Maida ki mathri or plain mathri, masala mathri ,whole wheat mathri have always been a part of childhood of kids across India. Generally these snacks were made at home. However many commercial brands also sell them now. The only issue with them is they are fried and made in refined palmolein oil , which puts me off. Here is an interesting recipe which helps me relive my food nostalgia. Having mathi achar have been a part of my train travel journeys. I relive this by making Achari Mathri. We make a baked version by 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.
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?
Do try out other Indian air fryer recipes such as Chana jor garam ,Air fryer paneer recipe, air fryer gobi manchurian ,Katori chaat recipe, Air fryer patti samosa ,Gujarati patra recipe.
Crispy crackers give an extra edge to teatime with a hot cup of 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. Back 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.
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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
- Wholewheat flour or maida/ plain flour /all purpose flour
- ajwain seeds/bishops weed
- salt
- Oil for flour mix
- Pickle / Achar masala
Refer to recipe card for details.
How to make mathri in air fryer?
- Take flour in a bowl
- Add the achari masala to the mix with ajwain seeds, salt
- 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 of rolled mathri dough.
- 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.
- For thinner mathri , cook for a total time of 12-13 minutes.
- Store in an air tight container once it cools completely.
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Looking for more Diwali snacks?
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 & Substitutions
- You can make mathri in various flavors. Methi mathri by adding kasuri methi or fresh methi (fenugreek leaves) 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 traditional mathris has a fold on top instead of a being a flat round cracker.It resembles doritos.
- You can add some gram flour / chickpea flour (besan) to make these savory snacks to make it protein rich. Adjust the edible veg fat accordingly.
- You can also make atta mathri using only whole wheat flour or oats mathri as an alternative.
- If you do not have enough pickle masala, add carom seeds, black pepper,mango powder, red chillies powder, fennel seeds and mustard oil to make this flaky biscuit recipe with tangy flavor.
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
- 2 cup whole meal flour / aata or plain flour
- 1 tablespoon ajwain seeds bishops weed
- 1 tsp. salt optional as pickle has enough salt
- ¾ cup water to knead
- 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
- Add the pickle masala to whole meal flour and salt with ajwain seeds. Mix it until you can combine the dough
- .Add the achari masala to the mix,add water.
- 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 5 mins at 170C | 340F .
- Place the mathri in the basket without overlapping too much
- Cook the crackers for 14-15 mins at 170C | 340F . Spray oil twice and flip it so that it is cooked evenly from all sides and are golden brown .For thinner mathri, cook for a total time of 12-13 minutes at 170C | 340F
- 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.
Storage
Store in an airtight container once they cool down, in a cool and dry place.
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.
Conclusion: Adding spicy achaar masala to recipe for baked mathri makes it a double delight. Helps me use the left over achar masala instead of throwing it away.
Ramesh says
Good alternative to pakoras. Good while traveling or on picnic.
Gaurav says
Yes sir,agree