11 benefits of travel food Thepla recipes ordered online

A Yoga teacher doing her final bachelor’s degree in Prashanti Kuteeram (a place in Bengaluru where Yoga as a subject is taken up for advance research). She suddenly gets a call from one of her juniors residing in Mysuru, to take up a person’s ailment as her case study in curing it by practicing some Asanas. This is a typical scenario where the following points can be observed.

• She cannot hurry up to Mysuru even if she can book buses immediately because she is hungry
• There is no time for her to cook on her own
• Getting food packed is a herculean task
• Even after having the food packed, she has to find a place to sit down and have food
• If she chooses to take a dry item, it might not be tastier enough
• Some choices of food like fast food or chats might not prove to be healthy

Keeping in mind these points, she chooses to skip the food as it does not go in par with what is running in her mind. This is where a brand that can fill this gap comes in handy. Absolutely. We are talking about a brand that prepares food that can be credited with addressing the above problems. One Gujarati food can solve the above problem by assisting a lot more people for whom travel is a pain due to the fact that proper, healthy, delicious food that is easy to carry is still a dream. 

Let us know more about this food item that tops the list for such benefits. It is called as Thepla. There is a scene in a Hindi movie called “3 Idiots” where there is a reference to this and other Gujarati Dishes. As referred to in the movie, it might sound like a missile, but it is a life savior in places where we do not get what we want.

What is Thepla?

Thepla is a flatbread (special Indian flatbread) or pancake, an advanced version of Chapati, which is a lot more tastier. It can be consumed without any sides, or with bare-minimum sides, like cucumber, ghee, etc., that we will discuss as we move further in the article.

They are circular in shape just like Chapati. With added ingredients, they are prepared in different ways. It can be used as a base to further modify it adding top-ups according to your tastes. Let us discuss some key benefits of this special chapati called Thepla by first understanding how they are prepared.

Theplas are prepared using the following basic ingredients.

• Whole wheat flour
• Jowar flour
• Besan
• Turmeric
• Red Chilli Powder
• Oil
• Ajwain
• Salt to taste

In addition to the above ingredients, some optional ingredients are also used like

• Fenugreek (Methi) leaves
• Bottle gourd
• Some spices
• Radish
• Rice flour, etc.

Notes before preparing Theplas

Theplas can be made in different ways using custom ingredients. Our intention in this recipe is to prepare soft Theplas. If you have a liking for harder Theplas, you can slightly modify the process and ingredients and prepare.

• You can use any of the millets available, but the recommended ones are Jowar and Barjra (called in English as Pearl Millet)
• If you have a reason, Besan can be taken out of the recipe, but it increases the protein content of the dish and makes it healthier for a healthy person
• As told earlier, our intention of preparing this very dish is just to give you an idea of Thepla, and it is a standard by itself to consume Theplas in a soft fashion. However, there are people who would like to have them crispy in nature
• To prepare softer Theplas, you need to use a little more quantity of oil and curd with the flour
• Curds reduce shelf life. Therefore, be extra careful about consuming them before it is too late
• Taking some time (about twenty minutes) out exclusively for kneading the dough well, using oil and curd would soften Theplas

Now let us get started in preparing some delicious soft Theplas using the ingredients mentioned below while not forgetting the tips above.

Ingredients for Thepla Recipe

Due to its flexibility in the preparation, some of the ingredients are up to your tastes and creativity. Firstly, let us prepare the dough like so…

Dough for Thepla Recipe

• Follow this step only if you would want to prepare Fenugreek Theplas. If not you can skip washing the Fenugreek leaves in a lot of water. Drain them and dry them well. Add them to a bowl after chopping it into fine pieces
• Now, our aim is to bring our moisture from the fenugreek leaves that we have added along with the other ingredients. Try mixing them without adding oil as yet. Once the moisture comes out of the Fenugreek leaves we are through to the next step
• Knead the dough that is mixed from the previous step. Make sure that it does not become sticky. Add oil appropriately, knead it again until it becomes soft
• Rest for about twenty minutes and allow the dough to settle down by covering it. With this dough, you should be able to prepare around ten Theplas. 
• Divide the dough into around ten portions and shape it into round balls to go to the next section

