Matar ke Kachori

My sasural city is known for Kachoris. The best kachoris in the whole of Rajasthan are made in Kota. 

They say there is something in the water and the soil of Kota. 

I did not know the meaning of it until much later, when I became involved with food more as a passion and then later as a profession. 

Whenever we visit home, B and I have a favourite jaunt .... we go out very early in the wee hours of the mornings to our favourite kachori centers. 
And gorge on the super hot, freshly fried kachoris .... just out of the hot oil and resting in huge jhuris.  
One day it would be the moong ke kachoris, pyaz kachoris on the next.
And then it will be the matar kachoris winters. 

Super hot, beautifully fragrant with the best hing and spices and very very crisp. 
They serve it with two chutneys splashed all over it ... one made with tamarind and the other with green leaves like coriander and pudina. 

I refuse both. For various reasons. 
I love to bite into the crisp outer case and draw back immediately as a burst of steam releases and hits the nose with the most tempting of aromas ever. 

By then the mouth is already filled with the taste of spices, tartness mixed with salt and chilli. 
And no other chilli than the real Mathaniya chillies that not only have the required zing but also are fragrant too. 

Almost all the spices that I use in my cooking is from Rajasthan ... even Posto. 
And I grind my own garam masalas. 
They make a huge difference to the food I am making ...either for ourselves or for my clients. 

I made these Matar kachoris a few days ago and many people asked for the recipe in dms. 
So I decided to make this post quickly so you can enjoy them before the green peas disappear from markets. 

Need : 

For the casing : 

Maida  / APF - 1 cup
Salt - to taste 
Oil - 1 tbsp 

Water - to knead 

How to : 

Knead the maida with the rest of the ingredients , using just enough water. 
The dough should not be too tough and not too loose also. 
Keep it covered for 30 minutes. 

For the stuffing : 

Green peas - 2 cups 
Green chillies - to taste 

Ginger paste / grated - 1 tsp 

Hing / asafeotida - a pinch and  a little more

Red chilli powder 
Amchur powder 
Dhania seeds - ground coarsely
Black pepper powder
Ajwain 
Salt
Oil to cook 

How to : 

Grind the green peas with the green chillies into a coarse paste. 

Heat oil in an open pan . 

Add hing and grated ginger. 

Add the peas paste and stir well. 

Add all the powder masalas and cook on low heat, stirring occasionally. 

When it starts to dry up, add salt and cook till it is dryish. 

Remove and cool. 

How to make the Matar Kachoris : 

Heat enough oil in a deep kadahi to fry. 

Make small balls out of the kneaded dough. 

Stuff a little of the stuffing and flatten with your hands. 

When oil is medium hot, let in them gently. 

Cook on low heat till they slowly puff up.
Wait for a little while and then gently turn them over and cook till they are brown on both sides. 

Do not hurry to flip or raise heat. 
They need slow cooking to be crisp. 

Enjoy!! 

I served them with a ghugni and gajar ka halwa only because I had them already prepared. 
You may serve with  achars , chutneys or aloo ki sabzi. 

I love to munch on them  as is , with a cup of ginger tea. 

You may want to look up the Bengali favourite Koraishutir Kochuri too, while on the topic of Kochuris. ☺

Samosa / Singara / Spicy, deep fried and sinfully good, savoury pastry

 
Growing up in a huge joint family has taught me, among other things, the ability to accept everyone as they are, without questions. 

We lived together, in Dadu's house. With its orchards, ponds, four main gates and three smaller ones too. And a big open space where stood a magnificent  mango tree that was uprooted by one of the cyclonic storms that was so common during my childhood. 
And a big patch of garden that bore seasonal vegetables, lovingly tended by the gardener.
And, with uncles and aunts and house helps and cousins.
Yes, it was both a picnic as well as mayhem ... our family was.

And naturally, we always had a lot of relatives around. Every Kakima's paternal side of the family was our family too.
I still remember our excitement when any particular relative was to visit.
That Mama, who was popular with us because  he would actually enact out whatever story he was narrating. 
Or that Dida who did not know any language besides Bengali .... and who we loved to grill with new words, asking her the Bengali equivalent. She naturally came up with wrong words and how we would dissolve into peals of laughter.
Or that Didi, who sang like an angel, and we looked forward to learning a few new songs, whenever she visited, especially Adhunik / modern songs. And a few more gems of Tagore. 
Or that Mashi, who we stayed clear of, because of her quizzes on maths and chemistry. 

