Dhebra
on Feb 13, 2021, Updated Dec 22, 2023
Dhebra is a popular Gujarati deep-fried snack or breakfast recipe prepared with bajra flour (pearl millet) and methi (fenugreek leaves). Check out the easy recipe to make it.
If you want to try a few more Gujarati recipes, here are some from my blog: Gujarati Kadhi, Gujarati Dal Dhokli, Fajeto, Mango Matho, and Kathiyawadi Chaas.
The Gujarati community is known for its love for food. They love it so much that they carry it everywhere they go. Be it long train journeys or even plane journeys, you will never find a Gujarati without his dabba, which is full of thepla, dhebra, khakhra, gathiya, etc.
They also carry a lot of pickles and chutneys to serve with these items.
A Gujarati school friend brought delicious Gujarati specialties in her lunch box, which was my first exposure to Gujarati cuisine. Everything used to be so simple yet so delicious that there is no doubt why they love their food so much.
About Dhebra
Bajra Methi Dhebra, also called Methi na Dhebra is a popular Gujarati snack made using Bajra Flour (Pearl Millet) and fresh fenugreek leaves. It can be served for breakfast or an evening snack with a hot cup of tea.
Dhebra also tastes great with plain yogurt (dahi), aam chunda, green chutney, or garlic chutney.
It is specially made in winter when fresh methi is readily available.
Once the dough to make dhebra is ready, you can roll it in 2-3 different ways.
- You can roll it like a thick Methi Thepla and shallow fry it with ghee or oil on a skillet.
- Roll it as thick poori and deep fry it as I did.
- Some people pat the dough into thick discs and deep fry them.
The final texture of dhebra will depend on how you roll and cook it.
Dhebra is considered excellent for diabetic patients due to its highly nutritious ingredients. Avoid deep-frying and pan-frying if making it for diabetic patients.
These are also great to pack while traveling as they stay at room temperature for 3-4 days.
Ingredients
Flour – To make this recipe, you will need two types of flour: Bajra Flour (Pearl Millet Flour, Bajri Flour) and Whole Wheat Flour (Gehu Ka Atta).
Bajra Flour is extremely popular in winter. It is gluten-free, which makes it a healthy choice. Whole wheat flour helps bind the dhebra.
You can also add other flours, such as jowar (sorghum), makai (corn), or besan (chickpea) while making it.
Methi – I always use fresh methi (fenugreek leaves) to make this dish, but you can use Kasuri methi if fresh is not available.
Frozen methi will also work well in this recipe. Just thaw it and squeeze out all the liquid before using it.
If the methi leaves are too bitter, add salt to the chopped leaves and keep them aside for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, rinse them off with cold water and squeeze out all the water before adding it to the recipe.
You can also add grated lauki (bottle gourd), carrot, or palak (spinach) to the dough instead of methi.
Seeds – To add a nice flavor and texture, you will need cumin seeds, carom seeds (ajwain), and white sesame seeds (til).
Spice Powders – To give it a nice color, add some turmeric powder, and to add heat, add a little ground black pepper.
Ghee – Ghee is added to the dough to make the dhebra crispy.
Yogurt – Adding yogurt (dahi, curd) makes the dhebra soft.
Jaggery – A little jaggery is mixed with water and added to the dough, giving bajra methi dhebra a slight sweetness. If you don’t like it to be sweet, you can skip adding jaggery. But this is a must ingredient if you want to make it traditionally.
Others – You will also need green chilies, cilantro (fresh coriander leaves), and salt.
You can adjust the green chilies as per your spice level.
How To Make Bajra Methi Dhebra
Prepare The Methi Leaves
Pluck the leaves from the stems and discard the stems. Measure out 120 g (4 oz, 2 cups packed) leaves.
Wash the leaves well with water a few times to remove the dirt. Drain the water well and chop the leaves finely.
Make The Dough
Add the following ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix the ingredients well using your fingers.
- 1.5 cup pearl millet flour
- ¼ cup whole wheat flour
- 2 cups of chopped fenugreek leaves
- 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- 2 teaspoon finely chopped green chilies
- 2 tablespoon white sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon carom seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 and ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1 tablespoon jaggery dissolved in 2 tablespoon water
- ¼ cup yogurt
Keep the bowl aside for 15 minutes. At this time, the leaves will release water. This is a crucial step, so do not skip it.
Now mix the flour again with your fingers and try to bring it together.
Add water little by little (1 tablespoon at a time) and knead to make a slightly tight dough.
