Perfectly baked and spiced crispy mathris! Make these unbelievably delicious whole wheat crackers this festive season and savor them guilt-free with a hot cup of tea or coffee. A vegan recipe!!!
Sweets and savory snacks are an indispensable part of Indian festivities. My mom used to make mathris every Diwali/Holi. We used to devour it all in no time. It's my all-time absolute favorite snack to have with my chai.
Mathris come in a variety of flavors - plain, methi, ajwain, black pepper, sweet mathri, and so on. Traditionally these are deep-fried and made from maida (all-purpose flour) and sooji (semolina). That's how I have been making all these years, but since it's hard for us to stop at just 2 or 3, this time around we decided to take the healthy route with the baked version which has all the yummy goodness but without the added calories. After tinkering around for a while and tweaking it time and again, we settled on this one which we love. It's made using atta, sooji, besan, and a bunch of spices followed by the baking. It can't get healthier than this. Here I have combined it with achari masala for a spicy and tangy flavor. The result is a super addictive and amazing mathris. Seriously, you can't just stop at one. They're that good!!!
Making these delish delights is super easy. It takes under 30 minutes to throw it all together, perfect even for an impromptu snack. From festivals to quick after school snacks or parties, these are perfect for any time or day of the year!!!
Ingredients for Achari Mathri
The ingredients needed for these flaky and crispy mathris are simple. You probably have all you need in your pantry right now - whole wheat flour, semolina, gram flour, oil, and spices like garam masala, chaat masala, amchur, chili flakes, ajwain, kasuri methi, fennel powder, saunth, ground black pepper, asafoetida, and pickle masala. If you don't have pickle masala, that's completely okay. Simply use any leftover masala from your pickle jar. All the more reason to make some today, like right now. You might like to make a big batch of these tidbits as everyone gobble these up in no time :)))
We love this Achari Mathri. It's:
- Vegan
- Simple and quick to put together
- A perfect addition to your Diwali spread
- Made with healthy ingredients and is baked
- Crispy and makes a perfect tea-time snack
- Spicy, tangy, and so flavorful
- Loved by the whole family
- A perfect snack while traveling
- Easy to store and have a long shelf life
I've been so looking forward to sharing this one with you all for a while, so I'm glad that today is finally the day :)))
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour (atta)
- ¼ cup fine semolina (sooji)
- 2 tablespoons gram flour (besan)
- ½ teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
- 1 teaspoon saunf powder (fennel powder)
- 1 teaspoon saunth (dry ginger powder)
- 2 teaspoons kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), crushed
- 1 teaspoon amchur (dry mango powder)
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoon pickle or achari masala (ready-made or use from leftover mango pickle)
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup olive oil or any cooking oil
- a pinch of asafoetida
- ½ teaspoon salt or as per taste
- ½ cup warm water, or as required (for the dough)
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine atta (whole wheat flour), sooji (semolina), besan (gram flour), and baking powder.
- Add all the spices - ajwain, kasuri methi, chili flakes, garam masala, amchur, chaat masala, fennel powder, ground black pepper, pickle or achari masala, and salt. Mix thoroughly.
- Then, add oil. Rub the flour and oil between fingers nicely. It should look and feel crumbly.
- Add water gradually to knead the dough. Keep kneading until it's smooth yet tight.
- Cover and rest the dough for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Later, divide the dough equally into 3 parts. Roll each part into a large disc, about ¼" in thickness. Make sure to cover the rest of the dough while rolling one part.
- Cut the large disc into your preferred shape using a cookie cutter. I made some round ones (using a cookie cutter) and the rest into triangles (For triangles, simply roll the small discs made with a round cookie cutter a little into small puris. Fold in half and then fold again to make a triangle. They usually take a couple of extra minutes of baking time)
- Place the mathris on a silicone mat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Bake the mathris for about 25 minutes or until light brown (Bake triangle-shaped mathris another couple of minutes). Flip once in between for even baking.
- Remove from the oven and let them cool completely before serving or storing.
- Enjoy these crispy and crunchy little treats with adrak waali chai!!!
Recipe Notes
- Storing achari mathris is fairly simple. They have a long shelf life and stay fresh in an air-tight jar for up to a month.
- You can use ghee instead of oil, but then it won't be vegan.
- Baking time can change depending on how thick mathris are.
- These mathris are moderately spicy. Feel free to adjust the spice level as per your preference.
