Bajra vada recipe with stepwise pics – Gujarati style vada or patties made from pearl millet flour, spices and herbs. A vegan snack.
Recently on one of the days when it was raining heavily, I had made these vadas. They are easy to prepare and makes for a nice monsoon snack with the evening chai.
A variation of this tasty snack, has methi or fenugreek leaves added to it. There is also curd added to the recipe, which gives these patties a good soft texture. Bajra is a warming food, so good when the climate is cold.
Instead of deep-frying, you can also shallow fry the bajra vada or even make flatbreads and roast them on a tava/skillet. The recipe has some whole wheat flour added to it. If you are allergic to gluten, then just skip adding whole wheat flour.
Serve bajra vada with plain curd or spiced curd or with tea. They can also be packed for picnics or travels. They stay well in an airtight jar or box for 8 to 10 days.
How to make bajra vada
1. Take 1 cup bajra flour (pearl millet flour) in a mixing bowl or in a rimmed plate/thali.
2. Add 2 tbsp whole wheat flour.
3. Then add a paste of 1 green chili + 2 garlic cloves + ½ inch ginger. You can crush the ginger-garlic-chili in a mortar-pestle or in a small grinder. Also, add 3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves.
4. Now add the spices – ¼ tsp turmeric powder, ¼ tsp red chili powder, ½ tsp coriander powder, ½ tsp cumin powder, 3 tsp white sesame seeds, ½ tsp sugar and salt as per taste. You can add more sugar if you want.
5. Then add 2 tbsp curd.
6. With a spoon mix everything very well.
7. Now add 1 tbsp oil. Again mix.
8. Then add 2 tbsp water and mix again.
9. Add 1 to 2 tbsp more of the water and knead the dough. Do add more water if required. I added 4.5 tbsp water.
10. Knead to a smooth dough. Make a dough that is not very soft nor too tight. If the dough becomes soft, then add 1 or 2 tbsp or more of the bajra flour. If the dough becomes hard or looks dry, then add 1 to 2 tbsp water or as required. Cover and keep aside the dough for 30 minutes or for a couple of hours. You can also keep overnight. The longer you keep the more softer textured vadas you will get and they will also puff up nicely when frying.
Making bajra vada
11. Make small to medium-sized balls from the dough.
12. Rub little water in your palms and shape each ball into a vada or patty. The patty should not be thick or too thin. You can also roll the dough balls with a rolling pin in a zip lock bag.
13. Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or pan. gently slid the vada in the hot oil. The oil should be medium hot.
14. prepare more vadas and add them to the oil.
15. When one side is half done, turn over and fry the other side.
16. Fry till golden and remove with a slotted spoon.
17. Place the fried bajra vada on kitchen paper towels to remove excess oil.
18. Serve bajra vada hot or warm. accompany the vadas with fresh or spiced curd/yogurt or with evening chai. These vadas stay good for a week and also can be had as a picnic or travel snack.
More snacks recipesÂ
- Cheese balls
- French fries
- Khaman Dhokla
- Hara bhara kabab
- Vazhaipoo vadai – banana flower vada
Bajra Vada
Ingredients
- 1 cup bajra flour (pearl millet flour)
- 2 tablespoon whole wheat flour
- 2 tablespoon curd (yogurt)
- 1 green chili + 2 garlic cloves + ½ inch ginger - crushed to a paste in a mortar-pestle
- 3 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
- 3 teaspoon white sesame seeds
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ½ teaspoon sugar or add as required
- 4.5 tablespoon water or add as required
- salt as required
- oil for deep frying
Instructions
making dough
- Take 1 cup bajra flour in a mixing bowl or in a rimmed plate/thali.
- Add 2 tbsp whole wheat flour/atta. Then add a paste of 1 green chili + 2 garlic cloves + 1/2 inch ginger. Also add 3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves.
- Now add the spices - 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1/4 tsp red chili powder, 1/2 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp cumin powder, 3 tsp white sesame seeds, 1/2 tsp sugar and salt as per taste.
- Then add 2 tbsp curd. With a spoon mix everything very well.
- Now add 1 tbsp oil. Again mix.
- Then add 2 tbsp water and mix again.
- Add 1 to 2 tbsp more of the water and knead the dough. Do add more water if required. I added 4.5 tbsp water.
- Knead to a smooth dough. Make a dough which is not very soft nor too tight. If the dough becomes soft, then add 1 or 2 tbsp or more of the bajra flour. If the dough become hard or looks dry, then add 1 to 2 tbsp water or as required.
- Cover and keep aside the bajra dough for 30 minutes or for a couple of hours.
- Make small to medium sized balls from the dough.
- Rub little water in your palms and shape each ball into a vada or patty. The patty should not be thick or thin. About 1/8 of an inch. Thinner than an aloo tikki.
frying bajra vada
- Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or pan.
- Gently slid the vada in the hot oil. The oil should be medium hot.
- Prepare more vadas and add them to the oil.
- When one side is half done, turn over and fry the other side.
