Recipe- Mouthwatering Pyaz Ki Kachori

Rajasthani Pyaz Ki Kachoris are the famous snack or breakfast item from the state of Rajasthan in India. Those of you who don’t know about kachoris, these are a kind of deep-fried handmade pastry with spicy fillings of potato, lentil or onions. Many compare these to handmade pies but I feel the crispy and flaky texture of the kachoris is much more like Puff Pastry. Pyaaz ki Kachoris are filled with a spicy filling of onions in Indian spices with potato and chickpea as the base.

Ingredients

Whole Wheat flour/All Purpose Flour(Maida)-2 Cups
Ghee or Butter- 2-3 tbsp
Caraway Seeds(Ajwain)- 1/2 Tsp
Salt- 1Tsp or as required
Chilled water for kneading the dough
Onion finely chopped- 1 big
Boiled Potato/ Aloo- 1(medium)
Chickpea Flour/Besan- 2 Tbsp
Green Chilies-1-2
Cumin Seeds- 1 Tsp
Fennel/Saunf Seeds-1 Tsp
Red Chilli Powder- 1Tsp
Dry Mango Powder- 1 Tsp
Dry Ginger Powder- 1/2 Tsp
Asafoetida- A pinch
Salt to taste
Yogurt – 1 cup
Chickpea flour- 2 Tbsp
Cumin seeds-1/2 Tsp
Asafoetida- a pinch
Turmeric Powder- 1/4 Tsp
Red Chilli Powder-1/2 Tsp or as per taste
Salt to taste

Method

* Take whole wheat flour, caraway seeds and salt. Mix well.

* Add oil in flour and rub it well, till the flour resembles breadcrumbs. This is known as ‘moin’. The flour should come together when taken in hand.

* Knead the dough with water to a soft dough. Don’t knead it tight.

* Cover the dough keep aside for at least 20 minutes.

* Dry roast the coriander seeds and fennel seeds. Grind coarsely in a motor pestle and keep aside. You can use fennel powder and coriander powder also. Take 1/2 Tsp each.

* Dry roast chickpea flour/besan in a pan and keep aside.

* To prepare the filling, in a pan heat oil and add asafoetida, cumin seeds.

* When seeds crackle, add onions and saute till light pink. Add the dry spice powder coriander-fennel powder, red chili powder, dry mango and ginger powder.

* Add roasted chickpea flour and mashed boiled potatoes. Add salt to taste. Mix well and saute for a minute.

* Cool the filling and make small tennis sized balls.

* Take the dough and divide into small equal sized portions.

* Flatten the dough with fingers, put the filling portion and seal the dough as shown in the pic.

* Similarly, fill and roll out all the portions of the dough. Keep all the kachoris covered.

* Heat oil in a kadhai or heavy bottomed pan.

* To fry the kachoris the oil should be warm, not hot. To check the correct temperature of oil, drop a small portion of dough into it should sizzle and rise slowly not immediately. The temperature of oil is very important as if the oil is very hot, kachori covering will cook from outside only and the inside will remain raw.

* Drop 3-4 kachoris in oil and fry on slow flame. The secert to bubble free kachoris is frying on low flame.

* Fry all the kachoris till light brown.

* Serve hot with green chutney, tamarind chutney and kadhi.

* In a bowl, take yogurt add chickpea flour, turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt. Add a cup of water and mix well till no lumps remain.

* Heat oil in a pan or kadhai, add asafoetida and cumin seeds. When seeds crackle, add the yogurt-chickpea mixture and stir it for 2-3 minutes to avoid curdling.

* Cook kadhi for 4-5 minutes till it starts to thicken. This kadhi is quite runny as, unlike the Punjabi Kadhi that is made in other northern parts of India.

* Take off the flame and re-heat it when serving with kachori.