A Gourmet Meal: KHASTA KACHORI

KACHORI by A GOURMET MEAL

Garma Garam Kachoris.. who doesn't like them, right? They are my absolute favorite tea time snack. They make seem tricky when you first make them but if you follow this recipe to the T, I promise you, you will get best results every single time.

I made dal ki kachoris today but you can substitute that with the stuffing of your choice. Kachoris demand a lot of patience. The key is to frying them on very low heat until they are golden brown and crispy. This will take about 18-20 minutes. That's right.. that long.

So let's begin:

Ingredients:

For Kachori/Pastry:

All Purpose Flour - 2 cups

Salt to taste

Clarified Butter - 4 tbsp

Water as needed

For Stuffing:

Yellow Mung Dal - 1/2 cup

Salt to taste

Fennel Seeds - 2 tsp

Coriander Seeds - 2 tsp

Red Chili Whole - 2 (or to taste)

Dry Mango Powder - 1 tsp

Asafoetida - a pinch

Water warm - 4 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Dry roast mung dal on low medium heat until light brown in color.

2. Grind it into a coarse powder and set aside.

3. Time to add the dry spices. Salt, coriander, fennel seeds, red chili, dry mango powder and asafoetida. Mix well. Add the warm water and mix to combine well. Leave it covered to rest.

4. Now for the pastry. Mix together salt, clarified butter and flour to ensure the butter is mixed well. Knead into a semi stiff dough. Stiffer than puri dough. Leave it to rest for 20 minutes.

5. Knead the dough again. Divide into 20 equal balls, cover and set aside.

6. Let's start with making the kachoris now. Place a wok with oil on low medium heat. Placing your thumb in the center of the dough ball, rotate the ball pressing the sides of the ball with your fingers. The center needs to be thick and the sides need to be thin. We do this so the mixture doesn't bulge out when we pat/shape the kachoris. By pressing the center and thinning out the sides we will create a tiny hollow in the center where we fill a small portion of our mixture.

7. Next we bring all the edges together to seal it back into a ball.

8. And then we press this ball into a small disc. You may or may not use the rolling pin to do this. I prefer to pat with my palms. At this stage we will ensure that the mixture doesnt come through the dough. So press/pat very gently. The discs will be thick.

9. Time to fry the kachoris. The heat has to be low. When we slide in the kachoris they should not rise to the top right away. This is the key to making perfect kachoris. I set my induction cooktop to heat at 5 (1 point less than medium) when frying kachoris, samosas, etc.