Rajgira Puri Recipe - Soft, Puffy & Perfect for Navratri Vrat

Rajgira puris are soft, deep-fried Indian breads made with a dough of smooth amaranth flour and mashed potato. These puris are among the most satisfying dishes you can eat on a fasting day, and they taste so good you'd happily make them on a regular day as well.

Rajgira has been a popular fasting food in many Indian households for ages. This grain is naturally gluten-free, rich in protein, calcium, and iron. It also gives you sustained energy without adding the heaviness of wheat. These puris puff up perfectly when fried and give a slightly nutty, earthy flavour that pairs beautifully with any vrat sabzi, curd, or plain aloo sabji.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• This recipe gives you soft, puffy puris that are best for fasting or regular days.

• You can make this dish using only 4 ingredients: rajgira flour, potato, and salt.

• It’s naturally gluten-free and completely vegan.

• This dish takes just 30 minutes in total.

• It keeps you full for a long time and provides nutrition.

Ingredients

This recipe makes 8-10 medium puris.

For the dough:

• 2 cups rajgira(amaranth) flour 

• 1 boiled, mashed potato

• Sendha namak (rock salt), to taste

• Water, as needed

• Oil

For a spicy variant:

• 1 finely chopped green chilli

• 0.25 tsp freshly grated ginger

• 0.25 tsp black pepper powder

• A pinch of dry ginger powder (Soonth)

• 2-3 cardamom pods

Step-By-Step Rajgira Puri Recipe

Step 1: Boil, peel, and mash the large potato properly

First, boil the potato until it is tender. It takes around 15-20 minutes on the gas stove or in a pressure cooker, for 2-3 whistles. Remove all the water, peel the boiled potato, and mash it properly while it’s still warm. Make sure there are no lumps. Very small potato chunks can make it difficult to roll the dough evenly and can tear while frying.

Pro Tip: Always mash the potato directly while it's still hot. Hot potato mashes more evenly and releases moisture more readily than cooled potato. The moisture it releases helps bind the dough properly along with water.

Step 2: Prepare the dough

Take a large mixing bowl and add the smooth rajgira flour, rock salt (sendha namak), and any masalas you want to use to the mashed potato. 

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly by hand before adding any water. The moisture released by boiled potatoes alone is nearly enough to bind the dough.

Add water only 1 tsp at a time; keep kneading the dough after each addition until it comes together into a smooth ball. This is one of the most important steps in this recipe because adding too much water at once makes your dough sticky and impossible to roll.

Important: If you accidentally add too much water and the dough gets sticky, add a little more rajgira flour and knead it again without adding any extra water.

Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest for 10-15 minutes.

Step 3: Roll the puris

Divide the dough into 8-10 small, equal portions and roll each into a smooth ball. Keep these balls covered with cloth so they don't dry out.

Dust the rolling surface with dry rajgira flour. Roll each ball into a round, medium-thick puri. If your puri is too thin, it tears, and the oil seeps in while frying. If it's too thick, the inner side doesn't cook properly, and the puri stays raw.

Step 4: Heat the oil

Take enough oil into a pan or a kadhai to cover these puris. Then heat the oil over medium flame. Don’t forget to check the oil temperature. Drop a small piece of dough; if it sizzles and rises to the surface within a few seconds, that means your oil is ready.

Step 5: Fry the rolled puris in medium-hot oil

Gently add the rolled puri to the hot oil. Using a frying spoon, lightly press the puri with the back of the spoon. This helps the puri to puff up properly. Fry these puris for 1-2 minutes on one side until they puff. Flip them and fry for 1-2 minutes more.

Remove these puris with a frying spoon and place them on a plate or paper towels. Fry the remaining puris in small batches.

Step 6: Serve hot

Serve these fried rajgira puris while they’re still hot, right after frying. They taste best when fresh; they soften once they cool and you won’t be able to reheat them properly.

Method Variations

Rajgira Roti or Paratha

You can use the same dough to roll the rotis or parathas if you’re avoiding oil. Cook roti or paratha on a tawa over medium-low flame with a little ghee, butter, or oil on both sides, if using. Rajgira rotis take longer to cook than wheat rotis.

