Baked Mathri – Wheat Semolina Crackers. Vegan Recipe

Mathri are deep fried crackers that are whipped up during most Indian festivals in the savory festival collection. They usually are made with all purpose flour/maida and/or Semolina with seeds of choice added to the dough. These are the baked version.
You can sub out the Indian spices with dried herbs like basil/parsley and some nutritional yeast. It is a great base wheat cracker to change up to preference and munch on as is, with hummus, chutneys, dips or soups or make canapes with toppings of choice!

I have added Carom seeds(Ajwain) which are my general favorite to add  to crackers, parathas or Naans. The seeds have this intense flavor profile. 
Ajowan or Ajwain is from same family as caraway or cumin. Ajowan also known as carom / Ajave/ Ethiopian Cumin or Omam. The seeds are usually eaten after meals and apparently help reduce flatulence:) I used roasted Ajwain added to water for steaming during my crazy Sinusitis episode a few months back. Here are more uses. 

Semolina helps keep the crackers crunchy and flaky so they need less oil. Wheat only crackers tend to get hard without enough added fat. I like to make these into thicker crackers so they look like the deep fried versions. 

Need more crackers, whip up these  Butternut Squash Rosemary Onion Crackers, 



Some Gluten-free Potato Rice Crackers



Or these Chickpea Oat Rice Krispies Crackers. Also Gluten-free. Made with cooked chickpeas not flour.



News this week..

Watch Forks and Knives for free here.
If you are looking for Vegan Ice cream in Seattle.. Anika has you covered.
Whats wrong with Cows’ Milk. An Indian perspective article in The Hindu. Must read for all vegetarians.
Whats wrong with Kentucky Derby-Horse Racing or any animal racing.

And since we have been house hunting, stalking architecture blogs and such.. here are 15 mid century Modern homes that will kill your children 🙂 All those open Stairs and Indoor pools.

Pictures from a different batch. Wheat flours of different mills/types give different color.

Baked Mathri – Wheat Semolina Crackers Recipe
Allergen Information: Free of Dairy, egg, corn, soy, nut.
Makes about a large bowl-full

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup fine Semolina(cream of wheat)
3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
a generous pinch of baking soda
1/8 teaspoon black pepper or cayenne
2 teaspoon carom seeds(Ajwain) or Nigella seeds(Kalonji) or cumin seeds(Jeera) 
3-4 Tablespoons coconut Oil melted
1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons water
sea salt for sprinkling

Variations:
Add dried herbs of choice and a Tablespoon nutritional yeast.
Add Sesame seedsor other seeds

Method:
Mix all the dry ingredients well.
Add coconut oil and mix into the dry to form somewhat bread crumbs. I am not using too much oil, so there might not be too many clumps.
Add water a Tablespoon at a time to make a medium soft non sticky dough. Use more or less, depends on the flours.
Dont knead. Just mix the water in, then add more until the dough starts to come together.
Press the dough on parchment then Roll the dough out into as thick a cracker you would like and make shapes or cut squares/diamonds using a knife.
Sprinkle a little sea salt on top and press. You can also press in some sesame seeds or herbs.
Use a fork to prick a few holes in the dough.
Place parchment on baking sheet and Bake in preheated 375 degrees F for 20 minutes.
Take the crackers out, break them apart and bake for another 8-10 minutes until crisp to touch.
Store in an airtight container for a few weeks.

These Crackers are being shared at Ricki’s wellness weekends, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays