Methi Thepla

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour, use Indian wheat flour (atta) for best results
• 1 cup chickpea flour, or besan
• 1/4 cup quinoa flour, or sorghum or millet or a mix of either of quinoa, oat, sorghum, wheat, chickpea flour
• 2 tbsp flax seeds, or flax seed meal or chia seeds or hemp seeds, optional
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds, or a mix of sesame and hemp seeds
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon asafetida, hing, optional
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes, or to taste
• 3 to 4 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves, kasoori methi or 1/2 cup packed finely chopped fresh fenugreek leaves
• 1/4 cup packed finely chopped cilantro, optional

Wet Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons oil, plus more for cooking
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/3 cup non dairy yogurt
• 1/4 cup water, or more as needed
• 1 inch ginger, grated
• 1 hot green chili, grated

Steps

1. Combine all the dry ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl.
2. Blend the yogurt, water, ginger, and chili in a blender, or grate the ginger and chili and put them in the dry-ingredient bowl instead. Add the remaining wet ingredients to the bowl and mix into a dough. If too dry, add water in teaspoons; if too soft and sticky, add a tablespoon more wheat flour. Start mixing with a spoon, then use oiled hands as soon as the mixture begins sticking together with some dry flour patches. Bring it together until somewhat smooth without much kneading.
3. Brush the dough with a few drops of oil, cover with a kitchen towel, and rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
4. Oil your hands and knead for a minute to smooth the dough. Depending on the flours and water content, add a little flour if it is too sticky. Divide into about 10 equally sized balls and cover the bowl with a towel as you roll. Dust the surface with wheat flour or chickpea flour and roll each ball into a 7 inch round. The shape need not be exact, but keep the thickness generally even. Roll the rest and keep covered with a towel.
5. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and put a rolled flatbread on it once hot. Cook for 30 seconds or until small bubbles appear, then turn over and cook for 30 seconds. Use a spoon to brush or spread a little oil over the flatbread, turn over, and cook for another 15 seconds. Brush oil on the side now facing up, flip, and cook a few more seconds until golden brown spots start to form. Transfer to a kitchen towel and repeat for all the flatbreads.