Kachori (कचौरी) — Flaky fried pastry stuffed with spiced moong dal

• 250 gall-purpose flour
• 4 gfine salt (about 3/4 tsp)
• 45 gghee (about 3 tbsp, melted and warm)
• 130 mlwater (add gradually; you may need 120–140 ml depending on flour)
• 150 gsplit yellow moong dal (skinned)
• 2 tspfennel seeds
• 2 tspcoriander seeds
• 1 tspcumin seeds
• 0.5 tspblack peppercorns
• 0.25 tspasafoetida (hing)
• 10 gginger (finely grated)
• 10 ggreen chili (finely chopped, about 2 small chilies)
• 0.5 tspturmeric powder
• 1 tspKashmiri red chili powder
• 1.5 tspamchur (dried mango powder)
• 4 ggranulated sugar (about 1 tsp)
• 900 mloil (neutral oil like peanut or sunflower, for deep frying)

Instructions

1. 1

   Rinse the moong dal under cool water until the water runs mostly clear. Soak it in plenty of water for 2 hours, then drain very well and pat dry so the filling stays crumbly rather than pasty.

2. 2

   Make the dough by mixing flour and salt in a bowl, then rubbing in the warm melted ghee until the mixture looks like coarse sand and holds a clump when pressed. Add water gradually and knead just until a firm, smooth dough forms; it should not be soft like roti dough, because a firmer dough helps create a flaky shell.

3. 3

   Cover the dough and rest it for 20 minutes at room temperature to relax the gluten. While it rests, keep the surface covered so it does not dry out and crack during shaping.

4. 4

   Coarsely grind the drained moong dal in a grinder or food processor to a gritty, sand-like texture; avoid making a wet paste. If it starts clumping, pulse in short bursts and scrape down the bowl so the grind stays dry and even.

5. 5

   Lightly toast fennel, coriander, cumin, and peppercorns in a dry pan for 60–90 seconds until fragrant, then cool for 2 minutes. Grind them to a coarse powder so the filling has aroma and crunch without turning dusty.

6. 6

   Heat 30 g ghee in a pan over medium heat and add cumin seeds; let them sizzle for 10 seconds, then add hing, ginger, and green chili and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the ground dal and cook 6–8 minutes, stirring constantly, until it looks drier, slightly toasted, and no longer smells raw.

7. 7

   Add turmeric, Kashmiri chili powder, amchur, salt, sugar, and the ground spice mix, then cook 2 more minutes to bloom the spices and fully dry the mixture. Cool the filling completely, because warm filling can steam the dough and cause leaks during frying.

8. 8

   Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces (about 35 g each) and roll them into smooth balls, keeping them covered. Divide the cooled filling into 12 portions (about 20–22 g each) and shape each into a compact ball so it sits neatly inside the dough.

9. 9

   Flatten one dough ball into a 7–8 cm disc, keeping the edges slightly thinner than the center. Place a filling ball in the middle, gather the edges up like a pouch, pinch to seal tightly, then gently flatten to a 6–7 cm round without rolling; repeat for all pieces and keep them covered.

10. 10

    Heat oil in a deep pot to 160–165°C; the oil should be moderately hot, not smoking, because kachori need time to puff and turn flaky. Fry 3–4 kachori at a time, gently pressing them with a slotted spoon for the first 20–30 seconds to encourage puffing, then fry 6–8 minutes total, turning occasionally, until deep golden and crisp.

11. 11

    Remove to a rack or paper-lined tray and let them rest 3 minutes so the crust sets and stays crisp. Serve hot or warm with chutneys, and keep the remaining batches at the same oil temperature for even color and texture.