Every Gujarati family has a tin of theplas somewhere, and if they are travelling, they have two. Methi thepla is a thin, soft flatbread flavoured with fresh fenugreek leaves, spices and curd, cooked with ghee. It is breakfast, tiffin, tea-time snack and the famous train food that sees families through long train rides without needing a pantry car. The curd and ghee are what let theplas stay soft and fresh for two or three days.
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat atta
- 2 tbsp besan
- 1 cup fresh methi leaves, washed, dried and finely chopped
- 3 tbsp thick curd
- 1 tbsp ghee, plus more for cooking
- 1 tsp ginger-green chilli paste
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp coriander-cumin powder (dhana jeera)
- ½ tsp ajwain
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 1 tsp sugar or grated jaggery
- 1 tsp salt
- A pinch of hing
- Water as needed
Method
- Prepare the methi. Wash the leaves well and dry them completely on a cloth. Wet leaves make a sticky dough. Chop finely.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, combine atta, besan, spices, sesame, sugar, salt and hing.
- Add methi, curd and ghee. Add chopped methi, ginger-chilli paste, curd and 1 tbsp ghee. Rub together with your fingers.
- Knead a soft dough. Add water a little at a time to make a soft, smooth dough, softer than roti dough. Methi releases moisture as it sits, so add water gradually. Rub a little ghee over the dough, cover and rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Roll thin. Divide into lime-sized balls. Roll each into a thin circle, about 6 to 7 inches across. Theplas are thinner than parathas.
- Cook. Place on a medium-hot tawa. Cook for about 30 seconds until small bubbles appear. Flip. Cook for 30 seconds.
- Add ghee. Spread ½ tsp ghee over the top, flip, press gently with a spatula, and spread ghee on the other side. Cook until both sides have light brown spots.
- Stack. Stack in a casserole or wrap in a cloth.
What keeps theplas soft
Curd in the dough. It tenderises the dough and keeps it soft for days.
Ghee in the dough and while cooking. Fat keeps moisture in and slows staling. This is the main reason ghee, rather than oil, is preferred for travel theplas in many homes: theplas cooked in ghee stay soft and taste good at room temperature.
Thin rolling and moderate heat. Thick theplas or high heat dry them out.
For travel
- Cool completely on a plate before packing, so no steam is trapped.
- Wrap in a clean cotton cloth, then place in a steel tin or foil.
- They keep well at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, depending on the weather.
- Pack with chhundo (sweet mango pickle), dry garlic chutney or plain curd.
Variations
Swap methi for doodhi (bottle gourd), grated and squeezed, or spinach. For a winter version, add a spoon of bajra flour to the dough.
A stack of twenty theplas for a family trip uses a good few spoons of ghee. Desi Cow A2 Ghee in a 1 litre jar keeps that sensible.