Mathri, mathi, or shortcrust cookies is a must-make snack for the festive season in all households. Made with maida or wheat flour, the dough is kneaded firmly, rolled out into small discs, and then deep fried. They make for a perfect tea-time snack.
With Holi around the corner, this must be made by kilos in most Indian households. Mine is no different.
Mathri is similar to flaky biscuits and is a delight to eat with tea or coffee or simply with some homemade pickle. The thought only gives me goosebumps & craves some more.
You can give different shapes to the dough – either using a cookie cutter or shaping them freehand into triangles.
You can substitute part of maida with maida to reduce some refined calories from it.
Here’s to Holi & all Indian festivals.
Mathri
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp semolina
- ½ tsp carom seeds
- 2 tbsp ghee clarified butter
- to taste salt
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix flour, semolina, salt & carom seeds.
- Add ghee & mix gently. Now hold the flour in your fist, if it forms a loose clump, then the amount of ghee is fine, if it doesn't then add a bit more ghee.
- Using water knead the dough. The dough should be slightly hard to touch. Wrap in a wet muslin cloth & keep it aside for 1/2 hour.
- Form small balls with the dough. Roll these balls using a rolling pin. Use a knife or fork to make small holes/ slits in the rolled pastry.
- Heat oil in a big wok, fry these pastry till golden brown. The oil should be not be very hot. If you fry mathris in very hot oil, they will cook from outside and not inside. Deep fry mathris till golden brown on slow flame.
- Enjoy warm with tea or coffee or pickle. It will store well in an air-tight container at room temperature for 6-7 days.
Notes
- You can eat mathri like bhakris. Enjoy them warm with pickle or snack with tea.
- You can substitute part of maida with maida to reduce some refined calories from it.
- You can give different shapes to the dough – either using a cookie cutter or shape them freehand into triangles.
- Kids can snack on them topped with some salads.
- The oil should be not be very hot. If you fry mathris in very hot oil, they will cook from outside and not inside.
- Fry mathris till golden brown on slow flame.
Mathri | Indian Flaky Biscuits
I have no idea how the Carom Seeds taste like (I must confess, I had to google to even find out what they are :), but I like the recipe and the photo. I also learned about Ghee, never heard of it before :)