Thepla is the Gujarati travelling bread: soft, lightly spiced, good for a day or two without a fridge. It is carried on train journeys and pilgrimages, which is exactly why Jain households have made so many versions of it. Away from home, a person keeping the food rules cannot assume a restaurant will respect them, so a packed bread is practical as well as pleasant.
This recipe adjusts the usual thepla in one place that matters: it leaves out the raw curd. The reason is in the section on the dwidal rule below.
Makes: about 12. Time: 40 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat flour (atta)
- 1/4 cup gram flour (besan)
- 1 cup fresh fenugreek (methi) leaves, picked from the stems, washed and chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ajwain
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds
- A pinch of asafoetida
- 2 tablespoons oil for the dough, plus oil for cooking
- 1 teaspoon sugar or jaggery, to soften the bitterness
- Salt to taste
- Warm water to knead
Method
- Pick over the fenugreek leaves one by one and wash them in several changes of water. Look under each leaf for tiny insects and eggs, and discard any leaf with signs of either. Shake dry or pat in a cloth.
- In a wide bowl, combine both flours, the spices, sesame, sugar and salt. Rub in the 2 tablespoons of oil until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
- Add the leaves and enough warm water to make a firm but supple dough. Knead for a few minutes and rest it for 15 minutes under a damp cloth.
- Divide into 12 balls. Roll each thin in a little dry flour, as for a chapati.
- Cook on a hot griddle, turning once, then spread about half a teaspoon of oil on each side and press with a cloth until brown specks appear and the bread puffs a little.
- Stack in a cloth-lined box and keep covered.
Why it follows the rules
Leaves are checked, not simply washed. Leafy vegetables are where small insects hide, and Jain practice is to look rather than assume. This is the same care that, in the monsoon, leads many households to stop buying leafy greens for the season, because insects and moisture are at their height. Fenugreek is best made in the cooler months for this reason as well as for flavour. See the chaumasa page for how the four monsoon months change what Jains eat.
No raw curd in the dough. A great many thepla recipes knead the dough with curd. Under the dwidal rule, which is explained on the recipes index, raw milk products are kept apart from split pulses until the pulse has been heated. Gram flour is a ground pulse, so a dough of curd and gram flour is exactly the combination that rule keeps away from. Kneading with warm water and oil avoids the question entirely. This is not a universal rule of the tradition: some households and some teachers see the matter differently, so follow your own.
Asafoetida and sesame. The savoury depth comes from asafoetida, and sesame seeds add a nutty taste, so there is no need for garlic paste.
Serving and keeping
Thepla keeps better than most breads because the oil seals the surface. Wrapped in a clean cloth, it stays fresh for the day of a journey, and many travellers eat it with a pickle made without garlic. For the longer keeping the tradition permits, check the household rule on cooked food; cooked bread that has stood a long time in warm weather is treated with caution, and a road journey in hot months is when to be careful. If in doubt, cook less and eat it sooner.
Variations
- Doodhi thepla: grate 1 cup of peeled bottle gourd in place of the leaves. Squeeze out the water first.
- Plain thepla: leave out the leaves and add 1 tablespoon of roasted sesame for a simpler bread.
- With flaxseed: add a spoonful of ground flaxseed to the dry mix for a nuttier flavour.
Related
- Jain recipes: the rules and the dishes
- Dal dhokli
- Moong dal chilla
- Chaumasa
- Palitana: the hill of temples
Frequently asked questions
↳ Why do Jains avoid curd with gram flour?
It is the dwidal rule: raw milk, curd or buttermilk is not combined with uncooked split pulses or their flour. Many households keep it strictly, while others consider it satisfied once the food is fully cooked. It is a matter of household practice rather than one universal ruling.
↳ Can I use dried fenugreek leaves?
Yes, kasuri methi works when fresh leaves are out of season or when you are avoiding leafy vegetables. Use about two tablespoons crushed, and add a little extra water to the dough.
↳ Why is the thepla bitter?
Fenugreek is naturally bitter. Choose young, small leaves, add the little sugar or jaggery, and do not over-fill the dough with leaves.
↳ How long does thepla last on a journey?
It is best eaten within the day. In hot weather it spoils faster, and Jain households are careful about stale cooked food, so pack only what you need.