I can go on and on. 

The best part of these visits was we got to eat food from outside, .... sometimes .... that was otherwise prohibited for us. 

On any day, during the evening tea, someone would want some ' gorom gorom tele bhaja' / deep fried street food. And as hosts, one of the Kakus would comply. 
Or we would get one of our favourite Didas to ask for them .... and she would happily oblige.
Knowing very well that she would not eat any, at all. 
And we children would get to eat the small sized, crisp singaras, filled with a dry, spicy potato and peas masala that was so hot it burned our mouths when bitten into. 

Those were different from the regular samosas that we get in North India.
But then, the samosa is such a common street food that its filling varies in texture and taste in almost every state of the country. 
Making it create a different memory for every different person growing up eating their local samosa.  

I still remember the samosas we ate during our trip to Ranthambore, Rajasthan. Standing in the middle of the vast highway, in a small shed, stood a man frying hot samosas on a make shift kitchen with the barest of things. We waited till he got them out of the hot oil ..... smoking hot. 
And standing there on the empty highway side, biting into those crisp, spicy, hot little triangles of pure bliss, sipping on cardamom tea and watching the sun go down slowly in the horizon, I felt that was one of the best moments of my life. 

A few days back, once the rains started in earnest here, I was reminiscing about the monsoons back home and how the ponds overflowed and the fishes came up right to our doorsteps,
how we would sit near the bay windows and look out at the big droplets create beautiful patterns on the pond,
how Dadu or Jethu would ask us, one by one , to sing their favourite Rabindra sangeet on the rains, 
how we hurried to shut the wooden windows when sudden gusts of water laden breeze came in .... but would leave just a little gap to be still able to smell the wet air .
And that  was when I remembered this beautiful singara from my hometown. 

I wanted to make it. B was game.
He enjoys these stories and what better than crisp, hot singaras to go with them. 
To his credit and because he is from the kachori and namkeen city of Rajasthan, B is an expert when it comes to actually handling the singara. So I did the cooking and B did the maneuvering part. 
And we made some really good samosas that evening. 

They were so good and the cover was so perfectly crisp that I thought I will document it and  share here. 

So here is my recipe for the perfect Khasta Shingara / Khasta Samosa . 

Need : 

For the dough : 

Maida / Apf - 2 cups 
Cooking oil - ½ cup or more, if needed 
Baking soda - one small pinch
Kalonji / nigella seeds - ½ tsp 
Chilled water - enough to knead with 
Salt - to taste 

For the filling : 

Potatoes - 2, medium, chopped very small 
Green peas - ½ cup
Turmeric powder 
Red chilli powder 
Amchur / dry mango powder 
Chilli flakes 
Black pepper powder
Salt - to taste 
Cooking oil - 1 tsp 

Cooking oil - enough to deep fry 

 How to : 

To make the dough, knead the maida with the rest of the ingredients, except water for some time. 
When the oil has mixed in well, it should form a lump when held in the fist. 
Now add the chilled water, very little at a time, and knead into a tight dough. 
Do not over knead it.

For the masala, heat oil in a kadahi and let in the chopped potatoes and peas. 
Add the rest of the ingredients and cover and cook till done. 
Remove cover and dry it up completely. 
Remove to an open plate and cool. 

For the samosas, 
cut out medium sized balls of the dough. 
Roll each one out . Do not roll it too thin. 
Cut in half. 
Pick one half, make a twist and seal the edges with water. 
Scoop in a spoonful of the stuffing mix and seal the ends. 
Set aside. 

Take a heavy kadahi or deep pan .... preferably an iron one. 
Fill it with oil. 
Set it on to heat. When the oil turns lukewarm, let in the samosas. 
Never heat the oil too much ... it will cause blisters on the samosa cover and will remain raw too. 
Do not over crowd the kadahi. 

The samosas will slowly float up to the top as they cook. 
Cook them on low heat. 

The perfect khasta samosas are always light in colour and yet perfectly cooked and the cases crisp. 
Dark coloured samosas mean over cooking or ... in the case of shops ... re frying. 

When done, remove with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel. 

