Raj kachori

Raj kachori

Raj Kachori, as the name suggests, lives up to its royal reputation with an abundance of stuffing, offering a mouthful of flavors – sweet, tangy, and spicy all at once.

Traditionally larger in size, I opted for medium-sized kachoris to use them for small sev poori chaat and golgappes. Making a sizable batch allowed me to store them for satisfying chaat cravings.

For a spicy kick, I incorporated mint, green chillies, and coriander, giving the kachoris a dark color while ensuring an outstanding taste! These kachoris can be enjoyed on their own as a simple tea-time snack or stored to create delicious and mouthwatering Raj Kachoris.

Raj kachori

Ingredients:

 2 cups sooji/rava/semolina

1/4 cup  whole wheat flour or maida
3 tbsp paste of dhaniya, green chilies and mint with a pinch of salt. (optional ,  skip adding  the paste to the dough  and prepare normal plain kachoris)
salt to taste
3 tbsp oil to make dough
Oil for deep frying.

For the Stuffing:

3 boiled potatoes
1/2 cup boiled moong or chana 
10-15 papdis
10-15 dahi pakodis ( optional )
2 cup whisked curd
2 tsp roasted ground cumin powder
1/2 tsp powdered pepper
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 cup sweet chutney ( dates and tamrind chutney)
1/2 cup dhaniya chilly chutney ( green chutney)
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1/2 cup bhujia sev ( can be readymade , easily available )
1/2 cup chopped dhaniya leaves.

Method:

• Make  a tight dough with semolina, oil, and whole wheat flour , paste of coriander and mint  , with salt and some sprinkles of water. 

• Cover and keep for 1/2 hour 

• Now make small balls of the dough  and roll out individually thick poori like circle s or cut out circles from a dough rolled out on a counter.

•  Much easier to make a small rectangle or dough rolled out and pooris can be cut out with a steel lid or cutter. 

• Deep fry in oil and make sure to press the poori while it is frying to get a good puff. Drain well, let it cool. When completely cool you will notice the kachoris very firm and crisp, break off the top a bit, add the fillings and serve. 

• To assemble, break off the top slightly, add some cooked potatoes, moong or chana, papdis, dahi pakodis, and the powders, with chutneys, curd  drizzled. 

• Garnish liberaly with sev, pomegranate seeds, and coriander leaves.   Papdi recipe:

1 cup whole wheat  flour
1/2 cup maida
salt to taste
2 tbsp hot oil
1 tsp carom seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
oil for deep frying.

Method

•  First mix all dry ingredients well and use the hot oil t o mix with the powders well by rubbing so that the flour is well coated with hot oil. 

• Make a firm dough with very little water and let it rest for half an hour. 

• Then roll out the dough on a clean counter . 

• Roll out the dough to slight thickness , thicker than poori, use a cookie cutter or a steel lid to cut out circles, use a fork to make the small holes in each circle, so that the papdis when fried will not puff up. Deep fry on medium heat and remove when golden.  

  Green chutney

2 cups finely chopped mint leaves
1 cup washed cut coriander leaves
1 onion.
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp sugar
4-6 green chillies
salt to taste.

Method

Mix all the ingredients and blend to smooth paste
Refrigerate till required.

Sweet chutney

1 1/2 cups tamrind
1 cup jaggery
2 tsp roasted powdered cumin 
1/2 tsp black salt
1 tsp chaat masala
1 tbsp ginger powder
1 tsp garam masala
2 tsp red chilli powder

Method

Boil tamarind with 2 cups water, strain the liquid.
Add the cumin powder, salt, red chili powder, ginger powder, garam masala,jaggery and boil once more till lightly  thickened,  till jaggery is completely melted.
Remove and store when cooled.
Recipe for making Dahi Pakodis ( recipe from Tarla Dalal)

Dahi pakodis

1 cup besan / gram flour
1 medium onion finely chopped
pinch of pepper powder
some garlic crushed ( optional)
salt to taste
some curry leaves
pinch of baking soda
oil for deep frying.

Other ingredients

some fresh thick yogurt
Juice of one lemon.
1 tbsp chopped green chillies
1 tsp grated ginger

Method

• Mix all ingredients given in first order  for making pakodis,deep fry in oil.Drain and let it cool,

• meanwhile keep yogurt whisked,add a pinch of salt, chopped chillies, grated  ginger.

• Add juice of 1 lemon. Keep aside for an hour.

• Dip in cold water, press the pakodis with palms to remove excess water and dip into thick whisked yogurt which we prepared  earlier.

• Serve immediately.

Raj kachori