Jowar vada recipe with step by step photos– A crispy sorghum (milo) fritters. Jowar also known as jolad / sorghum / milo belongs to the millet family. It is also known as white millet. The other known member of millet family is Black millet or bajri which is highly used in Indian cuisine especially in western states of Gujarat and Rajasthan. Jowar is mainly cultivated in Africa but now it has spread across Asia and America too.
Jowar is not widely used compared to other cereals such as wheat and corn. So it is good to include it once a while in diet. We can make different recipes such as jowar vada, jowar bhakhri, jowar bajri besan thalipeeth, jowar bajre ki roti, jowar vegetable khichdi etc.
Related: gujarati bajra vada
Today I am sharing a delicious recipe of jowar vada which is a different version then usual jowar vadas. It is known as Desai Vada and is very well known in Surat, Baroda and Valsad: cities in Gujarat. This desai vada is prepared during shitla satam (saptami) when for 2 days we are suppose to eat cold food as fire is forbidden and so does cooking. Hence this recipe is also a Shitla satam recipe.
These delicious jowar vada are very easy to make. Most of the ingredients are already available in an Indian kitchen. Also the crunchy jowar vada or desai vada remain fresh for 2-3 days and thus can be enjoyed long after they are prepared. Jowar vadas goes really well with a cup of tea or ketchup. That makes them a perfect tea time snack. And also due to same reason we can even take this vada in long train journey as they remains fresh for 2-3 days.
I have used wheat flour in this vada. If you want gluten-free version of jowar vada then you can replace wheat flour with chick-pea flour (besan). Instead of 1/2 cup wheat flour add 1 1/2 tbsp of besan.
Let us check the step by step recipe of jowar vada or desai vada with pics.
Recipe of Jowar Vada with Step by step pictures (Desai Vada Recipe)
To make these delicious jowar vada we will need jowar flour (sorghum or milo flour), whole wheat flour, ginger paste, green chili paste, sesame seeds (til), red chili powder, turmeric powder, yogurt (curd) and salt.
All the ingredients along with their exact quantities are given in recipe box at the end of this post.
First let us prepare the batter for Jowar vada recipe. For this we will take the jowar flour in a mixing bowl and add whole wheat flour in it. Then we will add yogurt and some water and mix it well. We need to keep this batter aside for atleast 5-6 hours to ferment.
Once the batter is fermented properly we will red chili powder, turmeric powder, ginger paste, green chili paste and salt. Combine well all the ingredients.
Mix well the batter and combine all the ingredients. Taste the batter and check if seasoning is required. Add salt if required.
Now to fry these jowar or sorghum vada we will heat 3 cups of oil in a kadhai. Just before frying take the jowar flour batter and add soda bicarbonate and mix well. Now take a scoop of jowar batter in hand and carefully put it in hot oil. This way make around 10-15 vadas and fry them in oil.
Using a frying spoon turn the vadas so that they cook evenly on all sides. Fry until the vadas become light brown in color.
Let the jowar vada get deep fried until they become light brown.
Take out the fried jowar vada and place them on kitchen napkin / paper towel. Delicious crunchy jowar vada (desai vada) are ready. You can serve these vadas with a cup of tea or with ketchup. Also these vadas remains fresh for 2-3 days when stored in an air tight container.
Jowar Vada Recipe Box
- Jowar flour: 1 cup
- Wheat flour : 1/2 cup
- Dahi: 2 tbsp or as required
- Green (hari mirch) paste : 1 tsp
- Ginger (adrakh) paste : 2 tsp
- Red chili powder (lal mirch): 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder (haldi) : 1/2 tsp
- Sesame seeds (til) : 1 tbsp
- Soda bicarbonate : 1/4 tsp
- Salt : 2 tsp or to taste
- Oil: 3 cups for frying
- First take 1 cup of jowar flour (sorghum flour) in a mixing bowl and add 1/2 cup of wheat-flour.
- To make this vada gluten-free replace wheat-flour with 1 1/2 tbsp of besan (chickpea flour).
- Now in the mixing bowl add yogurt (dahi) and water and mix well into batter. Keep aside the batter to ferment for atleast 5-6 hours.
- Add ginger paste, garlic paste, red chili powder, turmeric powder and salt and mix well.
- Taste the batter for salt and adjust the seasoning if required.
- Jowar vada batter is ready. Let us fry vadas from this batter.
- Heat oil in a kadhai for deep frying.
- Just before frying take the jowar vada batter and add soda bicarbonate and mix well.
- Once the oil is hot, take a portion of jowar vada batter in hand and carefully place into hot oil. Repeat this step and put 10-15 vadas for frying in one batch.
- Using frying spoon turn the vadas and deep fry them until they becomes light brown in color.
- Take out the fried jowar vadas and put them on absorbent paper. Let the excess oil gets soaked.
- Crunchy delicious Jowar Vada or desai vada are ready to serve.
Other snacks recipes similar to Jowar vada recipe:
Pratima T. says
April 10, 2015 at 10:36 amHi Gopi ..the recipe is really authentic n my mom was also follow the same…good job..
Gopi Patel says
April 14, 2015 at 9:27 amHi Pratima, thanks for the comment. good to see how a common recipe is prepared across india.