Methi Thepla

Methi thepla is something my mother used to make. I never knew it was a Gujarati recipe until I moved to Mumbai for work. My mother grew up in Gujarat and like her kadhi, these parathas were from Gujarat. March is a month I think of my mother a lot. It was her birthday month. I tend to remember the songs she liked or things she said a lot more during this month than any other. These are in her memory.

These parathas are great to take along when travelling. They taste great even when cold. They are great as packed lunch too.

I used a silicon brush to apply a little oil to give them the classic texture and color. I made these on my cast iron griddle and I think that adds a special something to the texture.

You will need (16-18)
1 bunch fresh methi
4 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup besan
2 tsp. cayenne pepper powder
1 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. sugar
2 tbsp. oil
salt to taste

2 tbsp. oil to brush on when cooking

Separate the methi leaves from the stems. Discard the stem. Wash the leaves and chop roughly. Add the chopped leaves to a bowl with all the other ingredients.

Using water as needed knead into a soft dough. Keep aside for 15 minutes. Divide the dough into lemon ball sized portions.

Heat a cast iron griddle or a griddle pan of your choice. Using a little flour to prevent sticking roll out the one thepla. Place it on the hot griddle. Flip it over when the under side is cooked and brown spots appear on its surface.

Brush on some oil to the cooked surface. Flip over when the second side is done. Brush a little oil on the second surface. Flip over one more time and let it cook for a few seconds.

Take off the heat. Repeat for the remaining portions of dough.

You can use these in place of regular poli/roti in a meal. Or you could enjoy it with pickle.