Fafda recipe with step by step pics. Fafda is a fried crispy crunchy tasty snack made with besan (gram flour), laced with carom seeds and black pepper. It is a popular Gujarati vegan snack that is highly addictive and scrumptious. This recipe makes for fafda which tastes similar to the one you get outside.
Fafda served with papaya sambharo and besan chutney is an awesome combination. To make fafda you don’t need many ingredients. Generally, papad khar is used in making fafda. But since papad khar is not easily available I have used baking soda.
Fafda with papaya sambharo and fried green chilies is one of our favorite breakfast. In Mumbai occasionally during weekends, I would buy fafda and the chutneys with some jalebis from a Gujarati snack shop, close to our home.
During that period I was working in the corporate sector and never had the time to make such elaborate breakfast at home. But now I have some time on hand to make elaborate recipes as well as try and test different recipes.
In Gujarat, during Dussehra festival fafda along with papaya chutney, fafda chutney and jalebi is sold like hot cakes. Making these at home is also not difficult. I find it quite easy and with this recipe you can make crispy, crunchy munchy Fafda without any hassle.
Serve fafda warm or at room temperature with some fried green chilies, raw papaya sambaro and besan chutney. You can also serve with Gujarati besan kadhi.
Like the Gujarati fafda jalebi combination, in Indore city poha and jalebi combination is also famous. I have shared the recipe of Indori Poha.
How to make Fafda Recipe
1. In a bowl or parat (large plate with rims at the sides) take 1 cup besan (gram flour).
2. Add ¼ teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain), 10 to 12 black pepper (crushed coarsely), ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and 1 pinch asafoetida (hing).
Also add ⅛ teaspoon baking soda or 2 to 3 pinches of baking soda.
3. Mix very well with a spoon.
4. Now add ¾ teaspoon salt or add as per taste.
5. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water in parts.
6. Begin to mix the water with the besan.
7. Then knead to a tight dough.
8. Now add 2 tablespoons of oil.
9. Mix again and continue to knead. Also add water if required. Initially i added 3 tablespoons of water and after adding oil, added 1 tablespoon water.
So in total I added 4 tablespoons water. Depending on the quality of besan, you can add a total of 3 to 4 tablespoons of water.
10. Continue to knead till all the water is absorbed.
11. When the water is absorbed, the stickiness will go away and you will get soft dough. So knead till you get a soft smooth dough. Cover and keep aside the dough for 30 minutes.
Rolling fafda
12. After 30 minutes, make small balls from the dough. Cover them with a lid or a kitchen towel so that they do not become dry.
13. On a wooden board spread oil very lightly. Keep one besan dough ball on the lightly greased wooden tray or board. Do not grease board with much oil as then the fafda cannot be pressed easily. Spread some oil on your hands if you want, before starting the next step.
14. Now with the heels of your palms, with a light pressure and force, press and flatten the dough ball and at the same time move the palms forward. Keep equal pressure throughout but do not put a lot of pressure.
If you apply too much pressure then fafda will stick to board and will break while lifting. This is the only tricky part in the whole recipe. you need to apply light pressure as well as move further while pressing and flattening the fafda dough.
15. You will get a long elongated shaped fafda. Gently pick it up from the board. Also do not make fafda too thin as then it cannot be lifted easily. You can also lift fafda with a knife or spatula.
An alternate method is to roll a large piece of dough with a rolling pin (belan) on a greased rolling board (chakla). Then with a knife cut strips and remove them.
16. Keep it on a separate plate or board which has been greased lightly with oil. Make them this way with the remaining dough balls. Cover with a kitchen napkin so that they do not become dry.
Frying fafda
17. Heat oil in a kadai. When the oil becomes medium hot, check a small tiny piece of the dough. It should gradually come up on top of the oil.
18. Now reduce the flame to low-medium. Add the fafda pieces gently in the oil.
19. Do not overcrowd the kadai. Depending on the size of the kadai, you can add 3 to 4 pieces at a time.
20. Begin to fry at a low-medium flame.
21. When one side is crisp and golden, then with a slotted spoon gently turn over each fafda and continue to fry.
22. Turn over again and fry till crisp. Do not fry till too much browned. Fafda gets fried quickly, so the frying needs attention.
23. Remove with a slotted spoon draining excess oil in the kadai itself.
24. Place them on kitchen paper towels for extra oil to be absorbed. In the same way fry the remaining batches.
25. Serve fafda warm or at room temperature with papaya sambharo or fafda chutney or Gujarati Kadhi.
Few more street food recipes for you!
