My mother-in-law made this rajgira bhakri on one of the vrat days in the month of Shravan. That’s when I learned that Amaranth flour or rajgira atta is used in vrat or upvas recipes because technically, Amaranth is not a grain but a seed of the plant. I have eaten rajgira chikki and ladoo all my life.
I also like sabzi made from its leaves (Lal Math Bhaji), but this was the first time I tasted bhakri made from Amaranth atta. And I loved it!! Hot rajgira bhari, cooked on clay tava known as “tavdi” in Gujarati, topped with homemade ghee simply just melts in your mouth.
Quinoa is getting popular among health-conscious people and we Indians too are joining the Quinoa fan club in large numbers. But we are forgetting our very own Amaranth or Rajgira. Like Quinoa, Amaranth is gluten-free and protein-rich. In fact Amaranth contains more protein and iron than Qunioa.
It is also a good source of magnesium and zinc. Plenty of reasons to include this super food in our diet, right? :) Hope you like this traditional Gujarati recipe of this bhakri made on tavdi.

Rajgira Bhakri for Upvas
Ingredients
- 3 cups rajgira flour
- 1 tbsp green chili and ginger paste
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds jeera
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Take rajgira flour, chili and ginger paste, and jeera in a large bowl.
- Add salt and mix well.
- Now go on adding water (little at a time) to knead a firm dough. (Bhakri dough should be harder than the dough you make for chapati.)
- Make 3 equal-sized balls of dough.
- Roll out ball-sized dough to form a thickish-bhakri.
- Make dents on the upper side of the bhakri with the help of a rolling pin.
- Make small cuts on the same side using a knife.
- Heat a clay tava (tavdi), and place the bhakri on the tava with the dented side facing down. (Make sure that the tava is hot else bhakri will stick to it.)
- After that side is half done, turn over the bhakri and cook till the other side is fully cooked.
- Now turn over to cook the half-cooked side fully.
- Cook all 3 bhakris in a similar manner.
- Add homemade ghee on top and serve hot.
Notes
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