Our samosas turned out to be perfect. 
When I tapped the cover, it was perfectly crisp and tough. 
And when I broke it open, it showed the layers of the casing too! 
Just have a look. 😊

We munched on them, right there in the kitchen, while still frying. 
The rain sang on outside and it was cold and dark. 
But our kitchen was warm.  
And fragrant. 
With memories; and the hot samosas. 

Stay home everyone! 
And stay safe! 


Ps: photos clicked in the dark and low light. 

Bedai / Parathas stuffed with spicy Moong Dal

The Bedai / Bedei is a wonderfully spicy snack that can double up as a meal too.
Also known as Bedmi puris when made into puris and not parathas, these are great to
make during festival times like Diwali too.

A very popular street food in North India, the Bedei is a common Rajasthani meal too. While it is deep fried and served with a potato curry in the North, I have seen it made as parathas at my Rajasthani in-laws place.

It was in Rajasthan that I tasted the Bedei for the first time.
Kaki (aunt-in-law) makes them as parathas,
which are acceptable to me as they need much less oil to cook as compared to the
deep fried ones ...
which resemble the Moong Dal kachoris.
And she makes the stuffing from the Moong ka Mogar ... a stir fried moong dal dish that can be enjoyed as is with rotis too.
While the traditional Bedei has the lentil in the stuffing coarsely ground,
Kaki keeps them whole.

Needless to say, I follow her version.
These are great to carry on journeys like picnics or long drives.


For the Mogar

Need :

Yellow Moong dal - ½ a cup
Jeera / Cumin seeds - a pinch
Haldi / Turmeric powder - ½ teaspoon
Red chilli powder - to taste
Laung / Clove powder - ½ teaspoon ( can add more to make spicy )
Hing / Asafoetida - a pinch
Amchur / Dried Mango powder - 1 tsp
Dhania / Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Cooking oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste

How to :

Soak moong dal for around 1 hour.
Heat oil in a pan.
Add jeera and hing.
Add the soaked dal, haldi, mirchi and salt.
Keep stirring.
Add garam masala, laung powder and dhania powder.
Give a good stir.
Add a little water ... just enough to skim the surface.
Cover and let it cook till done.
Do remove the cover in between and check if all water has dried up. If needed add some more water ... but not too much.
When the dal is cooked ... it will easily break when pressed between two fingers ... removeand cool.



The dal should be completely dryish .... every grain seperate yet whole.
This can be eaten on the side with rotis too.

If you find the loose dal difficult to handle as a filling,
do not fret.
Just grind the soaked dal coarsely and
cook as above till dryish.

If you make and store this before hand, the parathas take no time to make.
And you have a meal in a jiffy!

For the parathas

Knead whole wheat flour with a little salt and a few teaspoonfuls of cooking oil and water.
Make a soft yet firm dough.

To make the Bedei

Make medium sized balls of the dough.
Shape into small bowls with your hand and spoon in some of the dal mixture.



Close the dough ball and flatten it gently with your hands.
Roll out round parathas, starting with the sealed side down, using dry flour to dust occassionaly.



Heat a tawa / skillet.
Put in the paratha. After a while flip to the other side.



When it starts to turn slightly dry,
apply oil, raise heat and cook ,
flipping occassionaly till both sides are browned well.



Serve hot, preferable off the skillet ... with dahi/curd and achar.

I enjoy it with the Onion chutney or the Tomato chutney too.



Enjoy this winter with these hot, spicy Bedei as breakfast,
evening snack with masala tea
or as a tv dinner !!

PS : I had been to Bhuj and the beautiful Rann of Kutch on a recent vacation. Have made the first post on the trip in my travelogue.

Other stuffed Parathas on Kichu Khon

Methi Paratha

Aloo Paratha

Paratha made from Leftovers

Egg Bhurji stuffed Paratha

Koraishutir Kochuri / Fresh Green Peas Kachori

Just like it is a must to have a huge variety of parathas with seasonal vegetables in winter for North Indians, for Bengalis it is the Koraishutir Kochuri ( Kachoris made from fresh green peas) that signals the onset and the settling of the winter season.

It is the sweetness of the green peas paste and of the fried maida that makes such a tasty combined flavour. Yes, it has to be maida.
Of course you can deviate and make it healthier by using atta and making parathas out of it.

Since in my house reside two cultures ... read two different kinds of food habits .... I make the stuffing for this kachori in two different kind of ways.

One is the usual Bengali way .... which uses less masala .... that gives the actual flavour of the fresh peas.
And the other is the Rajasthani way ... which is spicier .... and of course has some dominating flavours.

