Kachoris are famous all over the country due to their crispiness. It is a savoury snack popular for both breakfast and evening snacks. The fluffy layers of the dough make it crispy. This round puffy snack looks appetising and tastes great with mint or tamarind chutney, aloo ki sabji or even with a cup of strong ginger tea.
Though this snack is popular all over, the preparation varies. The recipe shared here is of Pyaz ki kachori, kachori stuffed with onions and varieties of blended spices. These spices add to the taste of these kachoris and make them flavourful. Pyaz Kachoris has been a tradition of Jodhpur, originating from the blue city, this snack got popular all over Rajasthan and then countrywide.
The Susruta Samhita contains the first recorded recipe for kachori, which calls for a deep-fried pastry consisting of flour, ghee, and jaggery and filled with spiced mung dal or ground meat. Another recipe for a dish called "Kacchari," a puffy deep-fried pastry loaded with lentils, appears in a 7th-century Jain manuscript. Similar recipes are included in the Supa Shastra, a mediaeval cookbook. The Hindi belt region of India is thought to be the place where kachori first appeared. A baked mixture of yellow moong dal or urad dal (Mung bean or Vigna mungo), besan (chickpea flour), black pepper, red chilli powder, salt, and other spices is typically used in these states. The typical shape is a spherical, flattened ball formed of fine flour.
Ingredients:
For Kachori Dough-
- 1 cup Refined Flour
- ½ tsp Carom Seeds
- 3 tbsp Ghee
- Salt to taste
- Water
For Powder Masala-
- 2 tbsp Coriander Seeds
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1 tsp Fennel Seeds
- ¼ tsp Salt
For Filling-
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 1 tbsp Ghee
- Prepared Powder Masala
- ¼ tsp Asafoetida
- 1 inch Ginger - chopped
- 2-3 fresh Green Chillies - chopped
- 3 large Onion - chopped
- 2 heaped tbsp Gram Flour
- ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
- ½ tsp Degi Red Chilli Powder
- Salt to taste
- ¼ tsp Citric Acid
- 2 medium Potatoes - boiled
- ¼ tsp Dried Mango Powder
- 2 tbsp Coriander Leaves - chopped
Method:
For Kachori Dough-
- In a bowl add refined flour, carom seeds, ghee, and salt and mix everything once properly
- Now add water and knead a semi-hard dough and keep aside for 10-15 minutes to rest
For Powder Masala-
- In a pan add coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and fennel seeds and roast them lightly. Remove and let them cool
- Once cooled, grind it into a coarse powder. Keep aside for further use
For Filling-
- In a pan, heat oil, ghee and add the prepared masala, asafoetida, green chillies, ginger, onion and saute until translucent or soft
- Now add gram flour, turmeric powder, degi red chilli powder, salt and saute until fragrant
- Then add citric acid, mashed potatoes, dried mango powder, mix and cook for a minute
- Now finish it with chopped coriander leaves and switch off the flames. Keep aside to cool down
For Assembling Pyaz ki Kachori-
- Keep oil to heat in a kadai on medium heat
- Now take a small portion of the dough and spread it using your hand and keep it thick in the centre and thin at the edges
- Then add the spoonful of filling in it and close it up and roll light with a rolling pin (like a puri). Repeat for remaining dough and filling
- Now deep fry them in medium hot oil until golden brown and crispy
- Remove on an absorbent paper and serve hot with chutney or tea
Kachoris taste great when served with mint and tamarind chutney. In Delhi and other Eastern states, it is also served with aloo ki sabji.