Indian food is full of flavours and no secret that it offers so much of variety that if you decide to eat a new dish every day, you won’t get chance to repeat same dish in years to come. Today am sharing this thing called Khasta Kachori (कचौरी), which is basically a flour based flat bread with stuffing in it and deep fried.
What is khasta kachori
Khasta khachori is a tasty puffed Indian bread, similar to Poori. The difference of kachori from puri is that, kachori will have a stuffing in it. Kachori stuffing is normally made from dal/ lentil. Commonly used dal stuffing is moong dal. In this khasta kachori recipe, I have however used urad dal as stuffing.
There are other stuffings too which are commonly used in kachori, such as potato, onion, and peas. Since a kachori has stuffing as against to that of poori, kachori normally has more calories and is very filling.
Why is kachori also called khasta kachori?
The outer of a kachori, gets crispy and flaky, which is also referred as Khasta in hindi. This is why kachori is also called Khasta. A kachori is deep fried on low heat, so that it is cooked to the core and adding to the crunch on the surface.
I have had been enjoying kachoris since my childhood days, and still remains my favourite. My mum makes one of best kachoris and this recipe of kachori is her’s.
Method of making Kachori
Making of khasta dal kachori is made of two parts. First part is making the dough and second part is getting the filling/ stuffing ready. Though making the kachori does not take more than 30-35 mins, but some pre-planning is required to allow for soaking the dal, which is used in the filling.
These kachories go best with Aloo / Potato curry or with Kheer, or can be eaten on its own with Tea / coffee. I love having these with my tea.
How to make best khasta kachori
Frying temperature
While making Kachori, the trick is to get crisp and flaky surface and soft filling with care to not over cook / burn it. Exercise care during frying kachori, the heat should be low to medium and this also adds time to whole cooking process.
Dough Thickness
The dough ball used to make a given kachori needs to be of just the right size. Excessive filling with too thin layer of dough will lead to over cooking of surface and hard kachori. If layer is thick, then the inside of kachori won’t be cooked properly.
Kneading Dough
Preparation of dough is important to get the right level of thickness to Kachori, as stated above improper thickness will lead to improper results. Use soft hands to make dough.
Serving suggestions for khasta kachori
You can serve kachori anytime of the day. Starting from breakfast to dinner. Kachori can be served with chutney, yogurt, pickle or any gravy based curry (mostly potato curry) or even with kheer (rice pudding). I love to eat left over kachori with hot tea.
How long kachori can be stored
Kachori has a relatively long life, and can be preserved for few days. If the stuffing is of dal, then life is longer. For the stuffing of potato, peas or onion, kachori can be preserved for couple of days.
kachori has relatively longer life. Hence, kachori can be used in picnics or those long train travel journey. I remember my mum making kachori and karela, when we used to go on over night train journey
Step by step recipe of making Khasta Dal Kachori is below.
Dal Kachori Recipe
Ingredients
For Dough
- 1.5 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 2 Tablespoon Oil
For Stuffing
- 1/2 Cup Split Black lentils/ Dhuli Urad dal
- 1 Tablespoon Ghee / Clarified Butter
- 1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Coriander Powder
- 1/3 Teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Fennel Seeds Crushed
- 1/2 Teaspoon Dry Mango Powder / Amchur
- 1/3 Teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
- 1/3 Teaspoon Asafoetida
- 1 Teaspoon Salt As Per Taste
- Oil For Deep Frying
Instructions
- Wash and Soak Urad dal in enough water for at least 5 hours. After that drain the water and coarsely grind the dal in a grinding jar with little water.
- Heat a heavy bottom pan over medium heat and add ghee/oil to it. When oil is hot enough, add Asafoetida and cumin seeds. Once they crackle add dal paste to it and sauté continuously.
- Roast the dal till it start leaving oil over low medium heat. This process will take approximately 20-25 minutes.
- Add all the spices to it and sauté again for 2-3 minutes. Switch off the heat and let it cool completely. Our stuffing for Kachori is ready.
- Take a pan and add wheat flour, salt and oil to it. With the help of Luke warm water, make a soft dough of it and keep it aside for 10 minutes.
- Divide the dough into equal parts and make rounds of it. With the help of thumb, make space in the centre of balls, and put 1 tablespoon of stuffing into it. Seal it again and roll into a 1.5-2 inch diameter circle. Make all the kachori by repeating this step. (Check the video at the bottom of the page).
- Heat oil in a pan / kadhai and deep fry the kachori till they are golden in colour. Take the kachori out and keep on kitchen towel.
- Serve these Kachories hot and enjoy with aloo sabji or kheer or on their own.
Video
Notes
- Always fry them on medium heat. Kachories will be crispy and tasty.
- The dough should be neither too soft nor too tight.
- Always roast the dal till it start leaving oil otherwise you’ll feel raw taste.
Looks delicious Meenu!
Thank you Sandhya 😀