Rajsthani Khasta Kachori

I have been craving for khasta kachori for long time. I remembered the days when I used to reach railway station and there was this shop outside it. They used to sell all sorts of street food.

Me and my friends used to enjoy occasional khasta kachori treats. They had real big size kachori which I could hardly finish. The taste is still lingering in my memory with hot and sweet chutney and little yogurt and sev on top. It was just what you want after finishing hard day at college.

I decided to give it a go at home. This was my first attempt at khasta kachori and it turned out pretty well. It was as khashta as I had expected. It is also very easy to make.

Makes about 10 to 12 kachori
Ingredients:
Plain flour: 1 cup
Oil: 2 table spoon
Salt to taste
Chilled water: 1/4 cup

For filling:
Yellow mung dal: 1/4 cup
Fennel seed powder: 1tbs
Coriander seed powder: 1tbs
Dry mango powder: 1/2 tbs
Chili flakes: 1tbs (take more if you like hot)
Ginger powder: 1/2 tbs
Asafoetida: pinch
Garam masala: 1/2 tbs
Salt to taste
Oil: 2 tbs
Water: 2-3 tbs

Oil to fry

Preparation:
Mix plain flour with oil and salt and add water slowly to make dough. Keep aside for 15-20minutes.

Crush yellow mung dal into coarse powder. Somewhat like medium semolina or idli rava. Add fennel seed powder, coriander seed powder, chili flakes, dry mango powder, ginger powder, asafoetida, garam masala and salt and mix well.

Add oil and mix well.

Dry roast for 3-4 minutes on low-medium flame and allow flavours to come out. Notice the color change.

Add 1tbs of water at a time and mix well. Mixture should be slightly moist. Set aside for 5minutes.

Knead the plain flour dough for 2-3 minutes and divide it into 10-12 equal parts.

Take one dough ball and using hand make small round shaped patty such a way sides are thinner than the center.

Keep it in your palm and place the mung dal filling roughly 1 tea spoon. Gently cover the sides and repeat the same for all balls.

Let the ball dry for 3-4 minutes.

We will press the kachori using our palm. This is to avoid uneven surface or breaking of kachori. Place the filled ball on flat surface.
Using end of your end of the palm press it to make small round flat kachori just as shown in the picture.
Heat the oil on slow flame. To fry the kachori we will be using medium hot oil. To test the temperature, add a small piece of dough in the oil. If the dough piece comes up straight away oil is too hot and if dough ball seats at the bottom of the pan, oil is not hot enough. The right temperature is when dough piece comes up floating slowly on the surface.

Add one kachori at a time and allow it to fluff up. Leave it in the oil for 3-4 minutes and turn the sides. Cook like this until each side is golden brown. Fry the number of kachoris that will fit nicely in your frying pan.

My pan takes up to 3 kachoris.
You can enjoy it as it is with any chutney of your taste. Suggestion: imali chutney.
Or you can spice it up bit more by making a hole in the middle of kachori and fill it up with boiled channa/ sprounted mung, yogurt (salted/sweetened), imali chutney, coriander chutney, sev, chaat masala.
This is also called as raj kachori short form of Rajsthani khasta kachori.