Dhebra is a popular Gujarati deep fried snack or breakfast recipe, that is prepared with bajra flour (pearl millet) and methi (fenugreek leaves). It can be served with yogurt, coriander mint chutney, or pickle. Check out the easy recipe to make it.
If you want to try a few more Gujarati recipes, then here are some from my blog – Gujarati Kadhi, Gujarati Dal Dhokli, Gujarati Lauki Thepla, Gujarati Dal, and Fajeto.
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About This Recipe
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.
Traditionally, Dhebra is deep-fried but you can definitely pan fry it if you want to give it a healthy twist. If pan-frying the Dhebra, you will have to roll it thin, just like thepla. You can also make it in an air fryer or oven.
This Methi Dhebra is flavored with a few everyday spices, that load it with so much flavor. They are irresistible and once you have a bite, you won’t be able to stop yourself. These are also great to pack while traveling as they keep good for 3-4 days at room temperature.
It is also considered great for diabetic patients, due to its extremely nutritious ingredients. Avoid deep-frying and pan fry it, if making for diabetic patients.
This Dhebra is,
- Delicious
- Easy to prepare
- A perfect Winter snack
- Healthy (make pan-fried)
- Served with yogurt or pickle
Ingredients
Flour – We will add two types of flour in this recipe, Bajra Flour, and Whole Wheat Flour. Bajra Flour or Pearl Millet Flour is extremely popular in Winters. It is gluten-free, which makes it a healthy choice as well. As Bajra is gluten-free, whole wheat flour will help in binding the dhebra.
You can also add other flours like 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 definitely use Kasuri methi if fresh is not available.
If the methi leaves are too bitter, add some salt to chopped leaves and keep them aside for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, rinse them off with cold water and makes sure you take out all the water before adding it to the recipe.
You can also add grated lauki (bottle gourd), carrot or palak (spinach) instead of methi to the dough.
Seeds – We will add cumin seeds, carom seeds, and sesame seeds, which will add a nice flavor along with texture.
Spice Powders – To give it a nice color, add some turmeric powder, and to add heat, we will add ground black pepper.
Ghee – Ghee is added to the dough, which makes it soft and also adds to the texture of the dhebra.
Yogurt – The addition of yogurt makes the dhebra soft from the inside. You can use homemade yogurt or the store-bought one.
Jaggery – A little jaggery is mixed with water and then added to the dough, which gives dhebra a slight hint of sweetness. If you don’t like it to be sweet, then you can skip adding jaggery. But if you want to make it the traditional way, this is a must ingredient.
Others – Apart from the above-mentioned ingredients you will need green chili peppers, cilatro (coriander), and salt.
You can adjust the amount of green chili peppers, as per your spice level. Also, go for fresh and cilantro, as it gives the dhebra a refreshing taste. Add salt to taste.
How to make Dhebra?
Start by preparing 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 get rid of the dirt. Drain the water well and chop the leaves finely.
Add 1.5 cup pearl millet flour, ¼ cup whole wheat flour, 2 cups of chopped fenugreek leaves, 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro, 2 teaspoon chopped green chili peppers, 2 tablespoon sesame seeds, 1 teaspoon carom seeds, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, salt to taste, 1 tablespoon ghee, 1 tablespoon jaggery dissolved in 2 tablespoon water and ¼ cup yogurt to a large mixing bowl and mix the ingredients well using your fingers.
Add water little by little and knead to make a soft 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 flour used. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and keep it aside on the counter for 20 minutes.
Divide the dough into 14-15 equal size pieces. I use my measuring 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 to make a thick circle (0.5 cm)
Roll 5-6 balls into circles and keep them on a plate in a single layer. Keep the remaining dough covered with the cloth to avoid drying.
Heat oil for deep frying in a skillet over high heat. When the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium-low. Drop 4-5 dhebra in hot oil and fry until they are browned from the bottom (4-5 minutes). Flip them using a fork and fry on the other side as well. Don’t be in a hurry to 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 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 and then drop the next batch in oil. Fry all the dhebra in the same manner.
Once the dhebra are browned well and crispy, drain them on a plate lined with kitchen towel. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Both of these are Gujarati recipes and uses methi as one of the main ingredients. But some of the other ingredients and the method of cooking is different.
In Dhebra, Bajra flour and whole wheat flour both are used, whereas, in Thepla, besan and whole wheat flour are used. Dhebra is either deep-fried or pan-fried, but Thepla is rolled and cooked on tawa like a paratha.
Firstly, pluck the methi leaves from its stem and keep them aside. Discard the stem and wash methi leaves twice or thrice with clean water. Once done, chop them finely and use them in the recipe.
Of course! In Summers when fresh methi is not available, you can always add in dried fenugreek leaves instead. But the taste differs a bit when dried ones are used.
Roll the Dhebra and arrange them in the basket of the air fryer in a single layer and spray with oil. Air fryer at 350 degrees F (180 degrees 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 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Arrange the rolled Dhabra on a baking tray in a single layer and spray with oil. Bake for 10 minutes and then flip and bake for another 10 minutes or until browned and crispy.
Serving Suggestions
Slather the Dhebra with a teaspoon of ghee. It tastes delicious with plain yogurt, raita, pickle, aloo ki sabzi, or even coriander mint chutney. You can also try serving it with spicy garlic chutney.
If serving for a snack, do not forget to serve a hot cup of masala chai with it.
Storage Suggestions
This methi dhebra is considered great for travel just like Thepla. It will last for 3 to 4 days, covered in foil, or stored in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also store it in the fridge for 5 to 6 days in an airtight container. Reheat it on tawa and serve it again.
You can also store the dough for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge, and make fresh and hot dhebra whenever you feel like eating them again.
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Recipe Card
Dhebra Recipe
Ingredients
- 1-½ cups pearl millet flour/bajra flour
- ¼ cup whole wheat flour/gehu ka atta
- 2 cups chopped fenugreek leaves (packed)
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro/coriander
- 2 teaspoons chopped green chili peppers
- 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
- salt (to taste)
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1 tablespoon jaggery (dissolved in 2 tablespoon water)
- ¼ cup plain yogurt
- vegetable oil (for frying)
Instructions
- Start by preparing 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 get rid of the dirt. Drain the water well and chop the leaves finely.
- Add 1.5 cup pearl millet flour, ¼ cup whole wheat flour, 2 cups of chopped fenugreek leaves, 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro, 2 teaspoon chopped green chili peppers, 2 tablespoon sesame seeds, 1 teaspoon carom seeds, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, salt to taste, 1 tablespoon ghee, 1 tablespoon jaggery dissolved in 2 tablespoon water and ¼ cup yogurt to a large mixing bowl and mix the ingredients well using your fingers.
- Add water little by little and knead to make a soft 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 flour used. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and keep it aside on the counter for 20 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 14-15 equal size pieces. I use my measuring 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 to make a thick circle (0.5 cm).
- Roll 5-6 balls into circles and keep them on a plate in a single layer. Keep the remaining dough covered with the cloth to avoid drying.
- Heat oil for deep frying in a skillet over high heat. When the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium-low. Drop 4-5 dhebra in hot oil and fry until they are browned from the bottom (4-5 minutes). Flip them using a fork and fry on the other side as well. Don’t be in a hurry to 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 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 and then drop the next batch in oil. Fry all the dhebra in the same manner.
- Once the dhebra are browned well and crispy, drain them on a plate lined with kitchen towel. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!