Growing up in a Gujarati household, anywhere we went, you were guaranteed to have theplas packed. Whether we were traveling by car, plane, train, pretty much any vehicle, Mom would always have a foil packet filled with theplas. I would always get annoyed that we would be the family opening a packet of “Indian smelling food” but guess what…. I am my mother now. Quick to make, easy to pack, not much fuss and muss associated with them, and filled with nutrition, they are the perfect snack or meal to have.
Easy to eat anywhere on the go, similar to a thin tortilla, theplas are made by adding fenugreek leaves (methi) to the dough before kneading it. Instead of water, this dough uses yogurt as a binder making it a healthy and delicious meal or snack.
Fenugreek leaves are an under appreciated green that I have not seen outside of Indian food culture. Some of the healthy benefits they provide are:
- lowering blood sugar
- reducing cholesterol levels
- reducing inflammation
- increasing milk production for nursing mothers
- help with appetite control
Adding in the yogurt to knead the dough helps provide calcium and protein. I use a multi grain flour to make these and between that, the yogurt, and the fenugreek leaves, 3 of the food groups are already incorporated into these theplas!
Added benefit, “roti” and yogurt is one of the girls’ favorite meals so it’s easy to sneak in different veggies and they’ll gobble it up.
Try out these methi theplas at home and I hope you like them as much as we do!
From my kitchen to yours, enjoy!
Methi Thepla
Ingredients
- 2 c whole wheat flour, plus a little extra to roll the theplas out
- 1 c yogurt
- 1 c methi (fenugreek) leaves, frozen or fresh and chopped
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper (adjust to spice level)
- 1/4 tsp hing (asafoetida)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp oil, plus a little extra for cooking
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the flour, fenugreek leaves, turmeric, cayenne pepper, hing, and salt. Mix well.
- Add in the yogurt and knead to form a soft dough. If the dough seems a little tough, add a Tbsp of water at a time to soften it up.
- Once kneaded, add 1 Tbsp oil to coat the dough.
- Let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 20-25 equal portions.
- Dust the thepla dough in flour and roll them out into thin circles to approximately 6 inches in diameter. As you roll them out, you can keep dusting the dough in dry flour to prevent sticking when rolling them out.
- Heat a skillet on high heat and place the rolled out dough on the skillet. After a few seconds you will notice small air pockets popping out. At this point flip the methi thepla and smear a little oil over the top and using a flat spatula, press lightly in a turning motion to cook the thepla.
- Flip the thepla to the other side and press and turn in a similar way. You will notice brown spots around the cooked thepla. Remove from heat and place on a plate.
- Continue this process until all the theplas are cooked.
- Serve hot!
Wow these look delicious. You get them so thin without breaking them!