Vegetable Thepla (Spiced Vegetable Flat Bread)

This is a wholesome no onion no garlic vegetable thepla recipe I cooked with my mum during school holidays.

Theplas are an inherent part of Gujarati meals, and are used for regular meals, travelling and for picnics. They are very often eaten with yogurt, sweet and sour pickles and masala tea. There are many variations of thepla; from plain to those with methi, vegetables, whole cumin seeds as well as sesame seeds which all enhance the flavour in their own unique manner. Any variation of theplas can be enjoyed hot or otherwise. I share with you today a version which is wholesome and bursting with flavour. These healthy whole wheat thepla are made with a mixture of mashed vegetables and spices.

You can add you own choice of vegetables to this recipe which makes it versatile and flexible for all tastes. You can add anything from potatoes, carrots, spinach, French beans or fenugreek and is an excellent way to boost vegetable intake. This is a no garlic no onion recipe making it accommodating for a wider group and is according to tastes and preferences.

The mashed vegetables give the thepla a lovely soft texture and they remain this way even after they have cooled which make for great snacks for lunch. The thepla can be made to your preferred spice level and if you like, a touch of sugar will provide a slight sweeter alternative.

In order to save time and to make work easier, I steamed, cooled and drained the vegetables thoroughly overnight. This allows for as much water as possible to escape as well as make them easier to mash and combine with the flour.

Serve with cool sweet yogurt, masala tea or mango pickle.

Vegetable Thepla (Spiced Vegetable Flat Bread)

Servings: 4-5 people
Time: 2 hour
Difficulty: Challenging
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Ingredients
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour/chapatti atta
100g cauliflower or 1 cup chopped cauliflower
100g carrot or 2 medium carrots
100g potatoes or 1 large potato
100g spinach or 1 cup packed baby spinach
1/2 cup green peas
2 green chillies
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated ginger
2 1/2 teaspoons cumin and coriander powder
2 1/2 teaspoons red chilli powder
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric powder
2 1/2 teaspoons garam masala powder
1 teaspoons asafoetida (optional)
2 1/2 teaspoons salt or as required
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 to 2 tablespoons water for kneading, only add if required
oil or ghee for roasting theplas as required

Method
Prepare all the vegetables

Steam or boil the vegetables in a pressure cooker or steamer till they are thoroughly cooked and are soft when pierced with a fork. Allow the vegetables to be drained and cooled thoroughly and then mash through well.

Now add the finely chopped baby spinach and mix well into the mashed vegetables.

Baby spinach added to mashed vegetable mixture

Then add cumin and coriander powder, red chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala, asafetida (optional) and salt. Also add chopped coriander leaves, green chillies and ginger. I did not add the last three as they were not available.

Chilli powder, cumin and coriander powder, salt, turmeric, garam masala and asafetida

Mix the spices and salt thoroughly with the mashed vegetables. Add oil or ghee and slowly begin to add whole wheat flour/ chapatti atta and combine with the mashed vegetables. Ensure you add the flour slowly to mashed vegetable mixture and flour to combine well. Initially, the dough will be very sticky and adding flour slowly will prevent mixture from becoming lumpy. I used a wooden spoon to combine the ingredients together. Only add water if dough requires it.

Continue to knead to a smooth medium firm dough. Adding flour to the mixture can sometimes dilute the spice levels so just before the dough was smooth and firm, I tasted it to ensure the spice and salt levels were appropriate for the quantity of dough. Adjust to your taste requirements.