How to make Mathri (Mathiya) | Indian Salted Crackers| Indian Snacks
A very famous Indian Snack option in the North Indian Cuisine, Mathri is a crispy, flaky and mostly salty Indian Snack. It can also be made as sweet mathris. Mathri is one of the famous tea time options in many north indian homes. I still remember Mathris of few very famous shops in Delhi where people queue up to buy packets of fresh fried mathris cooked in very big kadai’s (though no guarantee of the oil they use), one can see mathris being made in hundreds there at one go, one after the other …. but I feel home cooked mathri’s are any time a great option than going in for the market ones. These Mathri’s are loved by all at my place. I had never ever dreamt in my life of making mathri’s at home till quite late in life. To me this seemed to be one hell lot of a task and too taxing. I always felt I can never make them and always preferred a quick fix option of buying these from a good namkeen shop till I realised I need to make them at home for my family. It took me sometime to learn the art of making mathri’s and now I feel if I can cook and make these anyone can 
. Nothing is impossible only if you think of doing it or reaching upto it!!!!
I in fact learnt these mathris from my mum in law as these are one of her favorite recipes which she loves to make anytime of the year for us.
Ingredients –
- All purpose Flour (Maida) – ½ kg (5 small bowls)
- Wheat Flour - 1/2 cup
- Oil to knead – 1 small bowl
- Salt to taste ( should be little high than the normal )
- Ajwain (carom seeds) – 1 tablespoon
- Whole Black Pepper – 1 tablespoon
- Kasuri Methi leaves - 1 tablespoon (optional, though I have used it in half dough to prepare two kinds of mathis)
- Oil to deep fry
- Water
Method –
Take a flat broad tray for kneading, put flour, oil , salt, ajwain, whole black pepper and slowly mix it with both the hands so that the oil is placed on the entire flour.( please ensure that you mix the oil with the flour gently, this will make the mathri crisp) add very little water to make a tight dough from all the ingredients. Keep aside for about 10- 15 minutes.
Take a heavy bottom kadai, heat oil for frying; now make small equal size balls from the dough. Flatten the balls with the help of a rolling pin.
Prick each flattened balls with the help of a fork /knife (this is done so that the mathri’s don’t puff / bloat in the pan and should come out crisp).
Put the flattened balls into the hot oil kadai and cook on low flame till it gets to a little brown in colour(remember the colour of the Mathris will become one more shade darker once you have taken them out from the kadai). Keep turning the Mathris while frying on low flame so that they are cooked nicely from both sides.If we cook mathris on high flame they will become brown in colour but will not come out crisp and will be soft, so we need to be real patient to fry these mathris on low - medium flame and it takes about an hour or more to fry these mathris.
You can store them for about 20 -25 days in an airtight container. It taste good with pickles and is a known tea time snack.
*Final Photos of this Post updated - 24 Nov 2025 ( I used a muffin mould to shape the final photos of the Mathris ).
Enjoy!!
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