Air-Fried Mathri: A Crunchy, Healthy Snack Made Easy

Mathri is a popular Indian snack, often enjoyed with tea or drinks. Traditionally, mathri is deep-fried, but baking and air-frying are healthier alternatives that yield a similarly crunchy and tasty result. Making mathri in an air fryer is easy and can be done in a few simple steps.

Choosing your ingredients

Mathri is a popular Indian snack, often enjoyed with tea or coffee. It is usually deep-fried, but baking and air-frying are healthier alternatives.

The ingredients you choose for your mathri will depend on your taste preferences, dietary requirements, and how much time you have.

Flour

Mathri is traditionally made with a combination of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour. However, you can use just one type of flour if you prefer. Some recipes suggest adding semolina to the flour mix to give the mathri a crispier texture. If you want to make your mathri gluten-free, you can use oats flour or gram flour instead.

Spices and flavourings

The spices and flavourings you choose will depend on your taste preferences. Traditional mathri is flavoured with ajwain (carom seeds), but you can also add cumin seeds, chilli powder, dried fenugreek leaves, turmeric, black pepper, dried mango powder, red chilli powder, chilli flakes, dried oregano, garam masala, or chaat masala powder. If you want to make stuffed mathri, you can fill them with achari masala (a tangy spice mix) or garlic cheese spread.

Oil

You can use any type of vegetable oil for making mathri, but if you want a more authentic flavour, you can use mustard oil or peanut oil. If you are making baked mathri, you can brush the dough with oil before cooking, but this is not necessary for air-fried mathri.

Other ingredients

Other ingredients you will need include water to make the dough, and salt to taste.

Making the dough

To make the dough for mathri, you will need the following ingredients:

• Atta (whole wheat flour)
• Maida (plain/all-purpose flour)
• Vegetable oil
• Water
• Ajwain (carrom seeds)
• Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
• Salt
• Turmeric powder (optional)
• Chilli powder (optional)

You can use a food processor, dough maker, or make the dough by hand. First, mix the dry ingredients together. Then, add water and mix until you have a smooth, tight dough. If the dough is too dry, add a little extra water, a tablespoon at a time, until you have the right consistency.

Once the dough is ready, you can divide it into 4 equal parts and roll each piece into a ball. Next, take one of the balls and flatten it with a rolling pin until it is about 1/4 inch thick. You can then use a cookie cutter or a small, sharp, circular disc to cut the dough into the desired shape. Repeat this process with the remaining dough.

Rolling out the dough

Once you've made your dough, it's time to roll it out. Take a small amount of dough and roll it out into a big, flat circle using a rolling pin. You can use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into circles, or any other shape you like. If you're making stuffed mathris, place your filling in the centre of the circle, then bring the edges together to seal it. Then, use your rolling pin to smooth out the edges. If you're not stuffing your mathris, you can simply prick the circles with a fork to stop them from puffing up while cooking.

If you want to make your mathris extra crispy, you can use a fork to prick the dough all over. This will stop them from puffing up in the air fryer. However, if you're making thin mathris, you might not need to do this, as they may burn quickly in the air fryer.

Once you've rolled and cut your dough, preheat your air fryer to between 160-180°C for 2-5 minutes. Place your mathris in the basket, making sure they don't overlap. Brush or spray the mathris with oil, then air fry for 8-15 minutes, until they're golden brown and crispy. You may need to flip the mathris halfway through cooking to ensure they cook evenly.

Cutting out the mathri

Once you have made the dough, you can start cutting out the mathri. Take a small amount of dough and roll it out into a big, flat circle using a rolling pin. The circle should be about 1/4 inch thick. You can use a cookie cutter to cut out the mathri, or any sharp-edged circular disc/cover or a glass. Cut out as many discs as you can from the rolled-out dough. You can also prick the discs with a fork to prevent them from puffing up while cooking. Repeat this process until all the dough has been used.

Cooking the mathri

Now that the dough is ready, it's time to cook the mathri! The following instructions are for cooking the mathri in an air fryer. If you would like to deep fry or bake the mathri, please refer to the other methods outlined in the sources.

First, preheat your air fryer. The ideal temperature seems to be around 180°C or 360°F, and you should preheat it for about 2-5 minutes.

Next, roll out your dough to a thickness of about 1/4 of an inch. You can use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into circles, or any other shape you like. If you are making the stuffed variety of mathri, place some of the prepared filling in the centre of each disc, taking care not to overfill. Bring the edges together to seal, and smooth out the edges with a rolling pin.

Now, prick the mathri all over with a fork to prevent them from puffing up in the air fryer. This is an important step, so don't skip it!

Place the mathri in the air fryer basket in a single layer, taking care not to overlap them. Brush or spray the mathri with oil, and air fry for 8-10 minutes, or until they are crispy and golden brown. You may need to do this in batches, depending on the size of your air fryer.

Once they are cooked, remove the mathri from the air fryer and allow them to cool completely before serving or storing. Enjoy!

Frequently asked questions