Bajri Methi Vada

One of my most favourite snacks which my neighbour in India used to make. When she will fry these, the aroma and flavour used to pull me to her house. She will give me this for taste. This is more than 20 years back but to this date, whenever I prepare these vadas, it brings back many memories of my house in India.

During winter months in India, we use pearl millet (bajri) a lot. We use it to prepare snacks, roti/rotla (flatbread), sweets, etc. People also use it to prepare porridge. I live it Canada so we have longer winter compare to India. I always keep bajri (pearl millet) flour at home. Bajri contains disease fighting phytochemicals that lower cholesterol, antioxidants, plenty of fibre, folate, iron, magnesium, copper, zinc, vitamins-E and B-complex, thiamine, riboflavin and niacin. Methi (fenugreek) leaves also has many health benefits.  Mix of bajri (pearl millet) flour and fresh fenugreek leaves are the match made in heaven.

This is a fried snack but you can prepare it in air fryer or bake it in oven. I don’t make this very often so I decided to fry it as per original recipe. You can prepare this for new mom who can eat this as a snacks and it is better than any other biscuits or outside snacks.. I am using oat flour but you can use wheat flour. It’s a gluten free version but I have heard some people are allergic to gluten in oats. If you can’t add oats, then you can replace that with besan (gram) flour.

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Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients:

1½ cup bajri (pearl millet)flour
2 tbsp oat flour
½ cup finely chopped fresh methi (fenugreek leaves)
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp coriander powder
½ tsp chili powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
Small pinch of asafoetida
2-3 tbsp sour yogurt
Salt to taste
Oil for cooking

Procedure:
1. Prepare semi soft dough using bajri and oat flour, chopped methi, sesame seeds (keep 1 tbsp on side), coriander powder, chili powder, turmeric powder, asafoetida, yogurt, salt and 2 tbsp oil. Mix everything well first and then add little water only if needed to make semi soft dough. Knead the dough properly. Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes.

2. Make small coin size vada. Flatten it, then press it on sesame seeds in plate. It will look good when fried. Prepare this first. You can press with fork to make the design.

3. Heat frypan with some oil, enough for deep frying. When oil is slightly hot, keep the heat to medium. Add around 12-15 vada in pan and deep frying stirring frequently. Cook on both side until they are golden brown and harden. When done, put it out on paper towel. Let it cool down completely.

4. Store these vadas in a dry container at room temperature. It will be crunchy at first, but it may loose little crunch on the second day which is fine. You can store this for 8-10 days. Enjoy it with masala tea/chai.

When you fry anything with methi in it, it adds wonderful flavour and slight bitterness. Using sour yogurt adds perfect tanginess.

Please do leave a comment or let me know if you have any questions regarding this recipe.

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