MATAR KI KACHORI
Fried Pastries stuffed with spicy green peas, mango powder and coriander
Fried pastries stuffed with dal until they were crispy, flaky and warm. Anand (who ran the little street food stall); would crush the centre of each khasta kachori. Fill it with yoghurt, fresh chutneys, onions, sev and coriander. Every bite was a medley of flavours – crispy, spicy, tangy, hot, sweet and utterly moreish.
Khasta means crisp and the key for a crispy kachori is to fry them over a medium heat so the curst as well as the inside of the kachori cook evenly. I have stuffed these kachoris with green peas although you could also stuff them with spiced onions or potatoes.
Method
- Add the kachori ingredients to a large mixing bowl and knead to a soft dough mix. Leave the dough to rest for 15-18 minutes while you make the filling.
- In a heavy bottom sauce pan heat the oil for the filling on a medium heat. Add the cumin seeds, nigella seeds and asafoetida. Fry for 2-3 seconds and add the chopped chillies along with the green peas. Fry for a minute and add the remaining powdered spices along with some salt. Stir well and lower the heat. Continue to fry for 5 minutes. Turn the heat off and leave to cool. With the back of a fork or potato masher mash the filling roughly. Add the coriander and mix well. Divide the filling in 10 equal portions.
- Heat oil in a kadhai for frying. Divide the dough in 10 equal portions. Flatten a portion of the dough ball on the surface and roll out to 2.5” disc. Stuff with portion of the filling and gather all the edges together to seal. Roll into a ball, flatten and roll out lightly into a 4” disc. Fry the kachoris one at a time, on a medium heat for 1-2 minutes on each side basting with oil little over the top to help it fluff up until crisp and golden brown.
- Drain the khasta kachori on kitchen paper while you make the remaining. Serve warm with some sweet or spicy chutney and some chai.
- To make khasta kachori chaat – Make a hole in the centre of the kachori. Add a little bit of yogurt followed by chopped onions, a few tablespoons of sweet or spicy chutney and fresh coriander and sev for garnish.
Cre: maunikagowardhan