Bakarwadi Recipe | Crispy Savory Rolls with Spicy Filling

Can you relate to days when you cook something for the first time and it turns out SO good that you can’t wait for your husband to get home in the evening so he can taste it too?  That is how I felt when I made this popular Maharashtrian snack Bhakarwadi, which generally appears too complicated to make at home.  But it is not.  I can especially vouch for this after having made plenty of times at home.

Bhakarwadi - Tea Time Snack recipe

Bakarwadi is a fried savory snack that has a spicy stuffing rolled into a dough and sliced into small pieces that look like pinwheel cookies.  Bhakarwadi has a good shelf life, can be stored at room temperatures for  weeks, these savory bhakarwadi rolls are good travel companion to munch on, and go well with Indian tea (chai).  Yes, just like the humble mathri.

Indian snack - bhakarwadi 

Bakarwadi Recipe

Adapted from Swad Sugandh

Yields: 25-35 pieces

Ingredients for Bakarwadi

For dough:

1 cup all-purpose flour (or ½ cup all-purpose flour + ½ cup whole wheat flour)

2 Tbsp cornstarch

1 pinch baking soda

¼ tsp salt

2 Tbsp oil for dough

Water for kneading dough

Oil for deep frying

Bakarwadi stuffing ingredients

For stuffing:

½ cup thin sev [baareek sev, NOT bhujiya]

2 Tbsp grated dry coconut (or use desiccated coconut)

2 tsp poppy seeds [khus khus]

2 tsp sesame seeds [til]

1 tsp fennel seed powder [saunf powder]

1 tsp red chili powder [lal mirch powder]

2 tsp coriander-cumin powder [dhania-jeera powder]

¼ tsp garam masala (optional)

1 tsp green chili paste

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp garlic paste

2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

2 Tbsp tamarind chutney (depends, explained below)

Salt to taste (depends, explained below)

How to make Bhakarwadi

1. For dough: Combine flour + cornstarch + baking soda + salt + oil and mix well.  Add water by a tablespoon in each interval until you make a little firm dough.  Keep covered for 15 minutes until you work on the stuffing.

Keep in mind: Do not add excess baking soda, otherwise your bhakarwadi will scatter in oil.  Do not add excess water, otherwise your soft dough will not shape well nor hold the stuffing.

Make Bhakarwadi at home - dough, stuffing, rolling, slicing, frying - that's it! 

2. For stuffing: Combine all dry ingredients for stuffing, add the pastes, and then add the tamarind chutney by a teaspoon just until it brings the mixture together.

Keep in mind: If your ginger/garlic/green chili paste or tamarind chutney already have salt, taste your stuffing before adding any excess salt. Also, remember that stuffing should neither be very moist nor too dry, so adjust the quantity of tamarind chutney for the stuffing to bind together.

How to make bhakarwadi - stuffing and rolling

3. Divide the dough into two balls.  Divide the stuffing into two parts.  Roll out each dough into a thin round large roti, and spread the stuffing over each roti.  Press the stuffing over roti lightly with your palms or rolling pin so it forms a thin layer.  Now fold ½ inch of left + right edges of each roti over the stuffing and roll each roti tightly.  Cover these rolled rotis with a moist cloth and keep aside 15-20 mins.

Keep in mind: Do not roll the roti too thin or the stuffing will break out from the dough.  If you want to work on one roti at a time, keep the other dough covered so it does not dry out.  You can also refrigerate the rolls so slicing becomes easier.

Spicy bakarwadi snack from Maharashtra - in process of frying 

4. Heat sufficient oil on medium heat in a pan or wok.  Cut about 1 inch pieces of the prepared rolls and press them gently between palms.  Here's why this recipe yields between 25-35 pieces of bhakarwadi - depending on how much you have flatted the roti, how you have rolled with the stuffing, and how small you cut the pieces.  To avoid the filling from coming out while frying, you can apply a thin layer of cornstarch + water mixture over the cut edges of the bakarwadi.  When the oil is hot, deep fry the bhakarwadi over medium-low flame till crispy and golden brown – could take about 8 minutes for each batch.  Drain on paper towel, store in an airtight container only after completely cooled down.

Keep in mind: Use a wide pan or wok so that you can fry about 10-15 pieces at a time while also having enough space to turn them around.  If you fry bhakarwadi on high flame, they will not be crisp the next day.

Savory bhakarwadi rolls with spicy filling

All the 'keep in mind' above have appeared here after the numerous times I have made these awesome spicy bhakarwadis.  Trust me with this foolproof recipe.  You have got to try making them.

Recipe for Bhakarwadi | Popular snack from Maharashtra

Do you have to take some snacks for potluck and cannot decide what to make?  If you are looking for dry potluck snack ideas, Bhakarwadi is a good option.  Do you want to make bite-size appetizers for your party?  Make mini Bhakarwadi and stack it up (for presentation), and let guests at your party easily grab one.

Crispy savory spicy snack bakarwadi roll

Enjoy.

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