Recipe: Khasta Kachori

Prep & Cooking: 1 hr 15 minutes

Makes approx 8-10 Kachoris

Ingredients

1 cup maida (all-purpose flour)

1 tbsp rice flour

2 tbsp cooking oil

Cold water enough to knead the maida

Salt to taste

Cooking oil for deep frying

For the Filling

1/4 cup yellow moong dal, soak for 3 hrs, drain, lightly dry and coarsely ground

1/4 cup urad dal, soak for 3 hrs, drain, lightly dry and coarsely ground

A pinch of hing (asafetida)

1/4 tsp cumin powder or crushed cumin seeds

1 tsp ginger-green chilli paste

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder or crushed coriander seeds

Large pinch of amchur

Large pinch of fennel powder

A pinch of garam masala

1 tbsp besan (Chickpea flour)

1/2 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

How to make

Mix the maida, rice flour with salt and oil to form a crumbly mixture. Now slowly add enough water to make pliable dough but not too soft. Divide the dough and shape it into balls. Keep aside covered with moist cloth for 15-20 minutes.

To prepare the filling, heat oil in a vessel, add crushed cumin seeds and asafetida. Allow the cumin to turn brown. Add the ginger-green chilli paste, besan and spice powders and saute for a minute. Add coarsely ground dal and saute for 7-8 minutes and turn off heat.

Now that the stuffing is ready, prepare the outer layer for the kachori.

Roll each ball with the rolling pin into a slightly thick puri and place a tablespoon of the filling in the center. Enclose the filling by gathering the outer edge of the puri to form a pocket. Pinch off extra dough and shape into a flat ball by gently pressing your thumb in the center.

Prepare more with the rest of the dough in the same manner. Keep them covered through out the preparation process.

Heat enough oil in a wide vessel to deep fry the kachoris. Heat the oil till it gets hot but not piping hot. Reduce flame to low/medium and drop 2 kachoris into the oil slowly and deep fry them till they turn golden brown. Make sure to turn them carefully to the other side so that it cooks on both sides and puff up. Make sure that you deep fry the kachoris on a low flame and not in extremely hot oil.

Remove from the frying vessel into a tissue and serve warm along with a cup of hot tea.

Note

It is better to make kachoris in batches. Roll out, stuff and deep fry 2 kachoris at a time. Keep the prepared kachoriss covered through out the preparation process.