Thepla | Gujarati Methi Thepla Recipe :
Thepla recipe comes from Gujarati cuisine and is a popular flatbread made with whole-grain flour. Spiced and savory methi thepla is a healthy flatbread made with fresh fenugreek leaves and multi-grain flours.
Ingredients:
| 1 cup fenugreek leaves (methi) – tightly packed | |
| 1 cup whole wheat flour – 120 grams | |
| ¼ cup gram flour (besan), 40 grams | |
| 1-inch ginger – crushed to a paste | |
| ¼ cup sorghum flour (jowar flour) or 40 grams | |
| ½ to 1 teaspoon chopped green chilies or serrano pepper – crushed to a paste | |
| 4 to 5 tablespoons Curd (yogurt) or water for kneading or add as required | |
| ½ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper | |
| ½ teaspoon turmeric powder | |
| ½ teaspoon turmeric powder | |
| ½ teaspoon Coriander Powder (ground coriander) | |
| ¾ teaspoon salt or add as required | |
| 1 tablespoon oil | |
| oil as required for roasting the thepla | |
| oil as required for roasting thepla |
Directions:
Before you begin making thepla recipe, you have to prep the methi leaves and make the dough. Pluck the leaves from the stems and tightly pack them in a measuring cup of 240 or 250 ml. Only use the leaves and not the stems.
1. First prepare the fenugreek: Rinse 1 cup of methi leaves very well in cool running water. Then drain them thoroughly and dry them with a kitchen towel or paper towel. Chop the leaves finely and set them aside.
Tip: You need to finely chop the methi leaves. If not finely chopped, you will find it difficult to roll the dough and the leaves may tear it when rolling.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add the following listed flours:
- 1 cup of whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup besan or gram flour – you can replace it with chickpea flour
- ¼ cup of pearl millet flour also known as bajra atta in Hindi
- ¼ cup sorghum flour called jowar flour or jowar atta
Note that if you don’t have or prefer not to use millet flour – simply leave it out and instead add 1¼ cups of whole wheat flour and ½ cup of besan flour.
3. Next, add the spices and herbs:
- 1-inch ginger, grated or crushed (in a mortar pestle)
- 1 or 2 green chilies, crushed – about ½ to 1 teaspoon chopped green chilies or serrano pepper
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt or add as required
4. Now add the chopped methi leaves.
5. Mix everything well.
6. Next add 4 to 5 tablespoons of curd or yogurt. To make a vegan thepla add 4 tablespoons of water or vegan yogurt instead.
7. Mix again and knead into a dough. Do not add any additional water while kneading, as the methi leaves release water.
8. Knead very well to form a soft, smooth dough. You can add more curd a tablespoon at a time if required while kneading.
Tip: If the dough looks hard, add a few tablespoons of curd and knead. If the dough becomes sticky, add some wheat flour. Mix and continue to knead.
9. Now make 10 or 11 medium-sized balls from the dough.
10. Working one at a time, take a thepla dough ball and lightly sprinkle with flour on a clean, lightly floured surface.
11. Use a rolling pin to flatten.
12. Roll the thepla to a round flatbread of about 5 to 6 inches in diameter.
13. Heat a tawa or large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, place the flattened thepla onto the surface.
Let cook for under a minute until just starting to become light golden or you see faint air pockets on the top.
14. Use a spatula to flip.
15. Spread oil lightly on the top side to coat, like in the picture below.
16. Flip the thepla again when the second side is half-cooked.
17. Now spread a bit of oil on this side, too.
18. Continue to flip back and forth a couple of times, allowing the thepla to cook for just under a minute or so each time until the flatbread becomes golden brown with even, slightly darker brown spots.
19. If needed you can press methi thepla with a spatula to get an even cook.
20. Note: Since I plan to serve them after a few hours, I have added a good amount of oil so that they remain soft. If you plan to serve them immediately then you can add less oil.
21. Remove the thepla from the skillet, and transfer to a roti basket or a covered platter to serve. Continue to make all thepla this way.
Tips and Variations:
- Apply ghee over cooked Methi thepla to keep them extra soft for a longer period or when you want to pack them in the lunchbox.
- Bind soft and pliable dough and don’t forget to add curd while binding the dough. This makes parathas softer.
- Add ½ cup finely chopped coriander leaves and 1 teaspoon crushed garlic for variation.
Taste: Mild Spicy
Serving Ideas: Serve it hot with plain yogurt or milk tea in the morning for breakfast. It can also be enjoyed with paneer tikka masala or your favorite paneer curry and lassi for lunch or dinner.