MASALA THEPLA

Cooked with whole wheat flour, spiced up with masalas and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds to add a crunch, these theplas are my go to snack when travelling or cooking ahead for a busy week for our breakfast. 

Do you have days when you can't just get out of bed? You'd rather sleep in those extra 20 minutes than cook up a hot breakfast? Or perhaps you lead a really busy life and stay far far away from work so you have to get your breakfast ready to go when you start your day. Then this is the perfect healthy solution for your breakfast needs. 

When I lived in Sydney, my commute to work was 3 hours a day and that didn't leave me a lot of time to prepare breakfast each morning. These theplas were a boon for me then. I would just roll them in a foil for my husband and I to have en route to work, while walking to the station or eating on the train. 

It takes some extra time to prepare them along with my usual meals when I make them but they come in very handy for the week ahead. Also, it makes me feel very good about feeding healthy breakfast to my family. They are filling and healthier than bread. 

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Flour - 2 cups

Salt to taste

Coriander Cumin Powder - 1 tbsp

Red Chili Powder - 1 tbsp

Sesame Seeds - 1 tbsp

Jaggery Powder - 1 tsp

Oil - 1 tbsp + for frying the theplas (for the dough try and use some oil from your pickle jar at home, adds more flavor)

Procedure:

1. Take the flour in a big bowl. 

2. Add in all the dry spices, the coriander cumin, red chili, turmeric and jaggery powder. And season with salt. Give it a mix. 

3. Then throw in the sesame seeds and mix again. 

4. We need to add in some oil so that the theplas are soft. I usually use oil from my homemade pickle jar. That oil is infused with flavor from the pickle and tastes great when added to this dough. But you can use regular oil too. 

5. Mix everything to combine well and knead into a soft dough using water as needed. 

6. Smear the dough with oil to prevent it from drying and let it rest for 20 minutes. 

7. Divide the dough into small lemon sized balls. Cover and keep aside. 

8. Take a ball and using a rolling pin, roll into a thin disk. If needed use flour. 

9. Heat a pan on medium heat. I usually use two pans as that's faster and more efficient. 

10. Place the prepared disk on the heated pan and cook till bubbles appear. Once you see the bubbles flip to cook on the other side. 

11. Now apply a little oil and fry on both side till brown.

12. Once the theplas are cooked let them cool down to room temperature before storing in a container. 

13. Theplas keep well for a week or more depending on the weather without refrigeration. If refrigerating, wrap them in a paper towel and microwave for 15-20 seconds and consume immediately. 

14. Theplas are best enjoyed with Chundo (Sweet Mango Pickle) & hot tea!