Prepare Thepla

• Once you arrive at a nonsticky dough with added ingredients, the aim will be to roll them to make it a flat circle of about seven to eight inches diameter
• Make sure that the thickness is medium enough to cool it at a later stage
• Note that if it is too thin, it might be difficult to put it on the stove to shallow fry 
• If it is too thick, then you might have to overheat the Thepla introducing black spots. Therefore, it is important to maintain the thickness

Shallow fry and Thepla ready

• Heat a pan, preferably from the materials that we spoke out from this section of an article, like Iron, Bronze, Clay, etc.
• Shallow fry on medium heat till you think the bottom half of the Thepla is cooked
• Drizzle oil to the circular edges of the Thepla to avoid it from getting stuck to the pan
• Now, flip and cook on the other side till the golden spots appear on both the sides
• Add oil to both the sides so that you can take it out easily
• Slurpy Theplas are ready to be eaten. They are normally served with Curds, Pickles (sweet or spicy), Cucumber or Aam ki Chunda.

As a substitute for Fenugreek Leaves, the traditional ingredients that are added instead are

• Grated Vegetables like Carrot, Cucumber, etc.
• Often used are Bottle Gourd
• Spinach can also be tried if you like them

So, now that we know what is a Thepla and what all does it require to in preparing this delicious food. The special Indian Bread, another name for Thepla has to its credit, many benefits. Lets quickly check out what those benefits are. 

1. Portability

Portability is extremely important for use cases that we have mentioned at the beginning of this article. Especially when a person is traveling on an urgent basis. They may have to carry food easily without any problem. We can jot down points that are in favor of Thepla when it comes to portability. 

• A dry item that does not cause any dampness to any bag
• Circular in shape that can be folded and can fit easily into any bag
• No need of any side dish to have this with
• Long shelf life that comes in handy when traveling
• Light in weight and healthy

2. Enduring

The second most important thing that makes travelers’ life easy is shelf life. Even when stored at room temperature, it survives a longer shelf life. It is not that it has to be kept in a refrigerator. In fact, the longer it is on the shelf the better it tastes. This is so because of many reasons.

• It is a dry item and does not contain anything that gets spoilt
• They are in fact handpicked from the shelf
• Each one of the ingredients has longer shelf lives by themselves

In conclusion, we need not worry about the shelf life of this food item.

3. Nutritious

It’s highly nutritious due to its high values of Protein and Fiber. The usage of very little oil due to the fact that it is shallow fried and not deep-fried. It has leaves like fenugreek which is extremely good for health. Turmeric is an antiseptic substance. This enables us to fight bad bacteria that might form in any part of the body. The spices used act in retaining a good digestive tract.

Apart from the above, it also contains:

• About 240 kcal – calories
• Carbohydrates – 40 gms
• Protein – 10 gms
• Fat – 5 gms
• Sodium – 110 mg
• Potassium: 310 mg
• Fiber – 10 gms
• Vitamin A – 65iu
• Vitamin C – 1.6 mg
• Calcium – 71mg
• Iron – 12.4 mg

4. Delicious

Though it is claimed to be a Satwik Food, there is absolutely no compromise on its delicious taste. A mixture of the given ingredients gives it such a good flavor that “no one can it this just once”. The main ingredients that add to the taste of Thepla are:

• First and the foremost ingredient is turmeric. It not only makes Thepla a healthier dish but adds to the taste, making it taste extra delicious
• There are certain spices like Ajwain, Coriander, etc that are a part of the recipe. They all have unique aromas and delicacy
• Chilli powder is also added to make it lose its bland quality and gain some spiciness
• A mixture of whole Wheat, Besan, and Jowar flour adds a little sweet tinge to the final product

5. Multiple flavors

We have in one of the previous sections, where there is a mention about the preparation of Thepla, we have stressed on a fact that there can be multiple flavors, i.e., the base can be mixed and can be made of varied types. Of course, currently, these are the standards that have been followed from ancient times. These can be altered to suit the current trend.

Now

The current practices include the following ingredients mixed as a flavor.

