AACHARI MATHARI

Aachari Mathari is a very popular North Indian snack, eaten usually with a cup of hot tea. There are different varieties available… plain, salty, methi mathari, palak mathari and aachari mathari. I saw this mathari once on one of the food group and like it and want to make it for my daughters. So tried this on yesterday as Diwali snack and it comes out so awesome and tastes delicious.  It is also called as Khasta Mathi or  Mathari. It can be eaten with tea or as plain snack with some pickle. Here I used all purpose flour only for my recipe but you can use ½ -1/2  wheat flour and all purpose flour also to make it more healthy. This can be used as an ideal snack for winters to munch and even while travelling.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Cups All Purpose Flour/ Maida

2-3 tablespoon Samolina / Sooji / Rawa

½ Cup Hot Oil

2-3 teaspoon Pickle Masala /Aachari Masala

Salt as needed

1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder[ accordingly]

1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds

½ teaspoon Carom Seeds

Oil for frying

METHOD:

STEP 1 - In a mixing bowl, sieve the all purpose flour and semolina together.

STEP 2 – Add all the other ingredients in it with cumin seeds and carom seeds. Mix it well.

STEP 3 – Heat ½ cup oil in small pan, make a well in all purpose flour mix.[see notes]

STEP 4 – Rub the flour mix with your fingers

and mix it well.

STEP 5 – Now add sufficient water in it and make a soft and smooth dough with it.

Dough should not be very thick or thin. It should be stiff. Rest the dough for ½ an hour.[see notes]

STEP 6 – After ½ an hour, knead the dough again with your palms,

divide it into 2 equal portions.

STEP 7 – Dust your platform with a teaspoonful all purpose flour. Now take one portion of dough, flatten it

and start rolling it with rolling pin. [see notes]

STEP 8 – Now cut it using a knife or pizza cutter horizontally and vertically. Shape it as you want. You can make small circular discs or shape it like dimonds.

STEP 9 – Using fork or any pointed thing prick it so that to prevent puffing while frying.

STEP 10 – Heat oil on medium flame,

deep fry the ready mathari till crispy and golden brown in colour.

[Check the oil is hot enough or not by putting a small piece of dough in it. If it comes out immediately then oil is perfect hot for frying otherwise adjust the heat.]

STEP 11 – To drain excess oil, keep the mathari on tissue paper or kitchen towel for few minutes.

STEP 12 – Your Aachari Mathari is ready to serve or store it in clean air tight container for further use.

Serve crispy and crunchy Aachari flavoured mathari with pickle or enjoy it with a hot cup of tea.

NOTES: *You can use mango pickle [masala from the pickle] for this recipe. Here I used mango                      pickle powder masala.

              *If you don’t have pickle masal or powder masala then no worries, don’t get panic. You may                replace it with the paanch phoran that needs…..2 teaspoon mixture of Fennel Seeds/ Saunf,                Nigella Seeds /Kalongi, Cumin seeds/ Jeera, Fenugreek Seeds / Methi Dana and little                          Mustard Seeds/ Rai and 2 tablespoon Mustard Oil.

              *Pour the hot oil in it as moyan which helps to make your mathari crispy and soak less oil                  while frying.

              *Don’t add water at a time. Add water in small instalments.

              *Roll it in a circular disc with diameter 6-7 inches and thickness should be ½ cms.

              *For making it more flavorful you may add kasoori methi in it while making the dough.