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Fafda Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup besan (gram flour)
- ¼ teaspoon ajwain (carom seeds)
- 10 to 12 black pepper – crushed coarsely
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric (haldi)
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda or 2 to 3 pinches baking soda
- 3 to 4 tablespoons water or add as required
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ¾ teaspoon salt or add as required
- oil for deep frying, as required
Instructions
making dough
- In a bowl or parat (large plate with rims at the sides) take 1 cup besan (gram flour).
- Add carom seeds (ajwain), crushed black pepper, turmeric powder and asafoetida (hing). Also add ⅛ teaspoon baking soda or 2 to 3 pinches of baking soda.
- Mix very well with a spoon.
- Now add ¾ teaspoon salt or add as per taste.
- Add 2 to 3 tablespoons water in parts.
- Begin to mix the water with the besan. then knead to a tight dough.
- Now add 2 tablespoons oil. mix again and continue to knead.
- Also add water if required. Initially I added 3 tablespoons water and after adding oil, added 1 tablespoon water. So in total I used 4 tablespoons water. Depending on the quality of besan, you can add a total of 3 to 4 tablespoons of water.
- Continue to knead till all the water is absorbed.
- When the water is absorbed, the stickiness will go away and you will get soft dough. So Knead till you get a soft smooth dough. cover and keep aside the dough for 30 minutes.
rolling fafda
- After 30 minutes, make small balls from the dough. Cover them with a lid or a kitchen towel so that they do not become dry.
- On a wooden board spread oil very lightly.
- Now with the heels of your palms, with a light pressure and force, press and flatten the dough ball and at the same time move the palms forward.
- If you apply too much pressure then fafda will stick to board and will break while lifting. This is the only tricky part in the whole recipe.
- You will get a long elongated shaped fafda. Gently pick it up from the board.
- An alternate method is to roll a large piece of dough with a rolling pin (belan) on a greased rolling board (chakla). Then with a knife cut strips and remove them.
- Keep it on a separate plate which has been greased lightly with oil. Make fafda this way with the remaining dough balls. Cover with a kitchen napkin so that they do not become dry.
frying fafda
- Heat oil in a kadai. When the oil becomes medium hot, check a small tiny piece of the dough. It should gradually come up on top of the oil.
- Now reduce the flame to low-medium. Add the fafda pieces gently in the oil.
- Do not overcrowd the kadai. Depending on the size of the kadai, you can add 3 to 4 pieces at a time.
- Begin to fry at a low-medium flame.
- When one side is crisp and golden, then with a slotted spoon gently turn over each fafda and continue to fry.
- Turn over again and fry till crisp. Do not fry till too much browned. Fafda gets fried quickly, so the frying needs attention.
- Remove with a slotted spoon draining excess oil.
- Place them on kitchen paper towels for extra oil to be absorbed.
- Serve them warm or at room temperature with papaya sambharo or fafda chutney or gujarati kadhi. or you can also enjoy the combo of fafda jalebi.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Fafda Recipe post from the archives, originally published in December 2017 has been updated and republished on January 2023.
Hello, my husband loves fafda but it is not as easily available where we live so I will most definitely try it.
I have used your site to learn how to cook great meals. I started following your site with the methi mattar malia recipe (methi is one of my fav vegetables too :). And now it is my go to site for all indian recipes. My husband also follows your recipe to the T, (recently he used it to cook palak paneer) and it comes out extremely good.
Thank you for sharing your recipes.
welcome pritha. glad to know that both of you are following the site and the recipes are coming out well. this is a very good fafda recipe and i am sure you will like it.
hello
love your recipes but can you please make the recipes so i can copy and paste them to my recipes folder as i do not make them as they come to me, i would like to save them for future uses
thx
welcome bhu. glad to know that you like the recipes. as of now we don’t have the technical expertise to do it. but we have kept your suggestion in mind.
Hi Dassana
I made fafda with raw papaya sambharo and besan chutney
Fafda didn’t come out crispy it was soft The taste was good
I don’t know where i went wrong in kneading or frying
Pls guide
Thank u
rams, fafda will be soft if its not fried enough. they have to look crisp and be golden. if they are fried well, then they will be crisp. also while kneading too much water can make the fafda soft. so just add enough water to make a smooth dough. hope this helps.
Thank u Dassana
I will give one more try ????
welcome rams.