Learn how to make the south Indian vazhakkai bajji with step by step pictures and useful tips and tricks!
With Diwali around, only 2 days to go, why am I posting how to prepare vazhakkai bajji ? Yes, we make Bajji on Diwali day. On Deepavali day, we don’t cook lunch. Its full of only junk foods like the snacks we prepare for diwali , sweets, along with idli, adhirasam, vadai and suzhiyan. No rice no cooking. So I thought of ending my posts for diwali with bajji. I love vengaya bajji the best, next is kathirikkai bajji and then vazhakkai bajji. My mom and MIL makes all bajjis assorted the day when ever they make bajji. And coconut chutney is the best accompaniment for this. I like it as such hot hot 🙂. So here is the Vazhakka bajji recipe (raw banana/ green plantain bajji).
Vazhakkai Bajji recipe
Recipe Cuisine: Indian | Recipe Category: Snack
Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook time: 15 mins | Serves: 3
Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook time: 15 mins | Serves: 3
Ingredients
Vazhakkai/ plantain – 1
Besan/ kadala maavu – ½ cup
Rice flour – ¼ cup
Corn flour (optional) – 1 tsp
Cooking soda (sodium bi carb) – 3 pinches
Asafoetida – ⅛ tsp
Ajwain(omam) or jeera – 1 tsp
Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
Salt & water – As needed
Ghee – 1 tsp
Hot oil (optional) – 1 tbsp
Oil – for deep frying
Besan/ kadala maavu – ½ cup
Rice flour – ¼ cup
Corn flour (optional) – 1 tsp
Cooking soda (sodium bi carb) – 3 pinches
Asafoetida – ⅛ tsp
Ajwain(omam) or jeera – 1 tsp
Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
Salt & water – As needed
Ghee – 1 tsp
Hot oil (optional) – 1 tbsp
Oil – for deep frying
Method
- In a mixing bowl, mix gram flour, rice flour, red chilli powder, sodium bi carb, asafoetida, salt, corn flour and hot oil, ghee (refer notes) if using, ajwain or jeera. Add water little by little and mix well with a whisk and make a thick batter. The batter should easily coat the vazhakkai, not too thick.
- Peel off the skin of the plantain with a peeler or if you are comfortable with a knife. Slice them thin or medium thick as you wish using knife or a slicer. Keep it immersed in water until use. Heat oil in kadai side by side. Take it out from water, drain the water as much as you can, dip and coat the vazhakkai and drop carefully in hot oil.
- Fry them both sides until golden brown. Adjust the heat now and then to avaoid fuming of oil Also using the ladle keep pouring the hot oil over the bajjis as its getting cooked to make it puff nicely. Drain in paper towels.
Notes
- The batter should be in correct consistency so that it spreads over the vazhakkai easily and forms a thin layer. If the coating is too thick, i.e; if the batter is too thick, it will take time to cook and the bajjis inside will not get cooked.
- The thickness of the vazhakkai is purely ur choice, but make sure its not too thick, otherwise it will stay crunchy and not get cooked.
- Add a tsp of ghee in batter and it gives a great flavour to the bajji like in tea shops.
- Cook in medium flame to ensure the bajjis get cooked inside.
- Mix the batter and keep it ready, once the oil is hot, you can add a laddle full of hot oil carefully in the batter and mix. This is to avoid sucking of oil in the bajji.
- You can follow the same with readymade bajji mix. Aachi mix works best for me.
- Adding a ladle full of idli dosa batter makes the bajji tastier.
- Make sure to salt your bajji right as it matters a lot.
- If cooking soda is added more, the bajji will be puffed but will lack fullness. It will be too airy.
- If batter is too thick or cooking soda is less, it wont get cooked or puffed up.
Enjoy the vazhakkai bajjis with your favourite Chutney and sambar.
Yummy yummy..junk food only..no rice…great idea..am going to do the same this year..
we do the same we invite the diwali by preparing bajji ! i like kathirikai bajji a lot ! good one RAKS
Its raining here, so cloudy and your bhajis tempting me a lot 🙂 haven't tasted kathrikkai bhaji will try it some time 🙂
Junk food galore this Diwali 😉 Enjoy Raji. Happy Diwali.
too tempting raji…well made
wow…. inviting bajjii… my all time favorite snacks…
Just in case you don't want to add cooking soda, add a couple of table spoons of idly/dosa batter. Will make your bajjis puff up nicely – try it!
Yeah I knew this, both my mom MIL does it when ever possible. It drinks bit oil but tasty 😉
Hi Raks,,,,I want to try out your boondi ladoo today. Please tell me if it is ok to make all the boondi first and then add to the sugar syrup. Will the ladoos flop if cold boondi is added to the sugar syrup. Also how much time does it take to attain one string sugar syrup consistency. I am always messing up the sugar syrup. Wish you and your family a blessed and safe diwali. Thanks for so generously sharing your recipes. Your recipes are famous among my colleagues now. God bless you.
Hi Rak…I want to try out your boondi ladoo today. Can you plz tell me if it ok to make all the boondi first and then add to the syrup. I want to know if hot boondis need to be added to the syrup. Also, I always mess up on the sugar syrup…how much time does it take for the sugar syrup to attain one string consistency. I also want to wish you and your family a happy and blessed Diwali. All my colleagues are trying out your recipes this year. Thanks for so generously sharing your recipes. God bless you!
Yes I did the same. So its ok if you make all the boondi first and then prepare sugar syrup and add it. I cant tell the timing for one string consistency as its difficult, it depends on how much water you add, how much heat, which vessel, everything. So its just that you have to keep checking.
Dear Raji,ThankU Very much for this wonderful blog. I've been following it for months now.when it comes to sweets i am a beginner so i hav some doubts.For atta laddoo,besan ladoo can we do roasting flour part in microwave? will the end result differ? also how long will these laddoos and nei urundai and maida barfi last outside the fridge? Kindly clear my doubts.
Microwave also does a good job. But make sure after some time reduce power to avoid burning. and also have to keep mixing now and then opening the door. So if you are comfortable you can do that. Ladoos and nei urundai and maida burfi stays good for 5 days may be.
delicious and yummy bajji.
Hello raks,
This is the first blog i have come across,searching for the recipe. The first recipe itself a great hit and it bought lot of childhood memories for my husband and much appreciation for me. Since now i am following. Daily i am very much eager, excited and happy to see the post. what a wonderful collection of recipes. I am very much inspired by ur passion towards cooking and ur effort, ur dedication, its really awesome. yours is the only blog each time comes with different ideas and kinds of recipes (everything will be clubed). I am a great fan of ur writings above the recipes, always that will be interesting. I am sure u are an member in many of us families regarding cooking.
Hats of raks. Thank u so much for an lovely blog.
HAPPY DIWALI
Delicious. Photographs filled with user guidance. Simple methods. Easy steps. You have made the task simple and to the point. Loved the presentation. And Quality of Bhajji surely excellent. Would be making this item soon at Jodhpur.
Looks scrumptious.. I love bajji !!
Looks very appetizing! Love it anytime!!
First time here..ue bajji looks very crispy and mouthwatering..the same way my anuty used to make back in India. Do visit mine and give ur suggestion.
Taste of Saras Kithchen
Thank u raks …..came out very well…
Thanks for your feedback 🙂
Awesome recipe! Tried it today and came out well..!! Nandrigal..!!!
Made baji using your method.It was yummy
Thank you for your feedback 🙂