Khasta Kachori

Khasta Kachori

Khasta kachori is a delicious, spicy, fried puff pastry. Kachoris are great as an appetizer or as part of a festive meal for any occasion.

INGREDIENTS

DOUGH

• 1 cup all-purpose flour (plain flour or maida)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons oil
• ¼ cup chilled water, more or less as needed

FILLING

• ¼ cup yellow moong dal (available in Indian grocery stores)
• 1 teaspoon coarsely ground fennel seeds (saunf)
• 1 teaspoon coarsely ground coriander seeds (dhania)
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ¼ teaspoon ginger powder
• ½ teaspoon mango powder (amchoor)
• Pinch of asafetida (hing)
• ½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 tablespoons water
• Oil to deep-fry

METHOD

DOUGH

• Mix the flour, salt and oil.
• Add the chilled water slowly, mixing with your fingers as you pour
• Do not knead the dough. It should be very soft.
• Cover the dough and let it sit at least fifteen minutes.

TO MAKE FILLING

• Grind the moong dal dry, almost to a powder.
• Mix 1 tablespoon of oil into the ground dal in a frying pan and roast over medium heat two to three minutes, or until the dal changes color slightly. Stir continuously.
• Turn off the heat. Add all the spices and mix well. Let the mixture cool off.
• Add two tablespoons warm water and mix well.
• Let sit ten minutes, covered with a damp cloth.

TO MAKE THE KACHORIS:

• Take the dough and knead it for minutes. Divide the dough in twelve equal parts.
• Take one part of the dough and with your fingers flatten the edges to form a three-inch circle, leaving the center a little thicker than the edges.
• Mold the dough into a cup and place one teaspoon of the filling in the center. Pull the edges of the dough to wrap the dal filling.
• Proceed to make all twelve balls.
• Let the filled balls sit for three to four minutes before rolling.
• Set the filled balls on a surface with the seams facing up.
• Using the base of your palm, slowly flatten them into circles about three inches in diameter.
• Heat the oil in frying pan over medium heat frying pan should have about one inch of oil. To check if oil is ready put a little piece of dough in the oil. It should sizzle, and come up very slow.
• Fry them on medium-low heat. After they start to puff, slowly turn them over. Fry until golden-brown on both sides. If the kachoris are fried on high heat, they will get soft and will not be crispy.
• Kachoris can be stored for at least a week in an airtight container.

VARIATIONS

Instead of using moong dal, you can use washed urad dal or chana dal. The rest of the recipe remains the same.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

• Kachoris can be served plain, with a variety of chutneys, with chola (a chickpea dish), or with dam aloo (a potato dish).
• Serve them as a chat, pouring plain yogurt and chutney on top.
• Don’t roll the kachoris with a rolling pin. Rolling pins can create small holes in the dough that let the oil seep into the kachoris, and they can also cause the kachoris to come out with one side thicker than the other.