You cannot talk about Gujarati cuisine without mentioning theplas. Like ghatia and ghughras, theplas too are a great snack time option for you to keep handy. They can be eaten with just about any main entrée and go well as any meal time serving. Simple to make, once the dough is ready making theplas for even 15 people should not take you more than 20 minutes. The dish is full of nutritional value and just like any other snack you could work on the kind of taste you would like the theplas to have. In India theplas are a part of every kitchen menu and now it is seen flaunted in supermarkets worldwide. They can be rolled out as thick or as thin as you want them to be. Theplas are not only tasty but very handy to have in the kitchen too. You will never run out of snacks to serve the kids or your guests, ever.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup of refined wheat flour (preferably ground at home)
1/2 cup gram flour
1/2 tsp each of red chili powder
Turmeric powder
Asafetida
Cumin seeds and sesame seeds
Salt to taste and cooking medium as per personal preference
Popular Accompaniments:
Theplas go well with pickles, chutneys, raitas and sauces of your choice. They can be made tangy or spicy according to your preference. You can work around with the quantities of the ingredients to get the kind of taste that appeal to the family. You can also incorporate the use of kasuri or dried methi or fenugreek leaves and deep fried spinach to add flavor and nutritional value to the theplas. Other additions you can consider are lentils and corn.
Preparation:
In a large mixing bowl, mix together all the ingredients - refined wheat flour, gram flour, red chili powder, turmeric powder, asafetida, cumin seeds, sesame seeds and salt to taste.
With water at regular intervals you need towards getting soft pliable dough.
Main Cooking:
In a heavy bottom wok, add the cooking medium and allow it to heat on a low flame. You could use either ghee or clarified butter or even regular cooking oil.
Divide the dough into small fist sized balls and using the rolling board and pin roll out each into a roti.
Shallow fry the theplas till each attains a light brown or chappati like texture.
