Methi thepla or fenugreek Indian flat bread is a signature Gujarati dish. It is a thin Gujarati roti recipe which is quite tasty. Generally, Gujarati community is vegetarian. Eating greens help them with iron. whether its aloo methi, methi dhebra or methi malai matar. All recipes are good for an easy lunch. Recipe for thepla is traditionally slightly sweet. However, I do not add extra sugar in the bread. We eat it generally with some pickle. You can find this popular recipe everywhere in kirana stores. Mostly made by gruhudyog. These are run by ladies from a weak economic background.
Methi breakfast recipes are quite healthy as it is iron-rich too. You can make it in advance on weekend for a hectic week ahead. Generally, stays long and tasty. It serves you as a go to breakfast or snack whenever you are hungry instead of eating junk. You can also make this Gujarati methi thepla for travel and eat while you await reaching your destination. I loved eating them during my train journeys. We travelled for 24+ hours and this helped us avoid market based oily food. If you do not have fresh methi leaves, you can also make kasoori methi thepla instead. I like to pack in few pickles along with cooked theplas on a long journey,.Most of these pickles like traditional mango pickle , sweet mango choonda , sweet mango pickle, mango chana pickle or the sweet lemon pickle pair well.
Nutrition benefits of Fenugreek
- It is rich in iron like all other greens. Great for vegans and vegetarians who avoid meat, fish and eggs.
- Lactating mothers must have fenugreek in their diet. This helps produce more milk. Post delivery many things are restricted. Mostly women are advised to eat bland food. Avoid gassy vegetables to aid digestion during breastfeeding. However, this is recipe which is both healthy and tasty.
- It is good for diabetics
- Fenugreek promotes hair health.
What to eat with healthi methi thepla?
You can eat it with pickle especially mango pickle or tomato chutney. You can even pair it with some tomato ketchup or fried potatoes. Best paired with chunda or launji traditionally. If you are not vegan, eat it with some yogurt dip, curd or raita. However, I avoid eating greens with dairy as it inhibits iron absorption.
Ingredients
- chopped methi or fenugreek leaves
- atta or whole wheat flour
- til or sesame seeds
- adrak mirchi/ginger-chilli paste
- red chili powder
- jeera or cumin seeds
- sugar optional
- oil
- Salt as per taste
refer to recipe card for details.
Related links
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How to make methi thepla?
Learn how to make theplas in simple steps below.
- Mix all ingredients with oil and water to knead a semi hard thepla dough.
- Keep the dough aside for 30 minutes, cover with a kitchen towel.
3. Roll into thin flatbreads.
4. Cook on a tava /griddle with little oil on both sides.
Gujarati methi thepla recipe
Equipment
- griddle / tava
- Mixing bowl / stand mixer
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped fenugreek leaves or methi
- 2.5 cup wholemeal flour / atta
- 2 tablespoon sesame seeds / til
- 1 tablespoon ginger-chilli paste /adrak mirchi paste
- ½ tablespoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon sugar optional
- ¼ cup oil
- Salt as per taste
Instructions
- In a bowl, add all dry ingredients to wholemeal flour.Mix well.
- Add little oil to it.
- Knead a dough with little water to make a slightly soft dough.It should not be sticky.
- Take small amounts of dough a palm and make round size balls.
- Apply little oil on rolling pin so that dough does not stick while making thepla.
- Make thin flatbreads using rolling pin.
- Heat a non-stick pan,add little oil to it after placing the flatbread.
- Cook evenly on both sides by adding a ¼ teaspoon oil after flipping over.
- Serve hot with mango pickle or tomato chutney and dry potato curry.
FAQs
Yes we can.
Yes, it is rich in iron. However, one must control oil in the thepla
yes, I swear by methi benefits for hair. Soaked and ground fenugreek seeds make an excellent hair pack. Wash it after 20 mins of application.
Plant some methi dana (generally available in any grocery store as spices) or fenugreek seeds in soil. Water them daily, it comes up in around 2 weeks.
Serving suggestions
To get the maximum nutrients and especially iron from these leafy greens, its always suggested to avoid any dairy like yogurt or milk. The best thing to have with these flatbread is pickles. Try some of our pickles from the Indian pickle collection
Variations & Substitutions
You can make palak thepla or spinach flatbread if you do not have fenugreek at home. Use amaranth/chaulai/ lal saag in same manner as fenugreek leaves. You can use various veggies to make different types of flatbread like grated bottle gourd to make lauki thepla recipe.
- You can make recipe of thepla using kasoori methi or dried fenugreek leaves.
- You may also use frozen methi leaves if available.
- You can also substitute half cup whole wheat flour with any millet flour or gram flour / Chickpea flour to make different Indian flatbread dhebra.
- You may also substitute ½ cup methi leaves with any other greens too.
Storage
- Store the dough for 2-3 days in refrigerator. Make fresh before eating.
- Once thepla is made it lasts 1-3 days depending on climate.You can store these in air tight container in the fridge easily for more than a week.
- You can also freeze these in zip lock bags for a longer period of time.
Conclusion: soft methi thepla is perfect for the lunch box along with some plain yogurt or potato sabji. This delicious breakfast is comfort food at its best. Have it with a cup of masala chai. Rolled thepla with some jam is perfect for kids who keep moving between school and music / art class.
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