Moong Dal Kachori is an appetiser or snack that will tantalise your taste buds, as it is sweet, sour, spicy, salty and just plain delicious!
Not many people make kachori at home as it seems to be a tricky dish to prepare. But if you follow this video recipe, you'll learn the secrets of making this truly delicious snack!
The dough is made of flour that is roasted in the oven first. This amazing trick removes the moisture from the dough and starts the cooking process so that the dough doesn't taste 'doughy' when fried. It also helps make the kachori outer shell crispy.
The filling is made with moong dal and we add some mixed vegetables to keep the inside moist. Adding raw onions and sultanas also keeps the filling moist.
That's enough from me! Let's get you cooking this delightful dish!
Moong Dal Kachori Recipe (Makes 34 Kachori)
Cooking Time: 2 hours (approx)
Plus 20 minutes flour roasting time (left
overnight in oven)
INGREDIENTS:
Filling:
· 12oz / 1 ½ Cups / 340g Moong Dal
· 5oz / 1 Cup / 142g Frozen Mixed Veg. (peas, carrots, corn)
· ½ Cup / 4 fl. oz Water
· 4oz / ½ Cup / 113g 1 Medium Onion Finely Chopped
· 1oz / 5 tspn / 28g Caster Sugar
· 2 tspn Salt
· 1 ½ tspn Red Chili Powder
· ¾ tspn Cinnamon Powder
· ¼ tspn Clove Powder
· ½ Lime Juice
· ¼ Cup Sultanas (optional)
Tempering / Vaghar:
· 2 tbspn Oil
· 3 Cinnamon Sticks
· 6 Cloves
· ¼ tspn Mustard Seeds
· 1 tspn Cumin Seeds
Pastry:
· 1 lb / 3 1/3 Cups / 454g Plain Flour
· 1 Cup / 8 fl. oz Vegetable Oil
· 1 Cup / 8 fl. oz Water
· 1 tspn Salt
METHOD:
Pick over the moong dal to remove any foreign particles & small stones. Wash the moong dal several times, then leave it in a bowl covered by an inch of water. Let the moong dal soak for 8-10 hours or overnight.
Pre-heat the oven to 100º Celcius. Roast the flour in a baking tray for 20 minutes, then turn the oven off. Leave the tray in the oven to cool. Tip: do this the night before you make the kachori so it is ready to go!
The flour is baked like this to start the cooking process and remove any raw flour taste. It also helps to make the pastry very crispy when fried. When the flour is cooled, it will look lumpy. This is normal. Sieve the cooled flour.
Rinse and drain the soaked moong dal after 8-10 hours.
To prepare the filling, heat a pan on medium heat and add 2 tbspn oil. Let the oil heat up a bit, then add the cinnamon sticks and cloves. After they start to sizzle, add the mustard seeds. Let them pop, then add the cumin seeds. Fry for 3-4 seconds, then add the drained moong dal. Add 2 tspn salt and the mixed vegetables and stir. Then add ½ cup water and stir. Cover the pan and turn heat to low. Keep checking the mixture every 10 minutes or so until the dal is cooked. Add a small amount of water if needed. The dal is cooked when it goes completely flat when pressed between two fingers. Cooking times will vary depending on the size, age and origin of the moong dal. Don’t overcook it or add too much water as the mix will get lumpy. Once the dal is cooked, add the lime juice, sugar, sultanas and dry spices. Mix gently to incorporate and then let the mix cool completely.
To make the dough, sieve the flour that was heated in the oven. Add 1 tsp salt and sir it in. Heat 1 cup water and 1 cup oil in a pan and bring it to a boil. Be very careful as this may splatter. Once boiled, turn heat off. The oil and water will separate. Blend them together with a hand blender until it starts to look like milk. Add this gradually to the sieved flour, mixing with a spoon as the mixture will be hot. Continue to mix until all the oil & water mixture is mixed with the flour to make a soft dough. Do not knead the dough. Instead massage the dough until the sides of the bowl are clean (see video). Then cover the dough with the tray used to bake the flour and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.
When the dal is cooled, remove the cinnamon sticks and the cloves. It is not pleasant to bite into a whole clove when eating a kachori. Add the chopped onions and mix.
Take a tablespoon of the mix in your hand and press it into a ball the size of a golf ball. Do this with all the mix. You should get about 32-36 balls. Keep them to one side.
Take the same size ball of dough and roll it between your palms to make a smooth ball. Then flatten it with three fingers until it is about 3 inches in diameter. Place a moong dal ball in the center of this and stretch the dough around the filling until it is completely covered. Smooth out any creases. Roll the covered kachori ball in your palms until it is completely smooth. Do this with all the balls.
Heat some oil in a pan on medium heat to deep fry the kachori. The oil will be hot enough when a small piece of dough rises immediately when thrown into the oil. Before you place the kachori ball in the hot oil, flatten it slightly in your hands. This allows you to fry it evenly on both sides. Place the flattened kachori ball in the oil and fry it for about 7 mins, turning after every minute. Drain the kachori on a paper towel. Enjoy hot!
The kachori can be refridgerated for up to a week or frozen for three months. To reheat, bring to room temperature and then microwave on a paper towel for 30 seconds.
Enjoy!
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