Baked Bhakarwadi

"Food is not rational. Food is culture, habit, craving and Identity. " - Jonathan Safran Foer

Finally, the day has come when Bhakarwadi is baked in my kitchen. Now, do not roll your eyes at the baked version. I do not deep fry in my kitchen as much as I would like to. So, baked is all you are going to get. 

The first time I even knew such a snack existed is after Deepak mentioned it. No, I did not like it. Nothing new there, I generally am not a snacks person. Unless, it is peanuts on offer, or masala vada, or Nippattu. You get the idea. So, while we often got it from stores, I never attempted to try making it at home. After moving here, I realized that very many things that we take for granted back home is a luxury( in terms of availability), here. And this item got added to my to try list. Yes, I have a to try list. Many items get onto the list easily, but not many get off. That should tell you how strong willed I am. 

Now, this is a snack I do not gorge on. So, I do not have many tips to give from experience. Anything I mention here just based on reading about it. Go easy on me. 

Ingredients :

For the filling 

Dry coconut - 1/2 Cup

Sesame Seeds - 1 Tbsp.

Poppy Seeds - 1 Tbsp. 

Sugar - 1 Tbsp. 

Cumin Powder - 2 tsp

Coriander Powder - 2 tsp. 

Fennel Seeds - 2 tsp. Crushed

Grated Ginger - 1/2 tsp. 

Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp. 

Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp.

Lemon Juice - 1/2 Tbsp.

Garam Masala Powder - 1/4 tsp. 

Salt - 1/2 tsp

For the dough : 

Gram Flour - Besan - 1 Cup

Wheat Flour - 1/3 Cup

Oil - 4 Tbsp.

Turmeric Powder - 1/8 tsp.

Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp

Baking Powder - 1/4 tsp. 

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Asafoetida - 1/8 tsp. 

Water - Keep 1/3 Cup ready to use - Use as required. 

Method : 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking tray with foil. Smear some oil on the foil and keep ready. 

2. Grind all the ingredients under filling to a coarse paste. Keep ready.

3. In a mixing bowl, bring together all the ingredients except water for the dough and mix well. Add water little by little and knead in to a semisoft dough.

4. Rest it for 10 minutes. 

5. Divide the dough into 4 parts. Roll into big balls and keep covered. Divide the filling into 4 parts and keep ready.

6. Roll out the dough into a rectangular shape and trim off the edges with a knife. 

7.  Spread the filling onto it taking care to leave the edges clean. Dab some water on the edges to aid in sealing.

8. Start from one end and roll it like you would roll a carpet. As you roll, keep pushing the filling in. 

9. Once it is fully rolled up, cut roundels about an 3/4th of an inch thick. 

10. Repeat till the dough and filling are used up.

11. Arrange the roundels on the baking tray and bake for 15 minutes on the middle rack. 

12. Now, flip the roundels over and bake for another 10-15 minutes till it turns golden. Keep an eye out towards the end of the baking process. 

13. Once done, allow it to cool. 

14. Store in an air tight container and serve as a snack. 

Source - from here.