Bedai, also spelled bedmi or bedvi, is a deep-fried bread from the Braj region around Mathura and Agra, made from wheat flour dough enriched with a spiced urad dal (or moong dal) paste. It is eaten with a spiced potato curry, usually at breakfast.

What is the difference between bedai and kachori?

Bedai is a puri: the dal is usually mixed into the dough, so it is flatter and eaten fresh at breakfast. Kachori is a stuffed ball: a spiced dal filling is sealed inside and fried, so it puffs into a round, crisp pastry eaten through the day. In Mathura the line blurs, as stuffed bedai is sometimes called bedmi kachori.

What is bedai eaten with?

Bedai is served with a spiced, runny potato curry, the Mathura-Agra dubki wale aloo, often with a tangy, heeng-spiced gravy. It is a morning dish, traditionally sold only in the first half of the day.

Braj Kitchen · Dish

Bedai vs kachori: Mathura's breakfast, explained

Q: Is bedai the same as bedmi puri?

Yes. Bedai, bedmi, bedvi and bedmi puri are different names for the same urad-dal bread. The spelling changes by region; the dish is the same.

By the Mathurawala Kitchen · Updated 31 May 2026

Bedai (also spelled bedmi or bedvi) is a deep-fried bread from the Braj region around Mathura and Agra, made from wheat-flour dough worked with a spiced urad-dal paste, and eaten with a runny, spiced potato curry at breakfast. A kachori is similar in spirit but is a stuffed, puffed ball: the dal is sealed inside, not mixed through. Bedai is the morning puri; kachori is the all-day snack.

What is bedai?

Bedai is one of the defining dishes of Braj cuisine. It is made by working a coarsely ground urad dal (sometimes moong dal) paste, with heeng and spices, into a wheat-flour dough, then rolling and deep-frying it so it puffs and crisps. Wikipedia lists "Bedmi puri" among the signature dishes of the Braj region.[1] It is a staple of the Agra, Mathura and Aligarh belt, where it is sold "in every nook and corner at sweet shops, restaurants, or street vendors during the first half of the day."[2]

The classic pairing is bedai with dubki wale aloo, a thin, tangy, heeng-spiced potato curry. The sooji in the dough is what gives the bread its trademark crispness, slightly thicker and crunchier than a regular puri.[2]

What is kachori?

A kachori is "a deep-fried, spicy, stuffed pastry or bread."[3] Here the spiced dal mixture, usually moong or urad with besan and spices, is sealed inside a flour casing and fried until it puffs into a round, crisp ball.[3] It is eaten with potato curry and tamarind or mint chutney, and unlike bedai it is a snack eaten through the day. Mathura's version is famously made with heeng, which is why Wikipedia names "Mathura Heeng Kachori" as a Braj signature.[4]

Bedai vs kachori: the difference at a glance

	Bedai (bedmi puri)	Kachori
Form	A puri: dal worked into the dough, then rolled flat-ish and fried	A stuffed ball: dal filling sealed inside, fried until puffed
Texture	Crisp, slightly thick, eaten fresh and hot	Round, flaky, holds its crunch longer
When eaten	Breakfast, mostly the first half of the day	Any time of day, a classic snack
Served with	Dubki wale aloo (runny spiced potato curry)	Aloo sabji and tamarind or mint chutney
Origin note	Strongly tied to the Mathura-Agra Braj belt	Originated in Marwar, Rajasthan; now pan-Indian

One honest caveat: in Mathura the two blur. When the dal is stuffed rather than mixed in, the same dish is sometimes called bedmi kachori.[2] So locals treat bedai and kachori as cousins from the same family, not strangers.

How Mathurawala makes its bedai sabji

At Mathurawala the bedai is fried fresh through the morning and served with the Mathura-style aloo sabji, heeng and all. It is one of the only items on our menu literally branded "Mathura," and it is what makes us us. Bedai sabji is consistently among our most-ordered plates, and "bedmi puri" and "kachori sabji" are among the dishes our Pune customers mention most in their reviews.

Frequently asked questions

Is bedai the same as bedmi puri?

Yes. Bedai, bedmi, bedvi and bedmi puri are regional names for the same urad-dal bread. The spelling changes; the dish does not.

Which is healthier, bedai or kachori?

Both are deep-fried, so neither is "light." Bedai often uses more whole wheat in the dough, while kachori has a larger fried casing-to-filling ratio. The real difference is form and occasion, not calories.

Where can I eat authentic bedai in Pune?

At Mathurawala in Baner, where a Mathura-born family fries it fresh each morning with the traditional spiced aloo sabji.

Try real Mathura bedai sabji

Fried fresh every morning at our Baner outlet, with the spiced aloo sabji it belongs with.

Visit us in Baner, Pune

Sources

Wikipedia, "Braj cuisine": en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braj_cuisine
Spice Up The Curry, "Bedmi Puri (Crispy Urad Dal Poori)": spiceupthecurry.com/bedmi-puri-recipe
Wikipedia, "Kachori": en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kachori
Wikipedia, "Braj cuisine" (Mathura Heeng Kachori): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braj_cuisine