Besan Mathri (Deep Fried Flaky Gram Flour Cookies)

The speciality of these cookies is the beautiful aroma of dried fenugreek leaves and the crisp texture given by the gram flour. 

These mathris are found at almost all chai walas (tea stalls) in Northern India. And why not? These go so well with a cup of hot tea. The crisp texture, the bold flavors and the smell is enough to win your heart, pair it with a cup of tea and that is heaven itself! You can pack these for trips or picnics or just keep them handy as an evening snack.

Please read my detailed notes on deep frying which is a must for this recipe. These mathris taste best right after they are fried. You can store the leftover mathris in an airtight container and they should be good for 3-4 days. I don't suggest making a big batch as they are quite filling. 

These mathris are also a great and thoughtful gift during festivals and holidays. When everyone else is giving chocolates, cookies and everything sweet, these savory mathris do stand out. 

And before we move on to the recipe, I just want to share with you that I was recently interviewed by VoyageKC! You can find the complete interview by visiting the below link:

https://voyagekc.com/interview/daily-inspiration-meet-debjani-moitra-chatterji/

A big thanks to VoyageKC for giving me this wonderful opportunity. It was a lot of fun to talk about my blog, my work and my life. I want to thank all my readers and followers for always encouraging me and for trying my recipes. Please know that I do look forward to your suggestions as well so please share them in the comments. And when you try a recipe do upload the photos using my hashtag #lifewithoutalu

And now on to the delicious recipe:

Ingredients:

• Gram Flour (besan) – 1 ½ cups
• All Purpose Flour – 1 cup 
• Oil – ½ cup (for kneading) + 2 cups (for deep frying)
• Water – about 5 - 6 tablespoons (lukewarm)
• Carom Seeds - 2 teaspoons
• Dry Fenugreek Leaves – 3-4 teaspoons 
• Cumin Seeds – 1 teaspoon 
• Asafoetida – ¼ teaspoon
• Salt – ½ teaspoon

Directions:

• In a large bowl mix all the ingredients (Gram flour, All Purpose Flour, Carom Seeds, Dry Fenugreek Leaves, Cumin Seeds, Asafoetida, Salt and ½ cup of Oil) together. Mix with your hand or in a stand mixer.
• Add water, a little at a time, and knead into a dough. You may need a few extra tablespoons of water if the dough feels tough. It should be soft and slightly sticky. 
• When the dough comes together, put a little oil (1 tablespoon) on your kitchen counter. Transfer the dough on it and knead lightly to smooth it and coat it in oil.
• Transfer to a bowl, cover with a cling wrap and let the dough rest for at least 1 hour.
• Once the dough has rested, divide it into 2 equal parts. The dough will look oily which means it has a perfect amount of oil in it. 
• You can make the Mathri any shape you like - circle, square or diamond. To make it circle, simply divide the dough into small balls then start pressing the balls with your palm. To make them square or diamond we will roll the dough. Roll one of the dough pieces into a large rectangle or circle. Make the dough as evenly rolled as you can. Not too thin or thick.
• Use a pizza cutter or knife to cut the dough into 1 inch square/ diamond crackers. If you have odds and ends of dough left, form it into a ball to roll out. 
• Now we are ready to start frying the Mathris. Heat oil in a deep frying pan or wok over medium- medium high heat.
• Test the temperature of the oil by dropping a small ball of dough into the oil. 
• Add the mathris in the wok one by one. Do not over crowd, make sure every Mathri is in a single layer. 
• Turn over after 1-2 minutes and fry till the Mathri turns golden brown.
• Transfer the fried Mathris on a plate lined with a paper towel or napkin to absorb the excess oil.
• Serve the Mathris hot or at room temperature with a cup of tea.
• These Mathris can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container for up-to 3-4 days.

Recommended reading:

• How to Deep-Fry food with Confidence
• How to check if the oil is hot enough to fry

Pair these delicious Mathris with:

• Muri Bhaja (Fried Puffed Rice)
• Loknath wali Meethi Lassi (Sweet Yogurt based drink)
• Jhal Muri/ Muri Makha/ Churmura (Spicy Tangy Puffed Rice Snack)

Try these deep fried Indian cookies as well:

• Mathri (Savory Indian Cookies)
• Namkeen (Savory Deep Fried Indian Snacks)
• Baked Cumin / Nigella Seeds Namkeens