Combine wheat flour and sooji in a large mixing bowl.
Add all the spices, along with salt and kasoori methi, into the mixing bowl.
Add oil to this flour-spice mixture.
Using your hands, rub the oil into the flour mixture until it becomes crumbly and looks like breadcrumbs.
To check if the ghee is correct in the recipe – take a little mix in your first, and squeeze it tight; if it takes the shape of your fist, that means you are all set. This shows that the ‘Moyen’ (fat content) in the mix is just perfect.
Now add a little water and knead the dough.
Never add all the water at once because the water should go in just as much as required to make a dough.
Stop adding more water if your dough starts to come together and you are still left with the water, as mentioned in the recipe. The mathri dough should be tight and stiff.
Cover the dough with a wet piece of cloth and leave it for 30 minutes.
After the resting time is over, start shaping the dough like mathris. After shaping them into small balls, gently press them in between your palms to flatten them. Tip — The thickness of the dough matters for making the flakiest mathris. Do not press them too hard, or they will become thin and flat.
Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Drop a small piece of dough in the oil to check if the oil is perfectly hot. If it floats to the surface gradually, the oil is ideal for frying. After the oil reaches its desired temperature, reduce the heat to medium-low.
Fry 6-8 mathris at one time. Do not overcrowd the kadhai and fry them in batches. Give the mathris enough space in the kadhai to fry and get crispy and flaky.
Fry the mathris until golden, turning them frequently during the entire cooking time for even cooking.
Once the mathris start to attain the golden color, increase the heat to medium-high and fry until a deep golden color is acheived. Remove them from the oil.
Transfer the mathris onto a paper-towel- lined plate. Repeat this process until all the mathris are fried.