I'll give the recipes for both .... it is up to you to decide which one you'll relish ..... and take your pick. :-)

Need :

For the filling :

The Bengali version : Fresh green peas, shelled and ground into a coarse paste, grated ginger, a little sugar and salt, a little cooking oil.

The Rajasthani version : Fresh green peas, shelled and ground into a coarse paste, a pinch of hing, haldi/tumeric powder, red chilli powder, amchur powder, salt and a little cooking oil.

For the puris : Maida / refined flour, kneaded into a soft dough using water ..... with a little cooking oil, salt & sugar , cooking oil to deep fry.

How to :
The filling :
The Bengali version : Heat a little oil in a non-stick vessel. Add the peas paste and stir for some time.
Now add salt, sugar and grated ginger. Keep stirring and cook till it turns into a dryish paste.

The Rajasthani version : Heat a little oil in a non-stick vessel. When hot, add hing.
Then add the peas paste and keep stirring. Add the rest of the ingredients one by one and keep stirring. Cook till it turns dryish.

The Kachoris : Take small balls of the maida dough. Fill them with the cooked peas stuffing and seal well. Roll out small puris and deep fry them in hot oil.
They will puff up like so. Of course they'll fall flat later.


Traditionally, the Bengali kochuris would be served with Aloor Dom ( a dryish potato masala dish). And the Rajasthani ones would be had with any kind of achar/chutney.

But I love mine with a little chilli sauce/ketchup .... and a hot cuppa. :-)

What's your pick folks ? :-)

Ps: Forgot to mention .... I made the Bengali way ... hence the beautiful green colour is retained ... as appreciated by all of you. :-)

My last two posts were slightly hurried ... so am a little late in showing off this beautiful award by Yasmeen ... she has designed it herself.
Thanks Yasmeen ... you are a beautiful person .... and a sweetheart too. :-)

Moong Dal Kachori

Hubby insists that the dal kachori at his home town in Rajasthan is the best. I have heard this innumerable times ... and have tried making it once in a while. But nothing comes even close to the original version. Had I not tasted them myself, I would have ticked him off and ignored his ravings.
But it is true .... no matter what masala I use ... no matter how ever I change the proportions ... they do not turn out like the ones back home.

I had talked to shop owners ... got only vague answers. Talked for length with the guys at LMB in Jaipur ... got the answer ... "we use 12 kinds of garam masalas". What kind? ... heheheh ... they are family secrets. I had almost given up. :-(

So, this time when I attempted to make them again .... I was nervous. Another imminent disappointment ... no, they taste very good .... but we have set the bar a little too high ... we wanted the ones that tasted like back home.

And I decided that this time I'll make them absolutely on my own. I did not use any garam masala ..... or anything extravagant. Just stuck to a couple of things for that dominating flavour .... clove powder and ground black pepper. And they were a success! Hubby said they were very close to the original tasting ones.

Simplicity rules! :-)


I am so glad I have my blog now to share this success and wonderful kachori. Let us just forget the amount of oil that goes in to it .... it was festival time, remember :-) ..... and just dig in.

This can eaten by itself, with chutney ... I had my fav Chashni chutney ... or like we had with spicy Aloo curry (Rajasthani style).

Need :
For the dough : Maida, salt, cooking oil,water.

For the filling : Yellow moong dal (washed and soaked overnight), hing, haldi powder, red chilli powder, salt, clove / laung powder, black pepper powder.

How to : Add lots of cooking oil .... when I say lots, it is lots .... that maida should be crumbly with the oil in it, salt and use a little water at a time and knead a medium soft dough.

Heat a little oil and add a good amount if hing (remember ... it has to dominate the flavour). Now add the soaked dal and stir. Then add haldi powder, red chilli powder, laung powder and black pepper powder and salt.

After the hing, the flavour of black pepper should dominate ... the laung should give a light and passing flavour.

Stir fry for some time ( do not add any water) and remove to cool. This can be had as a dry dish too with parathas or puris.

Make small balls from the maida dough and stuff them with the filling. Lightly roll them out a little (this is needed for the maida to cook well too).

Heat enough oil in a kadhai and deep fry the rolled out kachoris. Remember .... the oil should not be too hot when you start frying.

Fry the kachoris till they are golden brown. Drain on a paper towel.

Enjoy !! :-)