
With much ease, she prepares a large batch of a kilogram or so. And packs it with love for globe trotters like us, who often celebrate festivals away from home.
This mathri recipe from her kitchen often makes me feel close to her and taste the essence of her artisanal cooking.
Methi Mathri
My Tried & True Tips
The flour mixture, after adding oil, should resemble fine bread crumbs.
Always add water, one tablespoon at a time to bind the dough. Knead the dough for 5 – 10 minutes.
Rest the mathri dough for 15 minutes , covered with a wet muslin cloth.
To shape the mathri, divide the dough into equal size small balls and flatten them with your fingers or palm to form a tiny disc. Do not press the disc too hard. It would reduce the thickness of the mathri.
Ensure the oil is heated to the right temperature before frying the mathri.
Fry mathri in small batches of 6 – 8 rather than over-crowding the frying pan. Flip at regular intervals and cook evenly from both sides.
Watch Mathri Recipe Video
Serving & Storing Suggestion
Like, a cracker, you can serve mathri with everything and anything. In India, we like to relish mathri with our favourite chutney , pickle , and a cup of masala tea .
Methi Mathri is an excellent pre-made snack for travelling. It remains fresh at room temperature for days.
The best way to store mathri is in an airtight container at room temperature.
In a hot tropical climate, it is best to keep it in the refrigerator after a week else the mathri starts tasting bad.
More Indian Snack Recipes
- Matar Kachori
- Baked Mathri
- Banana Chips
- Khasta Kachori
- Mix Veg Cutlet
- Sabudana Vada
- Homemade Papdi
- Moong Dal Samosa
- Murmura Namkeen
If you try this recipe and love it, please leave a comment and a rating. This helps us grow and reach other food lovers like you.
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 Cup all-purpose flour (maida)
- ▢ ¼ Cup semolina (rava/suji)
- ▢ ¼ Cup refined oil or any flavorless oil
- ▢ ¼ Cup dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
- ▢ Salt to taste
- ▢ 1 teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
- ▢ ¼ Cup water, at room temperature
- ▢ Oil for deep frying
Instructions
Prepare Mathri Dough:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine together flour, semolina, ajwain, kasuri methi, and salt. Mix nicely using a spoon or your fingers.
- Pour oil and rebu the flour mixture using fingers. The flour mixture should resemble fine bread crumbs. Add water, one tablespoon at a time, and knead a stiff yet pliable dough. Knead the dough for 5 – 10 minutes.
- Keep the dough aside for 15 minutes covered with a wet muslin cloth.
Shape Mathri:
- Now to shape the mathri, divide the dough into equal size small balls and flatten them with your fingers or palm to form a tiny disc. Do not press the disc too hard. It would reduce the thickness of the mathri. Similarly, shape all the mathri.
Frying Mathri:
- Meanwhile, heat oil for deep frying in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium flame.
- As the oil reaches the desired temperature, reduce the heat to low. Place 6-8 mathri at a time based on the size of the vessel and fry till golden brown, flip at regular intervals and cook evenly from both sides.
- Increase the heat to medium-high towards the end of the cooking process and when the mathris attain a golden shade
- Transfer the fried mathri to a metal sieve or colander lined with a paper towel. Similarly, fry the mathri in small batches.
- Allow mathri to cool down completely before storing it. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Nutrition
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Methi Mathri Recipe
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Deep Frying Pan
Ingredients
- 1 Cup all-purpose flour (maida)
- ¼ Cup semolina (rava/suji)
- ¼ Cup refined oil or any flavorless oil
- ¼ Cup dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
- ¼ Cup water, at room temperature
- Oil for deep frying
Instructions
Prepare Mathri Dough:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine together flour, semolina, ajwain, kasuri methi, and salt. Mix nicely using a spoon or your fingers.
- Pour oil and rebu the flour mixture using fingers. The flour mixture should resemble fine bread crumbs. Add water, one tablespoon at a time, and knead a stiff yet pliable dough. Knead the dough for 5 - 10 minutes.
- Keep the dough aside for 15 minutes covered with a wet muslin cloth.
Shape Mathri:
- Now to shape the mathri, divide the dough into equal size small balls and flatten them with your fingers or palm to form a tiny disc. Do not press the disc too hard. It would reduce the thickness of the mathri. Similarly, shape all the mathri.
Frying Mathri:
- Meanwhile, heat oil for deep frying in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium flame.
- As the oil reaches the desired temperature, reduce the heat to low. Place 6-8 mathri at a time based on the size of the vessel and fry till golden brown, flip at regular intervals and cook evenly from both sides.
- Increase the heat to medium-high towards the end of the cooking process and when the mathris attain a golden shade
- Transfer the fried mathri to a metal sieve or colander lined with a paper towel. Similarly, fry the mathri in small batches.
- Allow mathri to cool down completely before storing it. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Video
Nutrition
Chettinad Prawn Masala is a finger-licking good South Indian style prawn curry. It is spicy, bold, and perfect curry to serve with steamed rice or Malabar parotta. So far one of the best prawn curry recipes on my website.