- Fry them till golden and remove with a slotted spoon.
- Place on kitchen paper towels to remove excess oil.
- Serve bajra vada hot or warm. Accompany the vadas with fresh or spiced curd/yogurt or with evening chai.Â
- These bajra vada stay good for a week too and also can be made as a picnic or travel snack.
Dear Dassana,
I made these bajra vadas and they turned out delicious! Thank you.! I live in Dubai and have shared a your blog with a few of my Emirati friends and they loved it !!! Thank you for doing such a fabulous job with the recipes!
most welcome manjari. also thanks for sharing your feedback on the bajra vada recipe and for sharing the website with your friends. glad ????
Hi,
Can we add any other vegetables while making this vada? Grated carrot /cabbage, maybe finely chopped onions?? Will all this alter the taste much?
Uma, yes you can add. but the taste will change.
Hi .. loved this recipe thanks
thanks sulekha for positive feedback 🙂
I just love all your recipes a lot and the most lovely thing is pictures.
thank you toral 🙂
Hi Dassana,
Initially i was lil skeptical about trying you recipes but now i must say i have stopped looking at other websites for cooking. Though being from southern part of India ur traditional Gujarati recipes are so authentic. I just love them. Thank you for posting all your recipes. The most lovely thing about ur recipes are pictures. You post pics of most of the recipes. A big ton of thanks to u.
thanks again for this lovely comment toral 🙂
Hello
THX for the recipe. I read to add fenugreek leaves but do not see that in the recipe.
” variation of this tasty snack, has methi or fenugreek leaves added to it. there is also curd added to the recipe, which gives these patties a good soft texture. bajra is a warming food, so good when the climate is cold”
So when do I add methi-fenugreek leaves?
add the methi leaves, when you add the ginger+garlic+green chili paste.
So healthy recipes
Thanks
welcome swati
Thank u for the healthy recipe .
welcome.
hii dassana,
Thank you so much for posting this recipe,
nice recipe…….
welcome vidya
it takes patience and heart to make any kind of recipes . but this is really easy if just put your heart on it and try it. the pictures are really good it clarify everything.
thanks simran
Can i not use the sesame seeds…would it alter the taste much?
sesame seeds give a very good taste. you can skip if you do not have them. but the taste will change a bit.
Hi. I was looking for this recipe for long. In my childhood i relished these vadas made by my gujrati neighbour. She would make awesome vadas, and it seems that ur recipe is same as hers. So thanks a ton for sharing it with us.
thanks rekha and welcome 🙂
I made paneer pasanda recently it was gud but i totally agree with you it requires a lot of time and patience
true riya. it does take time and patience. but the results are too good 🙂 its easy if you just shallow fry the paneer without making the sandwiches. also the browned onion paste can be made a day earlier. it keep well in the fridge.
Hi I have been following all your recipes for sometimes now . It happens so many times that if I want to try something at home I search for your recipe . being a Gujarati have grown up with these vadas made by my grandmother . she used to put leftover dhokala or idli batter in these . and believe me tht tastes amazing . just s small suggestion if u want to try .
thanks amishi. thats an amazing thing your grandmother would do. i can imagine the texture of the vadas. thank for sharing your grandmother’s method. i will try 🙂
Vry nice i like it
Hello dassana,
I am a big fan of your recipes. Any recipe that i require i ensure that i check vegrecipesofindia.com first. Your excruciating love for food can be seen in all your recipes.
Got to learn a lot from your recipes, have so many more to try.
In your bajra vada recipe, you left out one crucial ingredient- Methi patta/kasuri methi. My mother being a gujarati makes this often , she does not add coriander. Bajra & methi combination is ages old. Bajre ka thepla/ bajre ki bhakri is also made during winter with certain changes in the recipe. We add fresh green garlic & its leaves available only in winters in calcutta.
Also try using some fennel seeds & whole coriander seeds too in the vada. It will enhance the taste further.
You can also change the shape of this vada by making them into small round balls and then making a recess right in the centre by pressing your thumb down. Kind of shape peda has, just that these would be round balls.
thanks a lot saurabh. i did not have both methi as well as kasuri methi when i made these bajra vadas. i know the flavors methi will bring to the vadas. here too green garlic is available in the winters. i will try with fennel, coriander as well as kasuri methi next time. also thanks for sharing the tip on thump impression. thanks for your tips and suggestions.
Good Q. I just asked the same as I remember having methi in this vadas from my childhood memory
this is a variation of the same recipe, but without methi leaves. hence i have named it as only bajra vada.
Hi, can we baked these? If yes, then what temp and what wrack please.I tried your palak paratha.it was just yummy:) Thanks for sharing such tasty and easy recipes.
not sure, about baking as i have never baked them. so can’t say what will be the texture. thanks for the feedback on palak paratha.
Hi dassana
Can we make this with whole bajra instead of flour?
yes lavanya, you can make these vadas completely with bajra. shaping them can be difficult, so i suggest to use a ziplock bag for the patting and shaping.