For years I have been wanting to make the UP walli Khasta Kachori and this recipe from a friend’s mum is really the BOMB. Bookmark the post NOW.
This year on Holi I made Khasta Kachoris for the first time ever. Can you believe it I have never ever made them before?
If you have been reading my blog for some time, you know that I have been eating and cooking my way through grief. When dad left us suddenly I didn’t know how to reach and I found my solace in food. In eating the dishes he loved, in cooking his favorite meals. Somethings continued to be out of reach though and kachoris were one of them.
I think if there was one food dad loved the most it was khasta kachoris. I have very very fond memories of him bringing us kachori’s from the neighborhood halwai every once in a while. From the time I was little to the last few weeks of his life, if you suddenly asked him to get breakfast from outside his answer would always be – khasta kachori.
Even when we told him “Dad, not today please”, he would try and bring them back to discussion somehow. A couple of months before he passed away, he was down with Herpes for a few weeks. His appetite was down and he could hardly even eat or digest the bland food mum was cooking for him. But then one day he woke up and said he “I want to eat Kachori”. I remember mum being angry and confused, but he took off on his scooter as usual and got a couple of them. And surprise surprise, he actually ate them! That is how much he loved khasta kachori.
I gathered courage this Holi and made his favorite meal, smiled to myself a little and then cried a little. But in the end, it was one of the most satisfying meals of some time. And after I posted the picture on Instagram, so many of you asked the recipe so here it is along with a bit of my heart.
Serve your Khasta Kachoris with Dubki Walle aloo and Methi ki khaati methi chutney for the best Sunday brunch ever!
If you make this, share a picture with me on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook? I would love to hear what you have to say about it!
Best Recipe for UP walli Khasta Kachori
Ingredients
For the kachori dough
- 2 cups all purpose flour / maida
- 1/4 cup ghee
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup water approximately
For the stuffing
- 1/2 cup moong dal
- 2 tsp ghee
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/4 tsp heeng Asafoetida
- 1/2 tsp Saunth powder Dry Ginger powder
- 1/2 tsp Jeera powder Cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp amchoor powder Dry mango powder
For frying
- Oil/Ghee
Instructions
How to make the kachori dough
- To make the dough first mix flour, salt and ghee using your fingertips. It should assemble breadcrumbs just like when you are making a pie
- Add 1/2 cup water and knead the dough. The dough needs to be hard and tough yet smooth. Use the rest of 1/4 cup water if needed.
- Cover the dough with wet cloth and let it rest for about an hour
How to make the filling
- Wash and soak moong dal for 3-4 hours. Drain well and grind to a coarse paste.
- In a heavy bottom pan, heat ghee. Add heeng & turmeric and saute for a minute.
- Add the moong dal along with rest of the spices and cook on low heat for 4-5 minutes. Continously stir the mixture so that it doesn't get burned. Set aside for cooling slightly
How to assemble Kachoris
- Divide the rested dough in 10 parts, shape them in balls and keep aside for another 10 minutes.
- Slightly roll each ball stuff it with generous amount of filling and seal it well. Very lightly press it into a flat disc or roll just a little bit to flatten.
- Heat oil in a kadhai and drop 2-3 kachoris at one time. Once you have added the kachoris to the oil, reduce the heat and fry till kachori is crisp and brown on both sides.
- Serve hot with dubki walle aloo or even chutney.
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