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Bhakarwadi
Spiced coconut pastry pinwheels
भाकरवडी: Pune's crisp pinwheels of besan-maida pastry rolled round a sweet, sour and fiery coconut, sesame and spice filling
Pune claims bhakarwadi as its own, and the queues outside the city's old sweet-and-farsan shops at Diwali prove it. Thin sheets of spiced pastry are spread with tamarind, sprinkled with a roasted filling of dry coconut, sesame, poppy seeds, coriander, fennel and chilli, rolled up tight and sliced into spirals before frying. Each bite is crisp, then sweet, then sour, then hot, which is why one is never enough. Gujarati farsan shops sell a sweeter cousin, but the Maharashtrian version keeps the chilli forward. They keep for weeks, travel well and make a good tea-time snack all year. Chef's tip: press the filling into the dough with the rolling pin before you roll the log; loose filling falls out when you slice and the spirals unwind in the oil.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the dough
- 5 ½ oz plain flour (maida)
- 1 ¾ oz gram flour (besan)
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 pinch asafoetida
- 3 tbsp groundnut or sunflower oilhot
- ¼ cup waterabout
For the filling
- 1 ¾ oz dry coconut (kopra)grated
- 2 tbsp white sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp sugarpowdered
- ½ tsp salt
To assemble and fry
- 2 tbsp thick tamarind pastemixed with 1 tsp jaggery
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Mix 5 ½ oz plain flour (maida), 1 ¾ oz gram flour (besan), ¾ tsp salt, ¼ tsp ground turmeric and 1 pinch asafoetida. Rub in the hot 3 tbsp groundnut or sunflower oil until it looks like breadcrumbs, then knead with ¼ cup water into a firm, smooth dough. Cover and rest for 20 minutes.
25 minStep 2: Dry-roast 1 ¾ oz dry coconut (kopra) in a pan over a low heat for 3 minutes until light brown, then tip out. Roast 2 tbsp white sesame seeds and 1 tbsp white poppy seeds (khus khus) for 2 minutes until the sesame pops. Roast 1 tbsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp fennel seeds and 1 tsp cumin seeds for 1 minute until fragrant.
7 minStep 3: Cool the roasted ingredients, then pulse to a coarse powder in a grinder. Mix in 2 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp dry mango powder (amchur), 2 tbsp sugar and ½ tsp salt.
5 minStep 4: Divide the dough into 3. Roll each thinly into a rectangle about 25 x 15 cm.
Step 5: Spread one-third of ⅔ tbsp thick tamarind paste over a sheet, leaving a 1 cm border on one long side. Scatter one-third of the filling over it and press it in firmly with the rolling pin.
Step 6: Roll the sheet up tightly from the long side, brush the border with water and press to seal. Repeat with the other sheets, using up 1 ⅓ tbsp thick tamarind paste and the filling.
Step 7: Cut each log into 1.5 cm slices and press each one lightly with your palm so the spiral holds.
Step 8: Heat 3 cups groundnut or sunflower oil, for deep-frying in a kadhai over a low-medium heat to about 300°F. Fry the bhakarwadi in batches for 7–8 minutes, turning, until golden and crisp right through. Common mistake: hot oil; they colour in a minute but the centre stays doughy and turns soft once cool.
30 minStep 9: Drain on kitchen paper and cool completely. Store airtight for up to 3 weeks.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 24 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bhakarwadi take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 50 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour (maida)?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
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