TheChettinad Masala
One of the signature characteristics of any Chettinad Curry is the masala. I am in love with this fragrant, flavorsome, fiery Chettinad masala from the wealthy community of Tamil traders, known as Chettiyars.
All you need – fennel seeds, black peppercorns, cumin seeds, dry red chilies, coriander seeds, ginger, and garlic . Dry roast, blend and the freshly made Chettinad masala is ready for the curries. It is worthy of all the effort.
TIP: If you are looking for an authentic taste, then try using the best available ingredients to make the curry paste. Like, the whole peppercorns instead of black pepper powder, bright and crisp dry red chilies, and of course the fresh curry leaves.
In case you are wondering about the spiciness of this curry paste, then don’t! Remove the seeds from the red chilies to lessen the heat in the curry paste. Also, adjust the number of chilies and peppercorns as per personal preference.
A splash of coconut milk can also be added to the curry to calm down the hotness.
About Prawn Masala
This epic South Indian curry takes no time to get ready and is indeed a treat for the culinary senses.
What’s not to love about Chettinad Prawn Masala? It’s like all my favorite things, simmered in one pot – prawns, Chettinad masala, gingelly oil, and loads of spices.
More Reasons To LOVE
gluten-free
one pot curry
easy to make
meal prep friendly curry paste
Step-By-Step Chettinad Prawn Masala
Start with making the Chettinad Masala Paste. It is a two-step easy method. Dry roast the spices, and then grind them .
The prawn/shrimp does not require any marination for making Chettinad Curry.
Next, prepare onion and tomato masala by frying for the curry.
Add the Chettinad curry paste, shrimp, salt, slow cook till meat is tender, and the Prawn Chettinad Masala is ready!
Serving Suggestion
Whether it is the traditional Chicken Chettinad or prawn masala, both of them are my lunch favorites with a heap of ghee rice and tomato garlic rasam . The combination is an absolute foodgasm kinda experience.
The Chettinad prawn masala tastes delicious with Malabar parotta, pillowy appam, or a crisp dosa as well.
It is a robust, bold, spicy curry that complements Indian bread and rice dishes perfectly.
More Prawn Recipes
Tandoori Prawns (Grilled Prawns)
Red Sauce Shrimp Spaghetti
Punjabi Prawn Masala
Shrimp Quinoa Stir Fry
Prawn Mango Salad
If you try this recipe and love it, please leave a comment and a Star Rating. This helps us grow and reach many other food lovers like you, who are looking for a perfect tried and tested recipe.
Ingredients
- ▢ 500 gram prawns cleaned and deveined
- ▢ 1 inch piece of cinnamon
- ▢ 2 green cardamom, crushed
- ▢ 2 large-size onion fine, chopped
- ▢ 2 large size tomato, blend
- ▢ salt to taste
- ▢ 4 tablespoon mustard oil/gingely oil/coconut oil
Ingredients for Chettinad Masala
- ▢ 3 – 4 curry leaves
- ▢ 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf)
- ▢ 2 teaspoon black peppercorns (sabut kali mirch)
- ▢ 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- ▢ 4 dried red chilies esp goondu milagai variety
- ▢ 1 teaspoon coriander seeds (sabut dhaniya)
- ▢ ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ▢ 2 teaspoon ginger – garlic paste
Instructions
- To prepare Chettinad Prawn Masala, first wash, clean and devein the prawns. If possible, use the pre-cleaned prawns.
How To Make Chettinad Masala:
- Dry roast fennel seeds, black pepper, cumin, red chilies, coriander seeds till fragrant and slightly darkened. Grind them in a mixer to a smooth paste using little water.
- Add turmeric and ginger – garlic paste to the freshly ground spice mix. Stir to combine and set aside in a bowl.
How To Make Chettinad Prawn Masala:
- Heat oil in a large kadhai over medium heat. Add the cinnamon, cardamom pods, curry leaves and saute for few seconds till fragrant. Add the chopped onion and saute over low heat till onion is light brown.
- Next, add the tomato puree and fry the masala for 10 minutes or so over low heat. The indication of masala being ready is oil starts separating from it.
- Now add the Chettinad paste to the fried onion and stir to combine. Continue to saute the masala scraping the bottom of the kadhai, till the masala takes deep brown color and nicely roasted.
- At this stage add the clean prawns, salt and stir to combine. Turn the heat to low and cook the prawns 10 – 15 minutes.
- Serve Chettinad Prawn Masala with lachha paratha, steamed rice, and tomato rasam .
Recipe Notes:
- You can use frozen prawns as well to make Chettinad Prawn Masala.
- Do not cook the prawns for too long as they might turn chewy.
- Adjust the number of chilies in the Chettinad masala paste and curry as per your taste preference.
- You can balance the heat of spices by adding 1 – 2 tablespoons of coconut milk.
Nutrition
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