Kastha Kachori

Over Navarathri I had this amazing snack over at my friend's. wanna guess what it was? Khasta Kachori chat. It is a crispy fried dough(puri) filled with mung dal, crispy and flaky on the outside, hollow on the inside. These can be eaten as is or like a chaat. Well, I got the recipe from my favorite author, Tarla Dalal and made it over the weekend when I had my friend and her in-laws for tea. It was an instant hit with my guests.


Ingredients:

For the dough

2 Cups all purpose flour
salt to taste
1/4 Cup melted ghee

For the Filling:

1/2 Cup yellow mung dal, soaked for 2 hours and drained
2 Tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
1 teaspoon ginger-green chili paste
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
salt to taste
1 Tablespoon dried mango powder(amchur)
2 Tablespoon besan (bengal gram flour)
Oil for frying

For Chaat:

3 Cups of yogurt, whisked
1/4 Cup boiled and diced potato
1/2 Cup boiled chick peas or mung beans
4 Tablespoon green chutney
5 Tablespoon sweet chutney
chili powder for sprinkling
cumin seed powder for sprinkling
1 Cup sev

Method:

For the Dough:

1. Combine all the ingredients for dough in a large bowl. Mix well, add water as required and knead to make a semi-soft dough. Cover with a damp towel and set aside for 15 minutes

For the Filling:

1. Grind the mung dal in a food processor or mixer to a coarse mixture. Keep aside.

2. Heat oil in a broad pan and add fennel seed. when the fennel crackle add asafoetida and the coarse mung. Mix well and cook on medium flame for a minute.

3. Add ginger-green chili paste, dry mango powder, chili powder, garam masala, salt, and besan ; cook on medium flame fro 5 minutes or till the mixture is lightly browned. Remove from stove and allow to cool.

For the Kachori:

1. Divide the dough in to 12 equal portions.

2. Roll out a ball of dough into a 3" diameter circle. Place a spoonful of dal filling in the center.

3. Bring together all the sides, seal tightly and press it lightly.

4. Roll the filled dough lightly to a 2 1/2" diameter circle. Roll out the remaining dough into kachoris. Keep aside.

5. Heat oil for frying in a broad pan on a medium flame. Deep fry 3 kachoris at a time on a slow flame for 8 minutes, turning them in between till they turn golden brown. Drain on a paper towel. Repeat until all kachoris are fried.

Place kachori on a serving dish. Make a hole in the center of each kachori. Spoon a few boiled potato, boiled mung beans or chick peas. Top it with a Tablespoon of beaten yogurt and 2 teaspoon sweet chutney and green chutney.  Sprinkle a little cumin powder and chili powder and 2 tablespoon sev over it.