Moong Daal Kachori

moongdal-kachoriIts been raining on and off the past few days and believe it or not, the rain does have a tendency to ignite your appetite, especially for hot and spicy food! And these cute yet extremely delicious Kachoris are an excellent way to enjoy the rain while munching on hot fried Kachoris dipped in yummy tamarind sauce. Kachori is a traditional Indian street food that woos many a hearts. You can use several different types of filling, but here I mention the famous Moong Daal kachoris, stuffed with soft cooked lentils and flavored with green masala, raisins and coconut. If you haven’t started salivating already, you surely will as soon as you make these cute Kachoris at home!

I’m sending these over to EC for MLLA-19, an event that was originally started by Susan from The Well-Seasoned Cook.

Basket Kachoris Stuffed with Lentils

Ingredients
Makes about 15 kachoris

For the Kachori Crust
2 cups all-purpose flour or whole grain white flour
1 tbsp semolina (fine rava)
4 tbsp warm melted ghee (clarified butter)
salt – to taste
1/2 tsp lemon juice
hot water – to knead the dough
oil for frying kachoris

For the Filling
2 cups Moong Dal – soaked for at least 2 hours
1 tspn cumin seeds (jeera)
1 tspn carom seeds (ajwain) or saunf
1/2 tspn asafoetida (hing)(optional)
1 tspn turmeric powder (haldi)
1 tspn red chilli powder
2 tbsp green chilli-ginger paste
1 tbsp grated coconut
1 tbsp coriander – finely chopped
a bunch of raisins (optional)
2 tspn sugar
2 tbsp oil
salt and lemon juice – to taste

Method
Take the Moong Dal and let it soak in water for at least 3-4 hours.

For the kachori, mix the salt, semolina, lemon juice and flour together and add the warm ghee to it. Mix well so that the entire flour is oiled and forms crumbles. Now knead it using warm water into a firm dough(not too thin or soft, just pliable enough). The warm water and rava will help make the crust more crispy. Cover with a wet cloth and leave aside for 25-30 mins.

Now take a saucepan, add 2 tbsp oil to it, then add the cumin, carrom seeds, saunf and asafoetida. When seeds splutter, add the soaked moong dal to this, after removing all water. Season with green chilli-ginger paste, salt, lemon juice, sugar and the spices. Cook for 8-10 mins, then remove from flame. Mix the grated coconut, chopped cilantro and raisins and keep aside.

Now divide the dough into small portions, and roll each one into 3″ diam. disc. Put a large spoonful of the filling into the center, then fold the dough over the filling to form a pouch and shape it into a basket from the top(as shown in the pic) You can grease your palms a little and roll the ball between them to form an even ball if that’s easier. Make sure to seal the filling at the top else it will all ooze out when you fry them! Repeat for all the kachoris.

Now heat oil in a wok and deep fry 3-4 kachoris at a time over low-to-medium flame till they are golden brown in color. Do not fry on high heat as they will turn brown but will be uncooked from inside.

Tip for Crispy Kachoris The semolina and the lemon juice help make the crust more crispy. Also, fry the kachoris on low heat, then when its time to serve, refry them or bake them on high temperature; this will also make them crispier.


Serve these hot with a side of Imli Chutney or Green Chutney for a delicious treat!

Comments

  1. Hi nice recipie collectin enjoying ur site plz visit my blog http://bondedbyfood.blogspot.com/

  2. Hi Anon – baked should work as well, though I haven't tried it myself. have done it with samosas – just apply a layer of oil on the kachoris and bake them in an oven at 350 F for about 20 minutes. Rotate the kachoris halfway so they get evenly baked. If you do try it, let me know how it goes:)

  3. Anonymous says:

    I think these can e baked as well… ever tried this?

  4. Very very tempting & original party recipes,sure all these recipes are unique and stand by themselves.Definitely going to prepare them and I thank you for sharing these with us,

  5. Hi

    garma garam kachori…wow..perfact in this cold weather…nice pic..

    http://joyofcooking247.blogspot.com

    cheers

  6. nice recipe…

  7. Lovely looking kachoris..thanks for the entry