Do not add a lot of water at once; otherwise, the dough can become sticky. The amount of water will depend on the quality of the flour used.
Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and sit it on the counter for 20 minutes.
Roll The Dhebra
Divide the dough into 14-15 equal-sized pieces. I use my weighing scale to divide the dough so that the Dhebra are equal in size.
Take one piece and make a smooth ball from it.
Press it in between your palms. Dust it with some dry flour and gently roll using a rolling pin to make a thick circle (0.5 cm)
Roll 3-5 balls into circles and keep them on a plate in a single layer. Keep the remaining dough covered with the cloth to avoid drying.
Fry The Dhebra
Heat 5-6 cups of oil for deep frying in a skillet over high heat.
When the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium-low.
Drop 3-5 dhebra in hot oil and fry until they are browned from the bottom (4-5 minutes).
Flip them using a fork and fry them on the other side.
Note – Don’t turn the dhebra until they are browned and set. Otherwise, they may break while turning.
Fry on medium-low heat only. Keep flipping them once in a while frying.
Once the dhebra are browned well and crispy, drain them on a plate lined with paper tissues. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Once one batch is fried, roll the other dough pieces. Increase the heat to high to heat the oil well. Reduce the heat once the oil is hot, then drop the next batch in oil. Fry all the dhebra in the same manner.
Cool and store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course! When fresh methi is unavailable in summer, you can always add dried fenugreek leaves. But the taste differs a bit when dried ones are used.
Roll the dhebra, arrange them in the air fryer basket in a single layer, and spray with oil. Air fry at 360°F (180°C) for 8 minutes. Then flip and air fry for another 8 minutes or until crispy and browned.
You can also bake these in the oven. Preheat the oven to 360°F (180°C). Arrange the rolled Dhabra on a baking tray in a single layer and spray with oil. Bake for 10 minutes, then flip and bake for 10 minutes or until browned and crispy.
Roll the dough ball like a thick methi thepla. Heat a skillet and cook the dhebra like a paratha or a thepla.
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Dhebra Recipe (Gujarati Bajra Methi Dhebra)
Ingredients
- 1 and ½ cups pearl millet flour (bajra flour)
- ¼ cup whole wheat flour (gehu ka atta)
- 2 cups chopped fenugreek leaves (methi) (packed)
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (fresh coriander leaves)
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped green chilies
- 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds (til)
- 1 teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 and ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1 tablespoon jaggery (dissolved in 2 tablespoon water)
- ¼ cup plain yogurt (dahi, curd)
- oil (for frying)
Instructions
Prepare The Methi Leaves
- Pluck the leaves from the stems and discard the stems. Measure out 120 g (2 cups packed) leaves.
- Wash the leaves well with water a few times to remove the dirt. Drain the water well and chop the leaves finely.
Make The Dough
- Add all the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix the ingredients well using your fingers.
- Keep the bowl aside for 15 minutes. At this time, the leaves will release water. This is a crucial step, so do not skip it.
- Now mix the flour again with your fingers and try to bring it together.
- Add water little by little (1 tablespoon at a time) and knead to make a slightly tight dough.
- Do not add a lot of water at once; otherwise, the dough can become sticky. The amount of water will depend on the quality of the flour used.
- Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and sit it on the counter for 20 minutes.
Roll The Dhebra
- Divide the dough into 14-15 equal-sized pieces. I use my weighing scale to divide the dough so that the Dhebra are equal in size.
- Take one piece and make a smooth ball from it.
- Press it in between your palms. Dust it with some dry flour and gently roll using a rolling pin to make a thick circle (0.5 cm)
- Roll 3-5 balls into circles and keep them on a plate in a single layer. Keep the remaining dough covered with the cloth to avoid drying.
Fry The Dhebra
- Heat 5-6 cups of oil for deep frying in a skillet over high heat.
- When the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Drop 3-5 dhebra in hot oil and fry until they are browned from the bottom (4-5 minutes).
- Flip them using a fork and fry them on the other side.
- Note – Don’t turn the dhebra until they are browned and set. Otherwise, they may break while turning.
- Fry on medium-low heat only. Keep flipping them once in a while frying.
- Once the dhebra are browned well and crispy, drain them on a plate lined with paper tissues. Serve warm or at room temperature.
- Once one batch is fried, roll the other dough pieces. Increase the heat to high to heat the oil well. Reduce the heat once the oil is hot, then drop the next batch in oil. Fry all the dhebra in the same manner.
- Cool and store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
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