Banana Methi Thepla with Raw Mango Chutney

Okay I know that at first breath it sounds weird. I mean, banana and methi in a thepla? I know 'cause that was my first reaction. But what the hell, I had two ripe bananas lying around which no one was willing to touch otherwise, so I decided to follow Ms. Tarla Dalal's recipe in toto and incorporate them into my theplas.

I prayed to God that the dish worked. Hubby was leaving for work at 8:30 p.m. and he was taking the theplas with him in his tiffin. That was all he was going to carry. So I hoped that he would like my new experiment.

This was my recipe.

Banana Methi Thepla
 Ingredients,
3 cups wheat flour
1 cup besan
A handful of finely chopped fresh methi (fenugreek) leaves
2 ripe bananas
1 tsp turmeric (haldi) powder
2-3 tsp red chilli (lal mirch) powder
1-2 tsp coriander (dhania) powder
1 tsp dry mango (amchur) powder 
one pinch of asafoetida (hing)
salt to taste
water and 2 tsp oil for making dough
oil for frying

Method
Wash and finely chop methi leaves. Sieve both the flours together, add methi leaves and mashed banana. I have seen that grating a banana on your regular cheese grater is a much better way of getting a good pulp. Add turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder, amchur powder, salt and mix well. Add water as and when needed to make a soft dough. Use a little oil while kneading to make a dough.

Now divide the dough into smaller portions and roll out thin chapatis. Fry them on a griddle (tawa) with a little oil, till brown blisters appear evenly on both sides. Serve hot.

Raw Mango Chutney
1 raw mango peeled and chopped into pieces
1 tsp dry roasted methi (fenugreek) seeds
2-3 tbsp grated coconut
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
3-4 tsp jaggery (or as per taste)
salt to taste

For the tempering:
2 tsp oil
1/4 tsp mustard (rai) seeds
1/4 tsp cumin (jeera) seeds
a pinch of hing

Gather all the ingredients for the chutney in a blender and blend till you get a good puree. You may leave it slightly chunky as I do.
Heat the oil, and add mustard and cumin seeds. In the end add a pinch of hing and splash this tempering onto the chutney.

Here is the picture:

I may add, that once I tasted it, the banana gave just a subtle hint of its presence. There may be those who may not like it, but my family for one didn't mind.

It goes without saying that a little effort put into presentation goes a long way, especially where kids are concerned. Saee could not wait to eat the thepla even as we were clicking the pictures. The credit for this picture goes to my husband. I have done the styling.

For those who are adventurous as I am, please try this recipe. It tastes good. Not great, but good.

Happy Cooking!