Maida ki mathri or plain mathri, masala mathri ,whole wheat mathri have always been a part of childhood of kids across India. Having mathi achar have been a part of travel journeys. Achari Mathri is a way of combining achaar masala in the dough itself so that you can enjoy matthi achar without carrying pickle separately. It is also a good way of using left of spicy pickle masala which otherwise might be thrown out. These Indian crackers are great finger food and perfect for tea. You can also make tangy achari paneer & achari chole if you are in the mood for some finger-licking curry.
Crispy crackers give an extra edge to tea. They are great treat even during travel. Mathhi or matthri as we call it in North India is full of flavor. Flaky tidbits are usually circular in shape. plain mathri recipe has been in mum's kitchen for ages. Bacj then biscuits were a rare treat. You can make with plain flour or maida or add some whole meal to it. Make it vegan or add some butter or ghee to it.
Adding spicy achaar masala to recipe for mathri makes it a double delight. It is also a good way to use the left over achar masala instead of throwing it away. These also stay fresh for long. It has been a constant companion for many in hostels away from home. Mostly, these crackers are tasty vegan delicacies. You will be surprised how much of Indian cooking is vegan when you start looking. You can make it over the weekend and enjoy it with tea or coffee. Simple recipe yet so full of flavor. You may bake them or fry them. Who needs market based biscuits when home made has so much flavor?
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Equipment
- Stand mixer (optional for kneading)
- Knife or fork to make incisions
- Cookie cutter optional (for making that perfect shape)
- Kadai/ frying pan for frying
- Or Air fryer to make it low oil
Ingredients for the dough for mathia in air fryer
- maida/ plain flour /all purpose flour
- whole wheat flour (You can just use the plain flour if you like)
- flax/chia seeds powder with water (you can skip the flax seeds if you do not have it,you will need little more water to knead the dough)I have used this for the air fryer recipe as this will help the mathri to be little soft.
- salt
- Oil for flour mix
- Pickle / Achar masala (not present in below picture)
How to make mathri in air fryer?
- Add the oil and pickle oil to plain flour,whole meal flour and salt. Mix it until you can combine the dough
- Add flax/chia seed mix & water to the mix.
- Add the achari masala to the mix.
- Knead a medium tight dough by adding all ingredients to the bowl. You may knead by hand or use a stand mixer optionally.
- Take a small amount of dough and roll it into a big flatbread using a rolling pin.Use a cookie cutter to cut circles or any desired shape.
- Preheat the air fryer at 170 deg C for 10 mins.Place the mathris in the basket.Air fry at 170 deg C for 14-15 mins.Oil spray 2 times after flipping 1-2 times.
- Store in an air tight container once it cools completely.
How to deep fry mathias ?
- Take all the mathri ingredients in a bowl along with achari masala and achar oil.
- Knead it into a medium tight dough.
- Roll it into small circles and make incisions to it.
- Fry them in medium hot oil.
Allow the mathri to rest on a paper tissue. Store in an air tight container.
Variations
You can make mathri in various flavors. Methi mathri by adding kasuri methi or fresh methi to your dough.Kasoori methi is an easy way of making matthi as there is no need to chop.Ajwain jeera mathri by adding carom seeds and cumin seeds to it. You can also make suhali recipe, where matthi has a fold on top instead of a being a flat round cracker.It resembles doritos. You can also make atta mathri using only whole wheat flour or oats mathri.
FAQs
Always store mathris in an air tight container after it completely cools down. It stays good for 15-20 days.
You will see some boils on the cracker. Wait for oil to become medium hot.
If you are frying , it should be on a medium heat.
If you do not make incisions with a knife, the mathri will swell up like a poori.
Apart from making airfryer mathri, you can use the achaar masala as a stuffing in samosa, kachori or knead it in dough for parathas.You can also use it to make achaari paneer or achaari chole or any achari sabzi
what to do with leftover bhatura dough?
You can make many leftover maida dough recipes like pizza, mattri and parota.
Related links
Looking for more Diwali snacks?
Achari Mathri recipe
Equipment
- kadai/frying pan (traditional method)
- or air fryer for low oil version
- cookie cutter
Ingredients
Deep fry achari mathri
- 1 ½ cup plain flour / all purpose flour / maida plain refined flour
- ½ cup whole meal flour / aata or plain flour
- ¼ cup achar masala or left over pickle. add more if required
- Salt as per taste optional as pickle has enough salt
- Little water for kneading
- Oil for frying
Air fryer achari mathia
- 1 ½ cup plain flour / all purpose flour / maida
- ½ cup whole meal flour / aata or plain flour
- 1.5 tablespoon flax/chia seed meal with ⅓ cup water (optional)
- 1 tsp. salt optional as pickle has enough salt
- 1/ cup water to knead, more if flax seed not used
- ¼ cup achari masala use left over masala from any pickle.Add more as per taste
- 2 tablespoon oil only if achari masala does not have enough oil
Instructions
Traditional method (frying)
- Knead all the ingredients together in a bowl to make a medium-tight dough.
- Take a small amount of dough and roll it with a rolling pin into thin flat crackers.
- You may use a cookie cutter and cut the circles if you like even shape or use a sharp edged tiffin lid.
- Prick the crackers so that they don't puff up while frying.
- Heat oil and fry them crisp.
- Ensure oil remains medium hot. If the oil goes cold, you may see some boils on the cracker. If it is very hot, your mathri will become soft.
- Place the crackers on a tissue to soak extra oil.
In air fryer
- Soak flax seed powder with water for 15 minutes. (you can skip the flax seeds if you do not have it,you will need little more water to knead the dough)
- Add the oil and pickle oil to plain flour,whole meal flour and salt. Mix it until you can combine the dough
- Add flax/chia seed mix,water to the mix.Add the achari masala to the mix.
- Knead a medium tight dough by adding all ingredients to the bowl. You may knead by hand or use a stand mixer optionally.
- Take a small amount of dough and roll it into a big flatbread using a rolling pin.Use a cookie cutter to cut circles or any desired shape.
- Pre heat the air fryer for 10 mins at 170 deg C.
- Place the mathri in the basket without overlapping too much
- Cook the crackers for 14-15 mins at 170 deg C. Spray oil twice and flip it so that it is cooked evenly from all sides and are golden brown .
- Store in a clean dry jar once it completely cools down.
Notes
- You can also refer to our pickle section if you do not have leftover masala.
Use the spices listed in our tasty mango pickle/mango chickpea pickle to make your own spice-oil mix. - To make mathri only with whole wheat i.e. aata and avoid plain flour i.e. maida, add 1 teaspoon of semolina i.e.sooji and additional 1 tbsp. of ghee/oil to whole wheat flour while kneading it.
- For air fryer achari mathri, pricking is not required , you can also make thin/thick mathri as per your liking.
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation while cooking.
Ramesh says
Good alternative to pakoras. Good while traveling or on picnic.
Gaurav says
Yes sir,agree