Flaky Baked Mathri with Ajwain and Kasuri Methi
Baked mathri recipe for Diwali: crisp, flaky Indian crackers made with oil, semolina, ajwain and kasuri methi, baked in the oven instead of deep-fried.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 28 min
- Rest
- 20 min
- Serves
- 8
Flaky Baked Mathri with Ajwain and Kasuri Methi is a vegan snack recipe made with all-purpose flour, fine semolina (sooji), ajwain (carom seeds). It takes 58 minutes of hands-on time, plus 20 minutes resting, serves 8, and each serving has 205 calories, 4 g of protein and 2 g of fiber.
Baked mathri flake well when the dough has plenty of fat. Rub the oil into the flour until a handful of the mix holds together when you squeeze it, then add only enough cold water to make a stiff dough. A spoonful of semolina gives them a sandy crunch. Rolling them thin and baking at a moderate heat, flipping halfway, crisps them all the way through without over-browning, so you get a Diwali snack tin's worth with no deep-frying.
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 cups250 gall-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp21 gfine semolina (sooji)
- 1 tsp2 gajwain (carom seeds), lightly crushed between your palms
- 1 tsp2.1 gcumin seeds
- 3 tbsp6 gkasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), crushed
- ½ tsp1.2 gcoarsely crushed black pepper
- ¾ tsp4.5 gfine salt
- ¼ cup56 gneutral oil, such as sunflower or canola
- ½ cup119 gcold water, as needed
Finishing
- 1 tbsp14 gneutral oil, for brushing
- ½ tsp1.5 gchaat masala, for sprinkling (optional)
Kit: large mixing bowl, rolling pin, 2-inch round cutter or knife, 2 baking sheets, parchment paper, wire rack
Tips
- Most of the flakiness comes from the rubbing-in step. If the flour doesn't hold together when squeezed, the mathri will bake up hard instead of short and flaky.
- Keep the dough stiff. Too much water makes the crackers tough and chewy.
- Roll the pieces evenly so they all finish baking together. Thin edges brown first, so watch the last few minutes.
- If a mathri is still soft in the center once cooled, return the whole batch to the oven for 4–5 minutes.
Swap ideas
- Replace half the all-purpose flour with whole-wheat flour
- Gives a nuttier, more rustic cracker that is slightly less flaky. You may need 1–2 tbsp more water.
- Use melted coconut oil instead of neutral oil
- Makes the texture a little more short and crumbly, with a faint coconut note.
- Add 1/2 tsp kashmiri chili powder to the dry mix
- Adds a gentle warmth and a rosy color without much heat.
- Skip the kasuri methi and add 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- Turns them into plain ajwain mathri with a toasty sesame crunch.
The numbers
Nutrition per serving
205kcal per serving
Everything else · 8 servings per recipe
- Saturated fat
- 0.7 g 3%
- Sugars
- 0.1 g
- Sodium
- 220 mg 10%
- Potassium
- 49 mg 1%
- Calcium
- 13 mg 1%
- Iron
- 2 mg 11%
- Vitamin C
- 2 mg 2%
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg 0%
% Daily Value on a 2,000 calorie diet. Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient; optional ingredients are excluded. Estimates vary with brands and portions.
Sources: Wheat flour, white, all-purpose, enriched, bleached, Semolina, enriched (USDA SR Legacy, Cereal Grains and Pasta), values as mirrored by getfoodfacts.com. The fdc.nal.usda.gov page itself could not be fetched., Ajwain seeds (Recipal; macros per 100 g, cites MyFitnessPal). Calcium, iron, potassium and fat/protein refined from a Truemeds ajwain nutrition table (305 kcal, 15.9 g protein, 21.8 g fat, 39.3 g fibre, 1190 mg Ca, 7.5 mg Fe, 1623 mg K). Not in USDA FoodData Central; sources vary widely, so treat as approximate., Spices, cumin seed, Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), IFCT 2017 values as reproduced by Organic Mandya, Spices, pepper, black, Salt, table, Oil, canola, Beverages, water, tap, drinking
Method
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, semolina, ajwain, cumin seeds, kasuri methi, black pepper and salt.
Pour in the 1/4 cup oil and rub it into the flour with your fingertips for 3–4 minutes until it looks like damp sand. When you squeeze a handful, it should hold its shape. If it crumbles straight away, rub in another 1 tbsp of oil.
Add cold water a tablespoon or two at a time, pressing the mixture together rather than kneading, until it forms a stiff, firm dough. It should be much tighter than chapati dough, and you may not need all the water. Cover and rest it for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Divide the dough in half. Roll each half on a lightly oiled surface to about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. Cut rounds with a 2-inch cutter, or cut diamonds with a knife, and reroll the scraps.
Arrange the mathri on the sheets in a single layer. Prick each one 4–5 times with a fork so they don't puff up, then brush the tops lightly with the remaining oil.
Bake for 14 minutes. Flip each piece, swap the trays between racks and bake for another 12–16 minutes, until both sides are pale golden and firm. A mathri should snap cleanly once it has cooled for a minute. Thicker pieces may need 3–5 more minutes.
Sprinkle with chaat masala if you like and cool completely on a wire rack. They keep crisping as they cool. Store only once they are fully cool.
Storage: Once completely cool, store in an airtight tin or jar at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. If they soften, re-crisp them at 325°F for 5 minutes.
Questions
- How much protein is in flaky baked mathri with ajwain and kasuri methi?
- Each of the 8 servings has 4 g of protein, 2 g of fiber and 205 calories, calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for every ingredient.
- Is flaky baked mathri with ajwain and kasuri methi vegan?
- Yes. It contains no dairy, eggs, honey or other animal products.
- How long does flaky baked mathri with ajwain and kasuri methi take to make?
- 30 minutes of prep and 28 minutes of cooking, so 58 minutes of hands-on time, plus 20 minutes of unattended resting.
- Can you make flaky baked mathri with ajwain and kasuri methi ahead?
- Once completely cool, store in an airtight tin or jar at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. If they soften, re-crisp them at 325°F for 5 minutes.
- What can I substitute in flaky baked mathri with ajwain and kasuri methi?
- Replace half the all-purpose flour with whole-wheat flour — gives a nuttier, more rustic cracker that is slightly less flaky. you may need 1–2 tbsp more water.. Use melted coconut oil instead of neutral oil — makes the texture a little more short and crumbly, with a faint coconut note.. Add 1/2 tsp kashmiri chili powder to the dry mix — adds a gentle warmth and a rosy color without much heat.. Skip the kasuri methi and add 1 tbsp sesame seeds — turns them into plain ajwain mathri with a toasty sesame crunch..
- Does flaky baked mathri with ajwain and kasuri methi contain gluten?
- Yes — the ingredient list includes gluten. Check the labels on the products you buy if you're cooking for an allergy.
Nutrition is calculated from USDA data for every ingredient — how we work it out.
Published October 22, 2026 ·Indian