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Bajra Mathri (Crisp Pearl Millet Discs)
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Bajra Mathri (Crisp Pearl Millet Discs)

Bajra (pearl millet)TraditionalNorth IndiaSnackFlour (atta)VegetarianContains gluten

Prep 15 min · Cook 15 min · Serves 2

Make

Ingredients

  • bajra (pearl millet) flour — 25 g
  • whole wheat flour — 10 g
  • besan (gram flour) — 15 g
  • fat — 10 g (the source says only 'fat'; oil keeps it dairy-free, ghee adds dairy)
  • ajwain (carom seeds) — 3 g
  • salt (to taste)
  • warm water — 30 ml
  • oil (for deep frying)

Method

  1. Sift the bajra flour, wheat flour and besan with the salt, then stir in the ajwain.
  2. Rub the fat into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
  3. Work in the warm water a little at a time and knead to a stiff dough.
  4. Pinch off small balls and roll each one out into a round.
  5. Deep fry a few at a time over low heat until golden brown, then drain on paper.

Tips

  • General practice: prick each round a few times with a fork so it stays flat in the oil.
  • General practice: let the mathri cool completely before storing them in an airtight tin.

Fresh atta: grind small, use soon

  • Millets keep for months as whole grain; flour is best ground as it is needed, because it turns rancid. (FAO, Sorghum and millets in human nutrition (1995))
  • Bajra changes fastest: its grain stores for months, but its milled flour has a very short shelf life. (ICAR-IIMR scientists, Food Chemistry Advances (2023) (DOI 10.1016/j.focha.2023.100190))
  • In an Indian study, untreated bajra flour stayed within the quality limit only about 2 days at room temperature. (ICAR-IARI, Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences (2016))
  • Ragi flour keeps better than foxtail, barnyard or bajra flour (it carries less fat). (Planta (2024), review)
  • Keep atta closed and cool: bajra flour kept best in polythene and worst in gunny sacks; grains should be dry and in airtight containers. (Chaudhary & Kapoor, J Sci Food Agric (1984); ICMR-NIN Dietary Guidelines (2024) (DOI 10.1002/jsfa.2740351113))
  • Going off shows first as smell and taste — sour, musty or dusty, then bitter. (Lai & Varriano-Marston, Cereal Chemistry (1980))

So: buy the grain, grind a week’s worth at a time — less for bajra in summer.

Adapted from FSSAI, Healthy Recipes for Defence, PDF p. 92 (printed p. 90), written in our own words.