Sweet Potato Variant

You can replace the boiled and mashed potato with the same amount of boiled and mashed sweet potato. The sweet potato will add a mild sweetness, and you’ll get a slightly different texture.

Masala Rajgira Puri (Spicy Variant)

You can add finely chopped green chili, freshly grated ginger, black pepper powder, and a pinch of dry ginger powder in the dough before kneading to make the spicy puris. All these ingredients are allowed during fasting or vrat. This masala version makes the puris more flavorful and pairs well with plain curd.

Expert Tips

• Mash the potato smooth. Even very small lumps can crack the dough while rolling, and the oil can seep through these breaks while frying. 
• Always add water gradually. The mashed potato already releases moisture to the dough. If you add too much water at once, your dough.
• Roll to medium-thick puris. Too thin puri tears while frying and fills with oil. If the puris are too thick, the inner side won’t cook well.
• Fry the puris in medium-hot oil. Rajgira flour absorbs more oil than regular flour. A medium flame gives the puris time to cook properly, and they puff up without becoming greasy.

Serving Suggestions

Rajgira puri is a traditional and classic vrat and fasting meal. Many families across India serve these puris with:

• You can serve these puris with a simple aloo sabji. The potatoes are cooked with sendha namak and cumin seeds. It’s one of the most popular vrat pairings.
• Serve this dish with a bowl of dahi aloo on the side. This is a tangy potato dish cooked with plain curd that balances out the richness of fried puris.
• Kaddu sabji also works well. Kaddu (pumpkin) is a little sweet vegetable, and it pairs well with the puri's nutty taste.
• The popular Gujarati vrat kadhi is a light, thin, yogurt-based dal made with rajgira flour instead of gram flour. This combination is also popular across Gujarat.

Storage Instructions

You can store the rolled, unfried puris at room temperature. Don’t forget to cover them with a little wet cloth for about 20-30 minutes. Storing unrolled dough for too long isn’t recommended, because it can easily become sticky.

Storing fried rajgira puris isn’t recommended. They taste best if you eat them immediately. Rajgira puris soften easily once they cool. Yet, you can store them for a few hours at room temperature.

FAQs

Why does my rajgira puri tear while rolling? 

It happens when the dough is either very dry or not smooth enough. Make sure the boiled potato you’ve added is mashed properly and has no lumps. Always knead the dough until it’s smooth. If your dough is cracking while rolling, add in a tiny drop of water and knead again.

Why is my rajgira puri soaking up too much oil? 

Most of the time, it happens for one of two reasons: your oil wasn't hot enough before adding the puris, or you’ve rolled the puris very thin. Don't forget to test the oil temperature before adding the first puri, and roll them medium thick. 

Why doesn't my rajgira puri puff up? 

You should press the puris gently with the back of a spoon right after they go into the oil. This small press helps the steam inside the puri rise into a proper puff. Your puri won't puff at all if the oil isn't hot enough.

Can I use sweet potato instead of regular potato? 

Yes. You can use the boiled and mashed sweet potato in the same quantity as regular potato. You will get a very slight sweet flavor along with a bit more color, but it works well and is a good option for longer fasting periods.

Can I make rajgira puri without adding potato? 

Boiled potato is used in this recipe as a binding agent for the flour. Rajgira flour doesn’t contain any gluten, so it can't hold the dough together on its own. The dough crumbles and won't roll without any binding agent. You can use water, but the puris will be harder to roll.

Is rajgira puri good for health? 

Rajgira flour is naturally gluten-free and rich in protein, iron, and calcium.  As it’s a deep-fried dish, it absorbs some oil. But you can enjoy this dish as part of a balanced fasting meal while avoiding large portions. 

Can I use regular salt instead of sendha namak (rock salt)? 

Using sendha namak (rock salt) is highly recommended, as it’s traditionally used during vrat in most Hindu households. Regular table salt or iodized salt is not considered for vrat in many households. If you're not making rajgira puri on a fasting day, then regular salt works.

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