This is also known as Rajasthani Kachori as it is one of their favorite snacks. In the north it is also known as “Kachaudi”. It’s a hot sweet delight which is not only a treat to your eyes but will tantalize your taste buds and leave you craving for more. The chaat versions of the Kachori are very popular in Mumbai as a street food. I will divide the recipe into 3 halves as the kachori is made in different segments and there is a process in each one. All put together what you get is a slice of heaven
Ingredients
For cover:
Plain flour – 1 ½ cup
Oil – 2 tbsps
Salt as per taste
For filling:
Yellow moong dal washed and soaked for 1/2 hour -1 cup
Red chilly powder -1 tsp.
Coriander powder -1/2 tsp.
Coriander seeds crushed coarsely -1/2 tsp.
Fennel seeds crushed coarsely -1/2 tsp.
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Asafetida – 1tsp
Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry
Method
For cover:
In a Bowl, mix flour, salt and oil, knead into soft pliable dough adding water while making the dough, just like you do for chappatis. Keep aside for 30 minutes.
For filling:
In a vessel, Take 4 glasses of water, when it comes to boiling point, Add the yellow moong dal and when it starts to boil, add the dal. Boil dal for 5 minutes, drain the water from the dal. Allow it to cool down. Now heat some oil in a heavy pan, add the cumin seeds and the coarsely crushed coriander seeds and fennel seeds. When it starts to splutter
add asafetida, red chilly powder, Coriander powder and mix well. Now Add the dal. Add salt to taste. With the back of your spatula smash a few lentils(dals). Do not smash the dal fully. A bit of smashing makes the mixture bind well. Switch off the gas and allow this mixture to cool.
Once the mixture cools down, grease your palms and make balls out of the lentil mixture and Keep aside.
Now make balls of the dough. Take one lemon sized ball and roll it, just like you roll for chappati. Place one ball of the lentil filling in the centre. Now make the dough like a money pouch with the lentil mixture in the middle. Tear off the excess dough carefully
The cover shouldn’t tear, now with your palms press the ball, making it flattish and round.(like in the picture).Make all the kachoris in the same way. The technique to deep fry these kachoris is very important. Once the oil is hot, reduce the flame. Keep it on sim and slowly drop the kachoris, the kachoris fry in the oil for a longer time, only then will they be crispy. If the kachori get a hole anywhere, apply some paste made with plain flour and water and patch it up else the oil will be spilt with lentil and the kachories will be soggy. Once you feel one side is about half cooked and safe to turn slowly turn with a delicate hand to the other side, you can do it with a spatula and a spoon. When you are frying you will notice that small bubbles appear over the kachori, slowly the bubbles will reduce and you know that the kachori is almost done. Fry till golden and crisp.
Drain on a kitchen towel to remove excess oil and serve hot with green and tamarind chutneys.
Kachoris are very filling, The yellow lentils are very nutritious
Kachoris can be made and stored for 2-3 days. We can make kachori chaat or even Dahi kachori chaat with them the following day for a variation.
Variations
For Kachori chaat : Break the top of the kachori and pour some green chutney and tamarind chutney and some finely chopped onions and top it with sev (gram flour noodles) and garnish with freshly chopped coriander and a dash of lime. You can add a pinch of chaat masala also.
For Dahi kachori chaat: Use fresh thick yogurt. Add some sugar in the yogurt and beat it, it will be fluffy. Now break the Kachori as above and pour a tablespoon of dahi and follow the same as above. You can use bareek sev (Fine gram flour noodles available in the market)