Onion Kachori/Pyaz ki Kachori

The International Food Challenge chose to cook up some Indian fare for this month. Indian cuisine has a wide variety of regional spread. The recipes are chosen from the Marwad Cuisine and is hosted by Manjula.

We had many recipes to try from. Though I would have loved to try all the recipes, I chose to make one kachori and one halwa. I do plan to try out some other recipe, maybe a little later.

Kachori is one of my favourite snack items and I never miss to have one when we go out to chaat shops. There was this particular shop in Hyderabad, which sold really delicious kachoris. And though the shop was not very near to our house, most weekends, we would go all the way to that shop specifically to have the kachoris. The kachoris were very spicy though and my kids never had them.

So now when I got a chance to try them at home, I did not want to miss it. Also, I made them medium spicy so that my kids also could taste them. So adjust the red chilly powder according to your spice level tolerance. I was pretty happy with my first attempt on Kachoris.

Makes around - 6 t0 8 kachoris

What you'll need

1. All Purpose Flour/Maida – 1.5 cup
2. Salt to taste
3. Oil – 2.5 tbps
4. Water to knead

For the filling

1. Onion – 2 Medium sized, finely chopped
2. Fennel – ½ tsp
3. Coriander Powder – ½ tsp
4. Cumin Powder – ¼ tsp
5. Red Chilly Powder – ½ tsp
6. Coriander Leaves – 2 tbsp, finely chopped
7. Salt to taste
8. Oil – 2 tsp

Oil to Deep fry

Method

To make the dough

1. In a wide bowl, add the flour, salt and oil and rub well with your fingers until everything is well incorporated.
2. Now add water little by little and knead into a semi soft, non sticky dough.
3. Knead for 7 to 8 mins to make the dough smooth and pliable.
4. Cover with a muslin cloth, so that it doesn’t dry up and keep aside.

To make the filling

1. Heat a Kadai with 2 tsp oil.
2. Add fennel seeds, next add the onions and sauté till brown.
3. Next add the spice powders, salt and mix well. Saute for another minute.
4. Remove from heat. Add the chopped coriander leaves and mix.
5. Allow to cool completely.

To make the kachori

1. Pinch out a big lemon sized ball of the dough, roll out the dough into a small disc.
2. Place a tbsp of the filling in the centre and gather the edges, to seal the filling and remove any excess dough.
3. Roll out this into a small discs, very gently, taking care that the mixture doesn’t come out.
4. Repeat this with the remaining dough.
5. Heat oil for deep frying, make sure oil is not smoking hot, it should be only medium hot.
6. Deep fry the kachoris in batches of 2 or 3, cook on low flame for about 10 to 15 minutes.
7. Drain and serve with chutneys of your choice or as it is.

Note:

1. Deep frying on low flame for a long time is the key to getting crisp and perfectly cooked kachoris. So don’t hurry and cook on high flame. The kachoris will turn dark from outside and will not be cooked from inside.