• Jowar Flour
• Bajra Flour
• Rice Flour
• Besan

Future

In the future, there are possibilities that these flavors might have to be incorporated into Thepla to improve the taste. 

• Cocoa
• Vanilla
• Coconut
• Jaggery, etc.

6. Healthy

Well, it is easy to claim that something is healthy, but hard to prove so. But considering our above content in the section “Nutritious”, it clearly tells us that the Thepla that we are eating is really healthy. Actually, nutrition is the input to prove that something is healthy. Above all, a healthy body can by and large digest the ingredients of this item. 

Wheat and other flours are generally considered to be good sources of protein. While there are also plenty of Carbohydrates in this, the fiber acts as an elimination catalyst. The top-up leaves and vegetables that we use are rich in vitamins and minerals. Turmeric, as mentioned earlier is the best food item that can kill bad bacteria, yes, specifically bad bacteria, because good bacteria are good for gut health.

7. Flexible

In portability, we have written that it can be easily carried to any place in any bag or basket. It is also flexible enough that it can fit into an even smaller container. In the process where we have instructed in the previous section, where we have written about the recipe, the output will be soft and easily foldable. 

It can even be rolled like Chapati, with butter. This makes it even easier to carry. This is the most flexible dry food item that is very easy to carry and very travel-friendly.

8. Easy to prepare

Already, your imagination would have tried its luck to cook this particular food item and noticed how fast and easy are the processes to follow. The time taken to prepare Theplas is pretty easy. 

Time can be divided into the following types to calculate the summation.

Prerequisite Preparation

This is the pre-preparation time. Here is where the time to cut the vegetables and leaves, preparation of dough mixing all the ingredients and kneading time. The total amount of time to do this varies from around fifteen to twenty minutes.

Preprocessing

This is when the complete mixture is kept in rest for some time to get adjusted just before preparing the circular-shaped Theplas. This is around twenty minutes to half an hour.

Preparation Time

Now to prepare, i.e. to roll it to make it a flat circular-shaped Thepla and heat it, turn it to another side by shallow frying it. On the whole, this might take around ten minutes for ten Theplas, one minute for each. 

So, the total time taken to prepare a Thepla is one hour including the rest time of twenty minutes.

9. Side Variants

Though Theplas are, as is tastier, it would be fun to have the sides that are equally tastier. According to Ayurveda, there are six tastes

1. Sweet
2. Salt
3. Sour
4. Pungent
5. Bitter
6. Astringent 

A balance of all these tastes is a good diet. Here if we bring in little sweet and sour tastes, all the tastes will be included, which in turn makes this food item well-balanced. There can be many sides like

• Aam ki Chunda (sweet mango pickle)
• Any pickle in general
• Honey
• Ghee
• Cucumber
• Sauce
• Onion
• Chilli… and many more

10. Healthy Top-ups

When we mean top-ups, we mean the ingredients like fenugreek or bottle gourd kind of items added at the time of preparation. Any healthy ingredient like vegetables can be added while preparing Theplas.  Here is a list of some of the top-ups that can be added to make it tastier.

• Cruciferous vegetables like Brocolli, Cauliflower
• Green leaves like Spinach, Mint, Basil
• Alkaline food like Bottle gourd, Ash gourd, etc.

11. Consume anywhere

To sum up, the most travel-friendly food in India, that is consciously created to suffice travel hunger. It can be consumed anywhere in any place. Follow the steps below to have it the Indian way which is written in detail in this article. 

1. Firstly, clean your hands
2. Sit in Sukhasana position (the sitting posture)
3. To stay calm render the Shanti mantra
4. Take out the food and keep it on the level where you are sitting
5. Speak as much less as possible
6. Bend and eat
7. Eat using your hands
8. Don’t leave the place until you are done with eating
9. Remember the people who have directly or indirectly contributed to you having the food
10. Slowly get up and clean your hands
11. You are done

Following the above simple steps, you can consume Thepla from anywhere. You will already be enabling the digestive tract by sitting in Sukhasana posture.

These are the main benefits of the mouth-watering dish, i.e., the Thepla. This healthy food can be ordered online now. Follow the below link and you can get your Thepla to your place.

Eat Healthy. Be Healthy.