Methi Thepla Rolls – Indian Breakfast Recipe

Gujarati food takes in a lot of effort for full flavored and a healthful bracket of meal. To include all the food groups throughout the day, gujarati cuisine demands prior preparation for the jaw dropping outcome. Adding muthias in veggies to bring out the additional punch in veg dishes or adding dhoklis in greens to make the dish look extra appealing and appetizing or transforming the boring looking lentils into a process of spongy and peng varieties of dhoklas, this is all the effort and vision it takes.

I missed eating mama’s magical food, so it made sense to make a batch of methi theplas at home and have them with milky cardamom tea while watching endless runs of the news switching between CNN, NBC, FOX and Sky. Methi meaning fenugreek leaves and thepla are basically flatbread version of spicy elements moved together to form a delicious and soft roll of methi thepla. I’ve been dying to test out these thepla rolls, a childhood favorite of mine and they exceeded my expectation. The yogurt is used in my thepla dough and as they are loaded with protein that keeps you full longer. They are a great addition to get your daily intake of greens.

We prefer to roll up for fast and easy on the go breakfast. They can be carried in lunch boxes or made any time when you don’t want to cook yet you want to eat something interesting. They taste perfect when the cold pat of ghee would melt readily when placed on it, dipped in a whisk of yogurt, or eaten along with Baingan Bharta (link), Aloo Methi (link), Mix Veggies (link) or just plain with pickle, the combinations are endless.

Methi Thepla Rolls

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 8 minutes

Total Time: Half hour, 8 minutes

Serves: Depends

Ingredients:

1 batch fenugreek leaves, approx. 1 cup, washed and fined chopped

2-3 stems, garlic leaves, finely chopped

½ inch grated ginger

1 tablespoon green chili paste

¼ teaspoon red chili powder

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon carom seeds

½ tablespoon salt, as per the taste

½ teaspoon sugar

1 ½ cup wheat flour

3 tablespoons gram flour

1 cup yogurt, kneading

1 cup cooking oil

1 cup clarified butter/ghee

Direction:

• In a big bowl, add 1 batch of finely chopped fenugreek leaves, finely chopped garlic leaves, 1 ½ cup wheat flour and 3 tablespoons gram flour. Mix everything properly.
• Now add ½ tablespoon salt, ½ teaspoon sugar, ½ inch grated ginger, 1 tablespoon green chili paste, ¼ teaspoon red chili powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and ½ teaspoon carom seeds. Mix well and combine the mixture by adding yogurt little by little. Knead the dough like we do for Indian flatbreads. Knead well until its soft and sorted.
• Finish by adding 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and knead again. Cover the bowl and leave it aside for 15 minutes. You can even refrigerate the dough for a week and have on hand during busy mornings and enjoy these rolls through out the week!
• Time to roll the theplas: Make tennis size balls out of it, dough ball should be smooth and round without any cracks.
• After the ball is round, press it gently between your palms and make it little flat like the shape of burger patty and coat it with wheat flour.
• Lightly dust flour on a work surface and with the help of a rolling pin, roll out one of the dough patty into even thin and circular shape as possible.
• On a hot non-stick pan, place the circular thepla or flat bread and allow it to cook on medium heat until it’s done from one side. Be sure to use a good non-stick pan so you can seamlessly flip the thepla without sticking.
• Flip the thepla when you see the golden polka dots all over it. Gently apply oil over the cooked side and allow the other part to cook until the similar golden polka dots become visible.
• Apply oil, on other side as well, oil application will make thepla soft and crispy. Finish by spreading desi ghee or clarified butter over the top. Roll each thepla and serve hot or cold with pickle, ketchup, tea or anything, they taste over the top!