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Urad Dal Kachori
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Urad Dal Kachori

Dal kachori is a delicacy from north India. Dal kachori is a spicy puffed pastry. Traditionally kachories are sold at HALWAI (a sweet and snack shop). Today, I will use urad dal lentils (skinned black gram) for the inside filling. These mouthwatering Dal kachories can be served as a snack, chaat or part of main meal, making the meal exotic.
Course Appetizer, Bread
Cuisine Indian
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

Dough

  • 1 cup All Purpose flour (plain flour or maida)
  • 1 tablespoon fine sooji (semolina)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons ghee / clarified butter
  • 1/4 cup lukewarm water

Filling

  • 1/4 cup washed urad dal lentils (skinned black gram)
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seeds coarsely grinded (saunf)
  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds coarsely grinded (dhania)
  • 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon mango powder (amchoor)
  • 1/4 teaspoon asafetida (hing)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (adjust to your taste)
  • 1 tablespoon ghee / clarified butter

Also need oil to fry

Instructions

To Make Dough

  • Mix the flour, semolina, salt and ghee. Add water slowly to make dough. Dough should be firm but pliable. Cover the dough and let it sit for at least fifteen minutes.

To make filling

  • Boil dal in about 2 cups of water, until dal is soft not mushy. Drain the access water.
  • Heat the ghee (clarified butter) over low medium heat add all the spices for filling fennel, coriander, red chili, mango powder, asafetida and salt, stir and add boiled dal.
  • Stir continuously, and keep pressing dal, until water from dal has evaporated, notes, dal should not be powdery.
  • Turn off the heat. Let the mixture cool off.

To make the Kachoris

  • Take the dough and knead it for a minutes. Divide the dough in twelve equal parts.
  • Take one part of the dough and with your fingers flatten the edges and make into 3-inch circle. Leaving center little thicker than edges.
  • Mold the dough into a cup and place about 2 teaspoons of filling in the center. Pull the edges of the dough to wrap the dal filling. Proceed to make all 12 balls.
  • Let the filled ball sit for three to four minutes before rolling.
  • Set the kachoris on a surface with the seams facing up. Roll it slowly about three inches in diameter.
  • Heat the oil in frying pan over medium heat frying pan should have about one inch of oil. To check if oil is ready put a little piece of dough in the oil. Dough should sizzle, and come up very slow.
  • Fry them on medium-low heat. After they start to puff, slowly turn them over. Fry until golden-brown on both sides. This should take about five minutes. If the kachoris are fried on high heat, they will get soft and will not be crispy.
  • Kachories can be stored for at least a week in an airtight container.

Notes

If kachories get soft warm up the kachoris in an oven on 200 degree F for about 7 to 10 minutes, this will bring back the freshness and crispyness.
Serving suggestion: serve them plain, or with tamarind chutney and yogurt as chaat, or serve the kachories as main meal and serve them with aloo dum