Way back near the inception of this blog, I shared a post that I’ve referenced time and again across other recipes. That post covered the basics of different types of flatbreads that may be found on a Gujarati dining table. It highlighted essentials such as rotli, thepla, bhakri and the like. There are myriad versions of each of these, and many other varieties of flatbreads themselves. This month, I want to share the recipe for masala bhakri, a kind of spiced biscuit-like flatbread that I’ve always had a fondness for.

In Gujarati cooking, pride is taken in keeping things petite. How one shapes a flatbread is considered a matter of artistry. The more talented you are, the thinner a rotli will be, for example. I have sometimes taken this penchant into my preparation of dishes from other cuisines, as I enjoy both the aesthetic appeal and the health benefits when it comes to portion control. Bhakris are thick, but small in size, and making them always reminds me of the culinary inclination in my culture.

As I said earlier, the bhakri is kind of biscuit-like in look and feel. This means that it naturally lends itself very well to being served alongside tea. Spiced, fried goodies are commonly enjoyed with tea in India, and this versatile dish works both in meals and as a snack.

When I was growing up, we often ate bhakri for dinner as it was one of my father’s favourites. If we had a few left over, they would of course be enjoyed the following evening with chai. Bhakris were never served at lunch, which was always a heavier meal – a complete thaali. Rotlis, which dry up if not eaten fresh, were always the preferred flatbread then. Of course, there are inventive uses even for those, such as the rotli na ladoo, but a bhakri that stayed good for three or four days and didn’t require further cooking was a great dish to have on hand.

I understand now, of course, how crafting a simpler meal for dinner was less demanding on my mother’s time and effort, and also better for our digestion before bedtime. Serving bhakris would be especially simple because they don’t require many frills on the side. Raw radish dipped in salt would do as a crunchy accompaniment, or else lasun ki chutney, which are balls of dried garlic chutney that have made an appearance here before.

As a child, I disliked all this, but I always wanted the bhakri. I loved the sweet version made with jaggery most of all, but I liked the masala one too. Over time, I learned to enjoy it too. I loved all kinds of bhakris when we travelled by train. We would carry our own food for these cross-country trips, and a bhakri topped with pickled green chilli was a snack that I recall fondly from that time.

I can never get enough of saying this, but within every regional category of cuisine are millions of sub-genres, because every single household will have its own way of doing things. This applies not only to the main recipe, but also to details within the same. When we say “masala”, for instance, the spice mix we are referring to will vary. This is why, even when two people follow the same recipe to a tee, these little intricacies will influence the taste differences between the resulting dishes.

Masala Bhakri
(Yield: 5-7 pieces)

1 cup coarse whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon besan

1 tablespoon sour yoghurt

Salt to taste

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

2 teaspoons green chilli–ginger paste

½ cup methi leaves (finely chopped)

2 tablespoons oil

2–4 tablespoons water (for binding)

Ghee (for cooking)

In a large bowl, add the coarse whole wheat flour, besan, salt, turmeric powder, sesame seeds, green chilli–ginger paste, finely chopped methi leaves, sour yoghurt and oil.

Gently mix everything together using your fingertips, making sure the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Add the water little by little, kneading as you go, until you have a firm, smooth dough. The dough should feel hard to the touch and should not be soft or sticky.

Divide the dough into 5–7 equal portions and shape each portion into a ball.

Heat a tawa over low to medium heat. Roll out each ball into a bhakri. Use your fingertips to shape them to roundness. Ensure that they are slightly thicker than a regular roti.

Place the bhakri carefully on the hot tawa and cook on both sides over a low flame. Drizzle a few drops of ghee on both sides and gently press the bhakri with a spatula as it cooks.

Continue doing this until both sides are crisp, golden and beautifully cooked through.

Repeat with the remaining dough.

Your bhakris will taste fantastic when served hot along with pickle, your favourite vegetable dish or even just radish and salt or garlic chutney, which were my mom’s easy accompaniments. You can also enjoy the leftovers the next day with tea, as a crispy, spicy biscuit substitute. If this dish makes you curious about Gujarati cuisine, my archives are full of wonderful recipes that may intrigue you too, and I hope you’ll explore them!