Deep fried kachoris stuffed with all sorts of fiery filling are are huge hit on festivals. Holi is just around the corner and I made a batch over the weekend, these Kachoris last well for a few days and are an amazing snack or a full meal if you wish to. Kachori is a deep fried, unleavened, stuffed flatbread from northern parts of India and is usually filled with a stuffing of lentils, potatoes, onions or dry fruits(a sweet version) and they are quite popular on festivals.
Pyaz or onion stuffed kachoris are a famous street side snack from the State of Rajasthan in north western parts of India. Rajasthai food is high on spice levels, almost fiery, the desert terrain demands that kind of spice levels in cuisine since it helps survive the brutal heat of summers. These kachoris are no exception. There are full pf punch of spices and I serve them with a hot lehsun mirch ki chutney (garlic- red chilli chutney) which takes them to next level. So so good with a cup of chai for evening snack or brunch on weekends.
The stuffing is made with a full head of onion or two to which fresh ground masalas are added and a little potato for binding. The onion filling is super flavorful with generous dose of hing and coarsely ground cumin, fennel and coriander. If you wish, a knob of this filling is so good even on sandwiches or with parathas. YUM!
Keep the below things in mind when you make kachoris:-
- The dough should not be too tight or too sticky. We need a firm pliable dough with good amount of moyan(the oil/ghee/shortening that is added to dough while kneading so that the kachoris come out flaky. Keep in mind that the dough is softer than poori dough.
- Rest the dough for 30 minutes after kneading. In the meantime you can make the stuffing.
- Fry the kachoris on low heat. Don’t fry on high heat else they want cook inside and will not all all be flaky.
- A good indicator of a well made kachoris is that their skins are golden brown and have no to few bubbles, this is achieved by patient frying on low medium heat.
- When you make the stuffing, don’t brown the onions, we just want the moisture to dry out but we don’t want them to be jammy. They should have a bite. I usually mix in a little bit of raw chopped onions so as to pronounce the onion flavor and texture.
Rajasthani Pyaz Ki Kachori
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls, Saute Pan, Deep Pot/Kadhai for frying
Ingredients
For The Kachoris
- 1.5 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp ajwain seeds
- 1/2 tsp nigella seeds
- 5-6 tbsp vegetable shortening ,substitute with oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup water (I used 10 tbsp) ,water should not be cold
- Oil for frying
For The Onion Stuffing
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp black pepeprcorn (adjust to taste)
- 1/2 tbsp fennel seeds
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1/2 tsp hing
- 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
- 1 tbsp besan
- 1 large onion (yield 1.5 cups chopped onions) dont chop the onions too fine
- 2 small potatoes, boiled and peeled
- 2 green chillies, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp tumeric powder
- Red chilli powder ,to taste
- 1/2 tsp amchoor powder
- Salt ,to taste
For Lehsun Mirch Chutney
- 2 heads (20-25) garlic cloves peeled
- 4-5 dried red chillies (or use fresh red chillies)
- 1 tsp oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp vinegar ,adjust to taste
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Make the Kachori Dough
- Combine all the dough ingredients except water in a deep bowl/parat. Mix and rub the flour with palms and finger till you are able to form a loose ball of flour(thsi makes sure that the moyan is right and the kachoris will be flaky).
- Start adding water slowly and kneading into a soft pilable dough. Your water quantity might be different than mine since different flours have different absoprtion quality. Knead well for 4 to 5 minutes.Cover and let the dough rest for 20 minutes. It will loosen a bit and will be easy to work with.
Make the Onion Stuffing
- In a small sauce pan, dry roast the whole spices- coriander, cumin & black peppecorns. Cool a bit and grind coarsely. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wide pan. Add asafetida to the oil and chopped 1.25 cups onions. Sprinkle 1/4 tso salt. Keep the heat on medium high and saute the onions for 3-5 minutes untill you see that they are transculent but not mushy or cooked. Dont lower the heat else the onions will get watery. Dont let the onions brown. Cook till the moisture is dry.
- Add ginger, green chillies, tumeric and red chilli powder next. Saute for a 3-4minutes.
- Add potatoes, crumble them in the pan as you add, add besan, mango powder and salt to taste.
- Mix well, and mash potatoes using back of the spoon. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add the 1/4 cup chopped onion and mix well. Cool down completely.
Make the Kachoris
- Divide the rested dough into 8-10 equal portions. Set aside a small portion of dough to test the oil.
- Roll out each portion of the dough into a 2.5-3 inch diameter circle.
- Place 2-3 tbsp of the onion filling in the center.PInch the extra dough as you close the parcel.
- Press gently and pat with hands to flatten the kachori, try to make the edges a bit thin.
- Prick the kachoris 1-2 times with a fork. Keep all the kachoris ready before you start frying.
- Heat 2-3 inches of oil in a wide pot/kadai over medium-high heat till you see ripples on the surface.
- Turn the heat to medium-low and wait for 2-3 minutes. to check the temperature of oil, add a pinch of dough, it should noty come up to surface sizzling (oil is too hot). If it comes very slowly(oil is cold). It should rise to the surfce slowly(not very slowly)
- Slowly slide 2-3 kachoris at a time into the hot oil. Dont crowd the oil.
Make The Chuntey
- Soak the dried red chillies in 1/4 cup hot water for 15 mins. Skip this step if using fresh chillies.
- Place the garlic, vingear, salt and soaked chillies in a blender. Blend to a smooth paste using soaking water as need. Keep pasty dont make too runny.
- Heat oil in small pan, temper with cumin seeds, add the chutney paste. Mix and cook for 6-8 minutes. Store refrigerated for 2 weeks.
These look tasty indeed!