Hey! Wishing everyone a healthy, happy and prosperous Diwali! 😀

As many of you must be hustling in the kitchen preparing goodies to share with your friends and family, I have few last minutes Diwali special sweet recipes here and here which you can make in  bulk and store.

Sharing sweet treats with your loved ones  is a common practice observed during festivities but this time I decided to add a savory item to the list. This year I am breaking the sweet only tradition by making this delicious “Khasta Kachori” which makes for a mouth-watering appetizer.

“Khasta” actually means “flaky” in texture and “kachori” resembles a fried puff pastry.  It is filled with a delicious spicy moong dal filling  and deep fried on a low flame so that it cooks through to get a nice crunch.

A perfect “Khasta Kachori” is flaky on the outside but hollow inside.  The hollow part can be filled with yogurt, tamarind chutney, coriander chutney, sev (small pieces of crunchy noodles) and a light sprinkle of Chaat Masala.

It does take a minute to make these, as it involves kneading the dough and letting it rest but the efforts are totally worth it.

Hope you enjoy making it as much as I did and share your proud dish on Instagram or Facebook. 🙂

 

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook time: 8 -10 minutes
Serves: 8 Kachori pieces
Served: With yogurt, tamarind & coriander chutney

Ingredients

Dough

1 cup All Purpose flour
3/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
3 Tbsp melted Ghee
2/3 cup water more or less as needed
Oil to deep fry

Filling

1/4 cup yellow moong dal (available Indian grocery stores)
1 tsp fennel powder (saunf)
1 tsp coriander powder (dhania)
2 tsp red chilly powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp Salt or to taste
1/4 tsp ginger powder
2 tsp mango powder (amchoor)
Pinch of asafoetida (hing)
1/2 teaspoon salt (adjust to your taste)
2-3 tablespoons water (consistency resembles wet sand)

Serving Suggestion (1 piece)
2 Tbsp Yogurt
2 tsp tamarind Chutney
2 tsp coriander Chutney
1/2 tsp Chaat Masala
2 tsp Sev (small pieces of crunchy noodles)
Coriander for garnish

Method

Filling:
1. Dry roast moong dal till it becomes brownish red while continuously stirring it on a medium flame.
2. Let it cool for about 10 minutes and then coarsely grind it.
3. To this add the ingredients listed under filling section.
4. Gradually add water, one tablespoon at a time and give it a good mix. Do that until you achieve wet sand like consistency.

To Make Dough
1.Mix the all purpose, wheat flour, salt and slowly add ghee mixing it well one tablespoon at a time. Give it a good massage and add baking soda and water and knead the dough till it is stiff.
2. Add water slowly and gradually and continue kneading for 8 to 10 minutes. Make sure to knead dough on a flat surface as opposed to a bowl. This gives the flexibility to move your hands freely so that our dough gets the desired smooth texture.
3. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes under a damp cloth.
4. After 10 minutes, knead it for about a minute and roll it into a cylindrical shape.
5. Divide it into 8 parts.
6. Lightly flatten the dough with the help of a rolling pin and fill in it about a spoonful of filling.
7. Pinch the sides and seal the filling inside completely. While you are doing this make sure to use a damp cloth to cover the remaining dough.
8. While you continue filling and sealing the rest of the dough balls, start heating oil on a low flame in a deep bottom vessel.
9. I added four kachoris in one batch but you can add more or less depending upon the size of your vessel.
10.Fry until golden-brown on both sides. Fry them patiently for about 10 – 12 minutes until they turn brown, on a low flame, slowly increasing the flame from low to medium for the last 2 minutes. After they start to puff, gently, turn them over.
11. Remove and place them on a paper towel.

Serving:
Lightly tap inside the flaky kachori and make it hollow. Add yogurt, tamarind chutney, coriander chutney and chat masala as per your taste and preference.
Enjoy this savory snack on the auspicious occasion of Diwali with your loved ones.

They can be stored for at least a week in an airtight container.

Recipe inspiration for this savory treat was taken from the video here, I followed the recipe to the last detail with few tweaks of my own.