Kachoris are popular all over India. They taste delicious with a cup of tea or coffee. Kachoris are versatile and can be enjoyed at breakfast, as a mid morning snack or at tea time. There are some people who like to make it their lunch or dinner. They taste wonderful as an assembled chaat and can be served as mini snacks or finger eats at all celebration parties. They make excellent travel food as well as dry working lunch. There are so many varieties of kachoris… They can be sweet as well as savory too. You can be creative and stuff them with your favorite fillings.
Today’s post is Mutter ki Kachori which is filling and super tasty. Kachoris are high in calories and not favored by people who are health and diet conscious. You can savor them in moderation even though you may not be satisfied with one! A good way of eating in moderation is by making mini kachoris. They are so yummy when made at home as you can use fresh ingredients and everyone knows that home fresh ones are the best! Enjoy… 😀
Ingredients for the Kachori Shell :
- 2 cups Maida (All Purpose Flour)
- 2 tbsp. Melted Ghee (Clarified Butter)
- Salt to taste
- Water (enough to knead)
- Refined Oil or Ghee for deep frying
To prepare the Dough :
Sift flour and salt together in a sufficiently large bowl.
Make a well in the centre and pour the melted ghee.
Rub the ghee into the flour until the flour resembles bread crumbs.
Knead the flour using a little water at a time to form a soft, pliable but firm dough.
Cover the dough with a damp cloth and set aside for about 10-15 mins.
Use this dough to prepare kachoris…
Ingredients for the Stuffing:
- 3 cups Green Peas (fresh or frozen)
- 2 tbsp. fresh Ginger-Garlic paste
- 2 fresh Green Chillies (ground to a paste)
- ¼ tsp. Red Chilli pwd. or to taste
- ½ cup Coconut (freshly scraped or dessicated) (optional)
- 1 tsp. Coriander pwd.
- ¼ tsp. Turmeric pwd.
- 2 tsp. Cumin Seeds
- A pinch or two of Asafoetida (Hing)
- 1 tsp. Garam Masala pwd.
- ¾ tsp. Amchur pwd. or to taste (optional)
- ¾ tsp. Chaat Masala
- 1 tbsp. Refined Oil or Ghee
- Salt to taste
Preparation of the Mutter (Green Peas) Stuffing :
If using fresh green peas, bring 4-5 cups of water with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp sugar to a boil.
Add peas to the boiling water and boil for 4-5 mins.
Let the peas sit in hot water for another 10-15 minutes.
Strain and place in a bowl.
Mash the peas lightly with a back of a big spoon or a masher.
Heat ghee/oil in a kadhai/wok; add asafoetida and cumin seeds.
Reduce the heat and add ginger-garlic paste, coriander powder and turmeric powder and fry for a minute.
Add the green chilli paste and fry again for a minute.
Add slightly mashed peas and freshly scraped or dessicated coconut to it and mix well.
Fry for 7-8 mins on low heat until it is almost dry.
It may take a little longer if you are using fresh coconut.
Add garam masala pwd., amchur pwd.,chaat masala pwd., red chilli pwd., salt to taste and fry for another 2 mins.
Take it off the heat and allow the mutter mixture to cool completely before using to make kachoris.
To shape Mutter Kachoris :
Take a lemon sized ball of dough and roll it into small discs.
Place 1 tbsp. of the prepared filling/stuffing and enclose the edges so as to form a ball.
Gently roll again into a disc/poori.
Make sure that it is not too thin or too thick and the filling does not spill out.
You may use your hands to form the kachoris if you are comfortable shaping them.
Prepare all the kachoris in this way and place on a tray.
To deep fry the Mutter Kachoris :
Heat a kadhai/wok with sufficient oil for deep frying the kachoris.
Heat the oil till medium hot.
Reduce the heat and then very gently release the prepared kachori in the oil.
Regulate the heat again to medium.
Gently baste the kachori with oil so as to enable it to puff up. Deep fry the kachoris very slowly. Keep flipping the kachori from time to time till they turn crisp and golden on both sides.
Drain the crisp kachori with a slotted spoon to remove the excess oil and place on absorbent paper.
Deep fry all kachoris in batches depending on the size of your kadhai/wok.
Do not over crowd or the kachoris may remain uncooked and soggy.
Serve hot or warm your favorite chutney a sprinkling of sev.
You may even assemble the kachori as a chaat.
You can even store them in an airtight container after they cool down completely.
Serving Suggestion :
To assemble & serve Mutter ki Kachori as a Chaat :
You can make palm sized large kachoris or small mini sized ones….
Place one or two kachoris on a serving plate.
Break the top of the puffed kachori as you would for pani puris.
Spoon in enough or generous amount of sweet tamarind date chutney (mithi chutney), green chutney and spiced whisked curds/yoghurt.
Top generously with finely chopped onions. Garnish with sev and freshly chopped coriander.
Serve immediately and enjoy! … 😀
