168. kachoris

August 29, 2012

Garam, garam nashto!

Kachoris are an indian snack. In Rajasthan it is filled with green gram lentils and spices and is usually round and flattish. The kachoris that a lot of gujaratis make, are filled with green gram lentils, fresh peas, fresh pigeon peas or a combination of either. They are round much like a ball. The filling is put in a flour pastry and then fried. The kachoris I make is with a filling I learnt from Nunu but instead of round kachoris, I prefer making them into the crescent shape the way my mum use to. The advantage with the crescent shape is that no lumps of dough is left on top. For the round kachoris, one has to try and remove extra dough as much as you can from the top so that the kachori does not taste of raw dough. My mum loved kachoris.

KACHORIS

Yields about 50 pieces

Filling :

½ cup yellow green gram lentils (moong dal)

½ cup water

1 cup fresh peas

2 tbsps oil

1 tsp mustard seeds (rai)

1½ tsp cumin seeds (jeera)

a pinch of asafoetida (hing)

¼ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)

1 to 1½ tsp salt

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp green chilli paste

2½ tsps sugar

½ cup grated raw mango

½ cup chopped fresh coriander

1 tsp coriander cumin powder

¼ tsp clove powder

½ tsp cinnamon powder

For the pastry :

2½ cups plain flour

1 tsp salt

6 tbsps oil

½ cup + 3 tbsps water

oil for frying

Preparation of the filling :

Wash and soak the lentils (dal) in half cup of water for nearly 30 minutes.
Wash the peas and mince it coarsely in a food processor. Keep it on the side till needed.
Heat oil in a big flat pan over medium heat.
When the oil is hot, add the mustard, cumin seeds, turmeric powder and asafoetida.
Immediately add the soaked lentils along with the water. Mix well.
Lower the heat and cover the pan. Let the lentils cook for 5 to 7 minutes. In between if the water gets over and the dal is still raw, add a few tablespoons of water. Be careful not to make it too watery.
When the lentils are just done, add the minced peas. Add salt, chilli and ginger paste. Mix well.
Cover the pan and cook over low heat till the peas are cooked. This will take about 5 minutes. Stir the mixture in between to avoid it getting burnt.
Once the peas are cooked remove from the heat. Open the lid and let the mixture cool for a while.
Add sugar, grated mango, chopped coriander, clove powder, cinnamon powder and coriander cumin powder. Mix well.

Preparation of the pastry :

Mix the flour and salt together.
Rub the oil into the flour.
Make a dough using the water. The dough should not be soft or too hard. You should be able to roll it without using any extra flour.
Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes or more.

Preparation of kachoris :

Divide the dough (big marble size) into nearly 45 to 50 pieces.
Roll each dough into a ball. Cover with a kitchen towel or cling film, so that the dough does not dry up.
Grease a big tray with oil. Keep a clean cloth or kitchen towel ready.
Take a piece of the dough and roll it out into a 2½ to 3 inch circle.
Take a teaspoonful of the mixture and place it in the middle of the dough.
Seal the edges from one end to the other and press with your thumb and finger to seal completely. You should have a half moon shape. Twist the sealed part with your thumb and finger if you can or press it down with a fork.
Place the kachori on the greased tray. Cover with a cloth.
Repeat steps 4 to 7 with the remaining dough and filling.
When all are done, heat the oil in a frying pan, wok or karai.
When it is hot and not very hot, gently drop in 6 to 8 kachoris and fry lightly(half fried). Do not fry completely.
Remove and keep in a colander. Half fry the remaining kachoris.
Keep them in the colander till required.
When you are ready to serve kachoris, heat the oil again. Fry them over medium to low heat till they are light pink or brown in colour. Gently keep on turning the kachoris so that they become light brown evenly.
Serve with a green chutney or dip.

Tips :

Can freeze the half fried kachoris.
Adjust the amount of spices according to your taste.
If you do not have any raw mango then add lemon juice instead.
Make sure you have the telly or music on while you fill the kachoris. It does take a long time to fill around 50.
If there is any dough left then roll it out and fry it. Have white puri with hot spicy tea.
Do not add clove and cinnamon powder while the mixture is hot as it will make the filling appear brown.
To test if the oil is hot, drop a small piece of dough into the oil. It should come up within seconds if the oil is hot.

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