Hing er Kochuri (Hinga ke Kachori)

Hing er Kochuri (Hinga ke Kachori) -

Hing er Kochuri is a famous Bengali style Kachori that is made in every Bong home and is also available over several street food store.

Make the Stuffing:

Soak 1 cup of Urad Dal/Kalai er Dal/Biulir Dal overnight in water.
Next morning forget that you have soaked urad dal.
Then in the afternoon when other folks in the house ask you why is there some dal soaking in a container, it all comes back. You have to grind the Dal. To make Hing er Kochuri.
All enthu, you put the dal in a blender along with
3 green chillies
1" ginger chopped
With aid of very little water, make a coarse paste. Not very coarse but not smooth like a Vada batter either.
Now you heat some mustard oil in a kadhai. I would suggest to use non-stick.
To the hot oil add -
1/4 tsp of Hing/Asafoetida
1 tbsp of grated ginger
1/4 tsp of ground fennel seeds
Add the dal/lentil paste that you made. Add salt to taste and a pinch of sugar. Mix well.
Now comes the part where you have to keep stirring like a maniac. Okay, maybe not maniac but still considerable stirring as the paste tries to stick to the kadhai. You might also have to add some more oil in the process.
Eventually your hard work will show some result. The paste will slowly start coming off from the sides and will get drier. It will also no longer taste or smell raw and will actually taste pretty good on eating. If it does not taste right, adjust the spices and keep stirring. Add little more Hing/Asafoetida if you feel the aroma is missing.
But take heart, this whole process takes a mere 20-30 minutes.
Once you have the stuffing, keep it aside and make the dough for the kochuri. You could also have made the dough earlier, while the dal was soaking and all but then such foresight is not my plus point.

Make the Dough:

In a wide mouthed bowl add
1 cup of AP Flour/Maida
1 cup of Whole Wheat
pinch of salt
1.5 tbsp of Vegetable Oil
With your fingers rub the oil in the flour. Then gradually add warm water to knead the dough until the dough is soft. Cover the dough with a damp towel and let it rest.

Note: You can also add a sprinkle of hing to the dough for a more Hing-y flavor.

Preparing Kachori:

Take a small ball of the dough. It might take 2-3 tries until you settle at the right size. The size should be like a gooseberry/amla. Roughly make about 20 dough balls out of this dough.
Dip the tip of the ball in oil and then flatten it between your palm.
Now roll it out to a 2" circle. Take a little of the stuffing and put it in the center. bunch up the sides of the dough disc now to form a purse like formation. With your fingers, close the top of the purse so that the stuffing does not come out. Flatten it between your palm and you are ready to roll.
Note: You can also stuff it the traditional way by making small dent in the flat disc, putting the stuffing in and then sealing the dough disc
Roll out the stuffed ball into small discs about 3" in diameter, same size and thickness as that of a luchi or poori. Well maybe a wee bit thicker than luchi
Heat enough oil for frying in a Kadhai. When the oil is hot, dip the rolled out disc to see if the oil bubbles. If it does, slowly release the disc in oil and press with a slotted spoon coaxing the kochuri to puff. Once the kochuri puffs up and takes a shad of pale brown, take it out and get ready for the next.
Note: Now honestly, I might write all the theory but this step takes some practice and mine fails to puff up 40% of the time. So it is okay. Even if it does not puff up, it tastes really delicious.

Serving:
Kochuri needs some Alu Torkari (Potato curry) and different homes make it different way. Another favorite to go with Kochuri is the Cholar dal, a hot favorite to be precise.