Oats Methi Thepla
- 20 min prep
- 55 min
- Pan-fry
- Serves 4
- 330 kcal
- 9.9 g protein
Soft Gujarati methi thepla with ground oats in the dough. Half atta, half oats, a fistful of fresh fenugreek, rolled thin and roasted with a little oil.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (90 g) quick or rolled oats, ground to a fine powder
- 1 cup (120 g) whole wheat flour (atta), plus 2 tbsp for dusting
- 2 tbsp (18 g) besan (gram flour)
- 1½ cups (60 g) fresh methi leaves, washed and finely chopped
- ¼ cup (60 g) curd
- 1 tsp (5 g) grated ginger
- 1–2 green chillies (5 g), crushed to a paste
- ½ tsp turmeric, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp dhania-jeera powder
- 1 tsp (3 g) white sesame seeds
- ¾ tsp salt, or to taste
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) oil, for the dough
- About ¼ cup (60 ml) water, as needed
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) oil, for roasting
Method
- 1Grind the oats in a dry mixer jar until they look like flour. Tip into a large bowl with the atta, besan, all the spice powders, sesame seeds and salt, and stir to mix.
- 2Add the methi, ginger, green chilli, curd and 1 tbsp oil. Rub the mixture together for a minute; the methi and curd will add more moisture than you expect.
- 3Add water a little at a time and knead into a soft, smooth dough that does not stick to your palm. Cover and rest for 10 minutes so the oats hydrate.
- 4Divide into 12 lemon-sized balls. Dust one with atta and roll it into a thin 15 cm circle, turning and dusting as needed so it does not tear.
- 5Heat a tawa over medium-high heat. Lay the thepla on it and cook until small bubbles rise, about 20 seconds, then flip.
- 6Brush the top with a little oil, flip again and press the edges with a spatula. Cook until both sides have golden-brown spots and the thepla puffs in places, about 1 minute in all.
- 7Stack the cooked thepla in a cloth-lined box to keep them soft while you roll and cook the rest.
Notes from the Department
- Salt the chopped methi for 5 minutes and squeeze it if the leaves are very bitter, then reduce the salt in the dough.
- Roll from the centre outwards and rotate the dough a quarter turn every few strokes for an even round.
- For theplas that stay soft for travel, use the full amount of curd and oil and cool them flat before packing.
Nutrition per serving
- Energy
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 9.9 g
- Carbohydrate
- 45 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
- Sugars
- 1.7 g
Why this works
Thepla is the Gujarati travel flatbread: spiced, thin, and soft enough to eat cold on a train two days later. Swapping half the atta for ground oats makes it more tender and adds the soluble fibre oats are known for, while the wheat keeps enough gluten for rolling thin without tearing.
Curd does two jobs here. Its acidity softens the dough and it keeps the thepla supple once cooled. The besan rounds out the flavour and reduces any raw taste from the oats.
Swaps
No fresh methi: use 2 tbsp kasuri methi rubbed between your palms, or swap in finely chopped spinach or dill. For a vegan thepla, replace the curd with 1 tbsp lemon juice plus extra water. Rolled oats and quick oats both work once ground; steel-cut oats do not grind fine enough.
Want them sweeter, the Gujarati way? Add 1 tsp jaggery to the dough, which also helps them brown.
Serving and storage
Serve with curd, chhundo, mango pickle or a cup of masala chai. For a full plate, add a dry potato sabzi.
Cooled thepla keep 2 days at room temperature and 5 days in the fridge in a sealed box. To freeze, layer with parchment and store up to a month; reheat on a warm tawa for 20 seconds a side. Good for train journeys, long meetings and other bureaucratic delays.
Questions people ask
- Can I make oats thepla without wheat flour?
- Not easily. Without gluten the dough cracks when rolled thin. If you need it wheat-free, make thicker rounds with oat and jowar flour and pat them by hand, more like a thalipeeth.
- Why are my theplas hard?
- The dough was too stiff, they were rolled too thick, or they cooked too long on low heat. Keep the dough soft, roll thin and cook fast on medium-high heat, then stack them in a cloth.
- How long do oats theplas last?
- About 2 days at room temperature and up to 5 days refrigerated in an airtight box. Warm them briefly on a tawa before eating if they have been chilled.
Inspired by J Cooking Odyssey. Method, notes and photograph by the Ministry of Oats.
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