Khasta Kachori

KHASTA KACHORI

(Deep-fried crispy pastry filled with savoury lentils)

Ingredients-

For filling-

1 cup green mung dal/green gram,soaked for 4 hours

2 tbsp split black lentils/urad dal,soaked for 4 hours

1 tsp carom seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

1/3 tsp turmeric powder

1 pinch aesfotida

2 tsp amchur powder/dried mango powder

2 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp garlic paste

3 tsps sugar

salt to taste

For pastry dough-

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tbsp rice flour

1 tbsp clarified butter/oil

a pinch of salt

lukewarm water for kneading dough

oil for deep frying

Method-

Boil the lentils half way cooked. Drain and cool.

In a food processor add the green and black lentils, and blend to a coarse paste.

In a pan heat a tbsp of oil and add cumin seeds. Once they splutter add ginger-garlic paste,aesfotida,turmeric,fennel seeds,amchur powder,red chilli powder and sugar.Mix well.

Add the ground lentils. Season with salt to taste.

Cook this mixture for about a miunte, so that there is no trace of any moisture in the filling.

In another bowl, take the flour, rice flour and add salt & clarified butter. Mix together to form a crumbly dough like that of a short crust pastry. Using water knead into a soft pliable dough.Let it rest for few minutes.

Pinch out a ping-pong ball sized dough and spread out on a flat surface with your fingers to form a small disc of say 2″ in diameter. Add spoonful of the prepared filling, hold the edges together and join them with your hand, pull it out with your index finger and thumb.Pinch out the extra dough and roll the ball slightly between your hands.

Do the same with the rest of the dough.