Rajgara Theplaરાજગરાના થેપલા
Fasting flatbreads of rajgara flour bound with boiled potato. They keep for a day, which makes them the practical choice for a fast spent away from home.
Ingredients
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- 1½ cups rajgara flour
- 2 boiled potatoes, mashed
- 2 green chillies, ginger, coriander
- 1 tsp cumin, rock salt
- Water as needed
- Ghee for roasting
Method
- Knead a soft dough from the rajgara flour, mashed potato, chillies, ginger, cumin, coriander and salt.
- This flour has no gluten, so roll between two sheets of plastic, pressing gently.
- Roast on a hot tawa with ghee on both sides, on low heat.
- Take them off once spotted and cooked at the edges.
- Serve hot with curd or a fasting chutney.
Tips
- The potato is what binds the dough; without it the flour falls apart.
- If rolling is difficult, pat them out by hand.
Storing and reheating
These do not keep like wheat thepla because of the potato. Five or six hours at room temperature, one day in an airtight box in the fridge. They stiffen when cold, so warm them on a tawa with a little ghee on both sides. Do not keep the kneaded dough: the potato releases water and it turns sticky and unrollable.
What you can swap
- Boiled yam or boiled sweet potato can replace the potato. Sweet potato makes them sweeter, so add more chilli.
- Mixing ¼ cup samo flour into the rajgara flour makes the dough stronger and easier to roll.
- No rock salt? On a non-fasting day ordinary salt is fine and the taste barely changes.
- Without plastic sheets, oil a steel plate or a banana leaf and pat the dough flat by hand.
What to serve with it
Eaten at midday or in the evening on fasting days, with plain curd, a farali chutney and dates or banana. When travelling during a fast these are the easiest thing to carry, since they are fine eaten cold.
Mistakes to avoid
- Do not knead while the potato is hot. Mash it after it has cooled, or the dough goes gluey and sticks to the tawa.
- Do not add more water than you need. The potato already brings moisture, so try kneading with none at first and add water a spoon at a time.
- Do not roll them thin. Rajgara flour has no gluten, so thin thepla fall apart when turned. Keep them slightly thick.
- Keep the tawa moderate. High heat gives you spots outside while the flour stays raw inside, which is immediately noticeable with rajgara.
Questions people ask
They keep breaking while I roll them. What helps?
Increase the potato: if two are not binding 1½ cups of flour, add a third. Roll between plastic sheets with light pressure, or just pat them out by hand. Lifting the rolled thepla on the sheet and flipping it onto the tawa is the easiest way to transfer it.
Rajgara or samo flour for thepla?
Rajgara flour binds into a moist dough and suits thepla and puri, which is why it is used here. Samo flour is grainier and belongs in handvo or dosa, where that texture is wanted. For thepla, rajgara is the right choice.
Can I make these on a normal day?
Yes, they work perfectly well as everyday breakfast or a lunchbox roti. On a non-fasting day you can add onion, garlic, coriander-cumin powder or sesame seeds, all of which a fast would rule out.
