carom seeds

Mathris are one of all time favorite crispy deep fried Indian crackers. They are one of the most popular snacks in North India & is served with mango, chilli or lemon pickle along with tea.
Their specialty is that you can make them at home and can be stored for more than a month

Yields around 30 medium size

Ingredients

Whole wheat Flour/ Atta – 1 1/2 cups
APF flour – 1/2 cup (Maida)
Black pepper powder – 1/1 tsp (freshly ground)
Ghee Or Oil – 4 tbsp I used Ghee
Carom seeds – 1 tsp
cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Lukewarm Water for kneading – around 1/4 cup
Oil for deep frying

Method :

Mix both the flours, salt ,cracked pepper , carom seeds and cumin seeds in a bowl.
Add the ghee/ oil and rub between your palms until it takes the form of breadcrumbs.
Knead with water and and form a pliable but firm dough .
Cover with the damp cloth and set aside for 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into small balls and roll them into 3 inch circle. Repeat with the rest.
Prick each mathri with a fork in 5 to 6 places both sides, otherwise mathris will puff while frying.
Heat the oil in a kadhai or deep-frying pan on medium heat. Frying pan should have at least 1 inch of oil.
To check if the oil is ready, put a small piece of dough in the oil. The dough should make the oil sizzle and come up slowly.
Fry the rolled mathris in a batch over moderate heat.
Remove and drain on paper towels.

Tips

Mathris can be stored for a month in airtight containers.
If the mathris are cooked on high heat, they will become soft.

Pakoras are fried fritter snacks. They are quick, simple and easy to prepare .
Mirchi / Chili ka pakora is a spicy delicious & perfect treat with hot cup of tea .
The long green chillies are usually used for this pakora . I have stuffed the
chillies with mashed potatoes . Chilies can be stuffed with any other filling of your choice .

Ingredients:

10 – 12 thick green chilies
2 Cups gram flour (besan)
1 Teaspoon red chili powder
½ Teaspoon carom seeds (Ajwaiin)
1 Teaspoon salt or to your taste
1 Cup of water or as needed
oil for frying

Ingredients for filling:

2 Large Boiled Potatoes OR 4 medium ( mashed )
1Teaspoon red chili powder
salt to taste
2 Teaspoons lemon juice ( you can even use dry Mango / Amchure Powder)
1 tsp garam masala powder Optional
2 tsp coriander powder optional

Procedure:

FOR THE STUFFING : Mix all the ingredients with boiled potatoes for the stuffing and keep aside ..

NOW

Mix the besan , red chilli powder, salt, ajwain in a mixing bowl.
Add one cup of water to this mixture to make a thick batter.
Wash and pat dry the chillies with a kitchen towel.
Make a slit in the chillies and take out the seeds with a scooper ( optional , I did not remove the seeds )
Fill the potato stuffing inside the slit chillies and keep aside .

Heat the oil for deep frying (on a medium flame) till it is almost smoking.
When the oil is ready for frying, dip one chilli in the gram flour batter to coat well on all sides. Put it into the oil and fry till golden all over flipping chilies in between . Remove and drain on paper towels. Fry remaining chillies in the same way.

Serve hot with chutneys & dips of your choice ..

NOTE

If you do not want to stuff the chilies then just dip them in the batter ( without the stuffing ) and fry them, either way they are delicious.

Though, mashed potatoes is the most common filling in India, there are other fillings that can be used, like, paneer , cooked mince , cheese and even left over vegetables .

I even made some Stuffed bread pakoda with the left over potato filling .
I applied a teaspoon of the mint-coriander chutney evenly on the slice of bread , then took around 2 tbsp of the mashed potato mixture and applied it on the bread evenly , covered this potato stuffed slice with another slice.dipped in besan and deep fried. One can be innovative in making the filling.