Vegetarian cooking blog

Thursday 23 July 2020

MOONG DAL KACHORI(KHASTA KACHORI)

Kachori is a savory snack with stuffing that has lip-smacking flavours. It is a very popular dish in North India.  It can be served as it is with green chutney or can be made into a chaat and served topped with curd, green and sweet chutney and some crisps.
The Kachori has many variants of stuffing the outer cover remaining the same. Khasta Kachori, Aloo Kachori, Pyaaz Kachori, Matar Kachori, and Mawa Kachori are some of its variants. 
I have made Khasta Kachori with Moong dal stuffing. It can be made with an Urad dal stuffing too and some use a combination of both Urad and Moong dals to make this kachori.
 I have used only Moong dal as I  like the texture of this stuffing and find this tastier.  A perfect Kachori is one which is crisp and flaky on the outside and well puffed and hollow on the inside and with the stuffing stuck to the crust.
In some regions, the Kachori is served with an Aloo subji, like I did today. Kachoris keep well up to 4 to 5 days if kept in an airtight container. I have wanted to make these Kachoris for a long time now and as dal Kachoris are my favorite,  decided to start with them.  
Whenever we visit Jaipur there is a particular sweet shop we visit and no one makes Kachoris as good as them. Tried recreating the magic, as creating the perfect crust and flakiness is a truly technical job, and believe me, it improves with practice because then you start understanding how each element behaves.
While you are here please check out my other snack recipes like------
Here is the recipe of Moong dal Kachori for you--


  



     PREP TIME: 20 Mins(1 hr soaking)                    COOK TIME: 40 Mins
     TOTAL TIME: 40Mins                                         COURSE:  SNACK
     CUISINE:  NORTH INDIAN                               SERVINGS: 6(12 Pcs)
     AUTHOR: Rajni Ram

     Ingredients for Dough:
     Maida/ refined flour 1.5 cups
     Butter/ghee 3 tbsp 
    Salt 1/4 tsp
    Baking powder 1/2 tsp
    Lemon juice 1 tsp 
    Coldwater(refrigerated) as required
    Oil for frying

    Ingredients for Stuffing:
    Moong dal 1 cup soaked for 1 hr
    Salt as per taste
    Coriander powder/dhania powder 2 tsp
    Red chilli powder 1.5 tsp
    Fennel Powder/Saunf powder 1 tsp
    Tamarind paste 1 tbsp
    Jaggery 1/2 tsp
    Asafoetida 1 tsp
    Jeera powder 1/2 tsp
    Mustard seeds 1 tsp
    Cumin seeds 1 tsp
    Ginger 1 inch finely chopped
    Oil 1 tbsp
    Coriander leaves finely chopped 1 tbsp
    Oil for frying

   Directions for dough:
 Take the Maida/ refined flour in a dish and add the salt, pour the butter/ghee and mix well. When you take the flour and close it in your fist, it should hold shape without breaking. Now start adding the water little by little and combining to form the dough. Form a Roti kind of dough, not very stiff. Cover and let it rest for a minimum of 15 minutes.

   Directions for stuffing:
 Drain all water from the soaked moon dal and put it ina blender. Give it 2 small spins in the mixer so that it forms a coarse mixture. Take oil in a Karahi and put in the mustard seeds and the cumin seeds, as they crackle add the ginger and fry.   Now add all the spice powder to the oil and fry for 30 seconds. keep stirring, they should not burn. Ensure there is sufficient oil for frying the masalas. Now add the coarse moong dal mixture to the oil and mix well. Add the tamarind paste and   Jaggery. Keep mixing until the masalas have evenly mixed with the dal stuffing.   Remove from flame and cool.

   Directions for Kachori:
 Pinch the dough into small balls. This quantity will yield around 12 balls. Now take one ball at a time, dust with some flour and roll it into a small Puri. Put in a   little of the stuffing in the center of the ball, you can also make small balls of the stuffing and keep ready if that's convenient. Now bring together the edges of the rolled puri and seal nicely. remove excess flour and seal well. After sealing the roll out the stuffed ball into a small puri and deep fry in oil that is heated to a  medium-high. Fry until nicely browned and remove from oil. Kachoris should be fried in medium heated oil for best results, only then will they turn crisp and flaky.  The Khasta Kachori is ready to serve.

   Serving suggestions:
 Serve with sweet and green chutney, or with Aloo Rassedar subzi, or as chaat with sweetened curd and combination of chutney and Sev. Kachoris can be relished just by themselves too and can be stored in an airtight container for 4 to 5   days. Enjoy. Bon Appetit.

   STEPWISE RECIPE FOLLOWS:
  1. Assemble all ingredients. Soak Moong dal for 1 hour.

   2. For the dough--take the Maida, salt, baking powder and ghee in a dish and combine well. When you clump the mixture in your fist, it shouldn't break. Now add cold water little by little and knead to form a dough. Leave to rest for 15     minutes.

  3. For the stuffing -- drain all water from the Moong dal and put it in a blender along with some salt and grind coarse such that some dals are whole.  

  4. Take oil in a pan and add the mustard and cumin seeds, add the chopped ginger followed by all dry masalas. Fry the masalas in oil for 30 seconds. Now add the ground Dal and mix nicely such that the masala coats the dal mixture, now add the tamarind pulp, jaggery and cook for 2 minutes. Any moisture in the mixture should evaporate. leave the mixture to cool.

 5. To form the Kachoris knead the dough again and pinch small portions and make small balls of them. Take one ball at a time and dust with some flour and roll it into a small puri. Put the filling in the center and bring the edges together and seal well. Roll out the puris a little thick with put much pressure or the covering may break in oil spreading the stuffing in the oil. Repeat for all balls likewise and keep aside.



  6. Now heat oil for frying the kachoris. The oil should be medium hot. Take one flattened puri at a time and drop it in the oil gently. fry in low- medium heat until the Kachoris puff up, turn crisp and brown. Remove from oil and drain on absorbent paper. The hot Kachoris are ready to serve. 



   NOTE:
  1. Use cold water to knead the dough, it results in a nice flaky crust.
  2. The ghee for the dough can also be heated and poured into the flour before kneading as it gives a crunchy crust. Be sure to allow the oil to become warm before you knead or you might burn your hand.
  3. The temperature of the oil is very important as very hot oil will result in soft crust. Low to medium oil gives a crunchy crust. To test the oil, drop a small bead sized ball of flour in the oil. It should sizzle but not rise on top immediately. This is the right temperature for the oil.
  4. If you wish you can shape the stuffing into small balls too for filling, so that it is not messy or if you are comfortable;le using a spoon to fill that is fine too. 

  If you tried this recipe and liked it please comment below. I would love to hear from you.








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