Indian cuisine · Dough, Pasta & Rice

Kachori

Round pastries with a spiced mung dal filling, slowly deep-fried to golden brown for extra crunch.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 300g flour
• 60ml oil
• 150g yellow mung dal (or yellow split lentils)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp amchur (dried mango powder)
• 1 piece ginger (2cm)
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
• 1/2 tsp asafoetida (hing)
• 1L oil for frying
• Salt

Instructions

1. Soak the mung dal in cold water for 3 hrs., drain and grind coarsely – never finely – in a blender; grate the ginger.
2. Rub the flour with the oil and 1 tsp salt until the mixture clumps together between your fingers, then knead with 120ml water into a firm dough and let rest covered for 30 min.
3. Toast the cumin, fennel and coarsely crushed coriander seeds in 2 tbsp oil for 30 sec. until they pop, add the asafoetida and ginger, and dry-fry the dal mixture for 6–8 min. until crumbly.
4. Stir in the chili powder, amchur and salt, let the filling cool completely and divide into twelve equal portions.
5. Pinch off twelve balls of dough, press each into a hollow, add a portion of filling, seal carefully and gently flatten into 6cm discs.
6. Deep-fry at just 140°C for 8 min. first, then at 170°C for another 4–5 min. until golden brown, drain and serve warm with tamarind chutney.