Khasta Kachori

Khasta Kachori -

Khasta Kachori is a delicious, spicy, fried puff pastry. Kachoris are great as an appetizer or as part of a festive meal for any occasion.

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 cup All Purpose flour (plain flour or maida)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons oil
1/4 cup chilled water more or less as needed

Filling:

1/4 cup yellow moong dal (available Indian grocery stores)
1 teaspoon fennel seeds coarsely grinded (saunf)
1 teaspoon coriander seeds coarsely grinded (dhania)
1 teaspoon red chilly flakes
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
1/2 teaspoon mango powder (amchoor)
Pinch of asafetida (hing)
1/2 teaspoon salt (adjust to your taste)
1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons water
Oil to deep fry

Method:

To make crust:

Mix the flour, salt and oil.
Add the chilled water slowly, mixing with your fingers as you pour.
Do not knead the dough. The dough should be soft.
Cover the dough and let it sit for at least fifteen minutes.

To make filling:

Grind the moong dal dry, almost to a powder.
Mix one tablespoon of oil to the ground dal in a frying pan and roast over medium heat for about two to three minutes or until dal changes color slightly. Stir continuously.
Turn off the heat. Add all the spices mix well. Let the mixture cool off.
Add two tablespoons of warm water and mix it well. Let it sit for ten minutes and cover with demp cloth.

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 then edges.
Mold the dough into a cup and place 1 teaspoon 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. Using the base of your palm, slowly flatten them into 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. 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

Tips:

Don’t roll the kachoris with a rolling pin. Rolling pins can create small holes in the dough
that let the oil seep into the kachoris, and they can also cause the kachoris
to come out with one side thicker than the other.

Variation: 

Instead of using moong dal, you can use washed urad dal or chana dal. The rest of the recipe stays the same.

Serving suggestions:

Kachoris can be served plain, with Tamarind Chutneys, chola, or with Aloo Dum, Serve them as a chat, pouring plain yogurt and chutney on top.