Theplas remind me of long train journeys in India. Because this spiced Indian flat bread keeps so well, it is perfect to take along for a trip. We wrap them in thin cloth towels and munch on them on our train as we watch the country side go by. Theplas are also ideal for picnics because they dont need refrigeration.
You can make theplas with or without oil. But the oil less ones wont keep as long. If you want to make theplas without oil, just put one on your skillet, and then press a bundle of cloth on it, dabbing it everywhere (see picture below). This will distribute the heat and cook the theplas evenly.
If youve never made thepla before, it might take a bit of practise to get the dough right. You will need to vary the amount of water you use depending on how much water content your lauki has. But in general you need very little water for this recipe – just a few sprinkling. The lauki will release enough water when kneading to make a nice, soft dough.
For a great variation on this lauki thepla recipe, add grated radish or fresh methi leaves to the dough. You will need to use a little more water when kneading if you use grated radish or fresh methi leaves.
Lauki Thepla – Spiced Indian Flat Bread Recipe
makes 20 theplas
Ingredients
3 cups wheat flour (atta)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon or according to taste, salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon ajwain (carom) seeds
1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
6 green chilis, or according to taste, ground into a paste
1/2 teaspoon ginger paste
1/2 teaspoon garlic paste
1 cup grated lauki (bottle gourd). Substitute with grated radish or fresh methi leaves
3 tablespoons yogurt
1/4 cup or more, chopped cilantro
a small bowl of water
Method
Place all ingredients except the water in a large bowl. Knead for about 1 minute. Sprinkle a little (about 1 tablespoon) water and knead 10 times. Sprinkle a little more water and knead again. Continue kneading and sprinkling water when needed till the dough is no longer sticky and has formed a soft ball. It should take approximately 5 minutes of kneading for the dough to reach this stage.
Remember: You may need to use a little more or less water depending on how ‘watery’ your lauki or bottle gourd is.
Roll out the thepla dough into a long log. Cut the log into 20 even pieces. Form each piece into a ball.
Place a ball of dough on a flat surface. Using a rolling pin, roll it out like you would a chapati. Sprinkle flour on the thepla as when needed so it doesn’t stick.
Heat a heavy skillet, griddle or tava. Place the rolled out thepla on it. Cook till brown spots appear, about 45 seconds. Turn the thepla over, pour 1/4 teaspoon oil around it and let it cook till golden on both sides.
Repeat for all the dough.
Store Lauki Thepla in an air tight container for upto 1 week. It will also freeze well.
The theplas look brilliant Sala! Had no idea on lauki addition..
Those look seriously GOOD!
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What a wonderful idea! Wish we’d seen it before making them for our last road trip. Beautiful theplas and pics!
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Those look amazing! What a scrumptious treat. What a fantastic combination of flavors.
Cheers,
Rosa
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hi there, the theplas are looking so good and tempting. I had never tried adding lauki to it, which is a novel idea and now will surely be doing so. thanks for sharing lovely recipes, ALWAYS…..!!! Regards, sonia
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Mmmmm, those do look good. Thanks for the recipe
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Luks deliciously Yumm.Inviting visitors to take a bite.Wish to be ur neighbour.
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That looks fabulous.. another lauki recipe I can try!
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such a lovely blog you have. I didn’t know of it since today. as I was trying to see if i have fetched any traffic on google and when i gave happy belly .. veggie belly came n I’m so glad to see d wonderful n inspiring work u hv put in .. keep it up !
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Looks yummy! Thepla reminds me of my vacation (train journey) to North India. My grandmom makes these really well. Also she makes chapattis to go with super oily tomato pickle.
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Yay you posted this so quickly =D. These look INCREDIBLE. I gotta get my hands on some lauki next time I’m at the Asian store and make these ASAP. Too bad I didn’t see this before my Indian-themed dinner party.
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These look so delicious and I’ve shied away from cooking anything like this in the past – making my own Naan or chipatis are also things I want to try but am scared of, so thanks for inspiring me!
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Thepla looks wonderful. Lovely clicks.
SpicyTasty
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Theplas look very delicious…
and tempting pics…
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Hi! These look amazingly yummy. However, I have Celiac Disease and can’t eat the wheat flour. Do you have any suggestions on a way I could make them gluten-free. I have some long trips coming up and would love to have these.
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Sala @ Veggie Belly Reply:
September 23rd, 2011 at 12:22 pm
you could use rice flour kneaded with hot water. but it wont be thepla any more
let me know how to turned out!
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Heather Reply:
September 23rd, 2011 at 1:35 pm
Thanks for the advice! And I will.
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Sala!!!
Theplas are one of fav gujju food. My Mom’s best frd was a gujju and she made em for me everytime we visited her. And luckily when i started living alone my roomies were 2 gujju girls who loved to cook. I learnt to make it from them and though its been a while, after seeing your post I sure feel like trying them out soon!
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Hi, you have a fabulous site. I tried your theplas today and both my teenagers who hate lauki, actually ate them with relish. Imagine their surprise when I told them about the secret ingredient in their ‘Gujrati Paratha’. Lol…thanks for such a fab recipe.
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Sala @ Veggie Belly Reply:
September 25th, 2011 at 6:16 pm
haha, awsome! im glad you liked it, and more importantly that it went over well with your teenagers
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good
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hi Sala how I signed up for email updates
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Sala @ Veggie Belly Reply:
October 11th, 2011 at 9:13 pm
here is the link http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=veggiebelly&loc=en_US
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Yummy!! I love those theplas!
It’s a pitty you can’t buy them here in Germany but thanks to you I can now fix them by myself
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Hi
Another blogger has same recipe like yours. Entire content is copied, but no acknowledgement for you in that site. check this link…
http://bawarchiradhika.blogspot.com/2011/11/bottle-gourd-lauki-doodhi-thepla.html
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