Name: Meethi Mathri/Meethi Mathi
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 2 cups All Purpose Flour/Maida; 1/2 tsp salt; 4 tbsp Semolina/Sooji; 1/4 cup Ghee; 1/2 cup warm water (plus a little extra(use cautiously)); 1 cup sugar; 1/2 cup water; Pistachios (chopped for garnishing); Oil for frying

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Meethi Mathis is such a popular dish in Indian homes during festivals, specifically during Karwa Chauth. Karwa Chauth is such a special day when a wife prays for the well being of her spouse. Whatever may be the religious significance, it certainly brings them together and creates a special bond! My earliest memories of course date back to seeing mom keep the fast. All the kids used to tell mom what to buy for Sargi, because we used to wake up and eat all the sweets and delicacies with her! Mom would wake up early morning, get ready and do her prayers and then wake us up as she had to eat before sunrise.

To buy the sweets and pheni,another traditional sweet eaten in the morning with the sargi, we used to go to a Shop called’ Friends Home’ in Kolkata in the New Market area. They used to sell these special Sweet Mathis with a hole in them for seeing the moon. That memory was my inspiration for this post. I wanted to recreate what that sweet shop used to sell and I spoke to mom just a few days back to get the recipe for this, and she said that store still sells the same sweet Mathis only during karwachauth!

When my daughter came home from school and saw what I had made, her first reaction was, Oh you made Doughnuts today! Then after tasting it she said, its really good, sort of like Baklava! It made me realize, she had never eaten sweet Mathi ever before. We live in a small town and these traditional sweets are just not available there. I hope to make it every Karwa chauth from now on, so she wont confuse it for Doughnuts and Baklava!

So Enjoy it with your family, Use it to see the moon( if your customs permit), if not use it to break your fast. This will become a regular treat during festivities in your family. Sharing a compilation of everything you need for karwa Chauth-

How To Make Karwa Chauth Ki Meethi Mathi, Thali, Atte ka Diya , Katha and Vidhi all in one link

An alternate to Meethi Mathis,an easy recipe without the hassle of sugar syrup is Shakkarpare where i mix the sugar in the dough and fry and it turns out crunchy, crumbly yet soft.

Moving on to the recipe,here is the written recipe followed by the step by step pictorial one-

Meethi Mathri/Meethi Mathi

Aanchal Gupta

Mathis made with flour and dipped in a sugar syrup. Popular in punjabi households during the festival of Karwa Chauth and Lohri.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Course Dessert

Cuisine Indian

Servings -13 depending on size

Ingredients

For Mathris

2 cups All Purpose Flour/Maida
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp Semolina/Sooji
1/4 cup Ghee
1/2 cup warm water plus a little extra(use cautiously)

For Chashni/Sugar syrup

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
Pistachios chopped for garnishing
Oil for frying

Instructions

For Mathris

Sift Flour and salt through seive.
Mix Sooji and ghee and using fingertips, mix, till it turns crumbly.
Add warm water, little at a time, we want firm yet pliable dough. I used a little more than 1/2 cup.
Cover with wet towel and leave covered for 30 minutes.
Make discs, I made about 20.
Roll them out, not too thin, and use a cookie cutter or lid to remove a circle from middle.
please see pictures.
Use a knife or fork to make gashes on the circular disc that remains, the purpose is to not let it puff up, so it will become crisp.
Fry 3-5 at a time on MEDIUM flame. Its important!
Fry all and keep aside.
Place parchment paper on baking sheet.

For Chashni/sugar syrup

Bring sugar and water to boil.
After few minutes, take a drop of syrup and put on plate. let it cool.
Check the syrup for thickness by doing the ‘string test’
Put the cool drop of syrup between your index finger and thumb and stretch the syrup. The stringier the syrup, the thicker it is. For our recipe we need ‘two string syrup’
When syrup is ready, put 2-3 mathris at a time into the syrup, let it soak for a few minutes, use tongs to flip over and let it sit just for a few minutes. Take out on parchment paper being careful not to overlap.
Garnish with chopped Pistachios.

Notes

Its Important to cook on Medium flame. test the temperature by putting a tiny piece of dough in it,if it first sinks and then slowly comes up, its the right temperature, if it comes up right away, oil is too hot.
The thickness of syrup is very important, if its too thin, it wont cover the Mathis, if its too thick, it will dry up too soon!
You don’t have to make it with a hole in the middle, like a doughnut, you can roll it plain.
Please use it to see the moon, only if your customs permit, otherwise, use it as a sweet to break your fast.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Disclaimer: The nutritional information shared here is approximate. Variations may exist due to ingredients and brands used. Please refer to a Registered Dietitian

or Nutritionist if you have any health issues or questions.

Here is the step by step pictorial recipe-

Sift Flour and salt