Jambo!!!
This is a very special post for me..Everyone knows I have dabbled in Italian and French cooking, but for this Rakhi, I decided to woo my brother and you guys of course with something out of the ordinary.
Kachoris are a normal snack in India...but when you add the Mombasa way twist to this, what you get is crunchy, crumbly, flaky pastry with an absolutely delicious filling of moong daal..and wait for it...raw green mangoes!
Did I not tell you there was a twist in the plot!!??? ;
These are so delicious that once you have one, you will most certainly go back for a second. Fact.
PS: See the broken handle?? My little monkey happened to it ,thankfully before I had got these kachoris in!
So what's Rakshabandhan??
Rakshabandhan or Rakhi as we call it, is a celebration of the bond between brothers and sisters..Its a very special festival which kids & adults alike love to celebrate...There are family gatherings, music and laughter..joking and ribbing galore,...brothers swearing to protect and love their sisters always, sisters in turn telling their brothers how much they mean to them..sharing of gifts...mithais and of course food!! Can any celebration be complete without glorious food??
I made these new "firangi yet desi" style kachoris to be served to my brother and guests on Rakshabandhan...You can of course make them anytime you want to, they do not need an occasion!!
My brother who is working abroad currently should know that I am missing him terribly and will be thinking of him , especially on Rakhi...Hope to see you soon!
After the history, lets unveil the mystery... hahaha.. i so amuse myself! ;)
So what makes the filling so special ?? Is it just the addition of raw mangoes, is it the sweetness of the moong dal?? Its a combination of all the flavours that make this kachori what it is.I cannot emphasise enough how good lentils are with sweet, hot and sour
flavours. The addition of sour green mango cuts through the richness of
the daal and spices and balances the deep heat of the chillies, ginger
and cinnamon perfectly.
When I served these to P, it bought a huge smile on his face... And I can vouch that he has great taste..in food too apart from women ;)
So go ahead, make this delicious fried savoury and add a new region to your cooking repertoire apart from lodging yourself firmly in the hearts of your loved ones!!
Ingredients:
For the pastry:
- 155g plain flour
- 70g chapatti flour
- 40g coarse semolina
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp ghee, softened (replace with oil for vegan kachori)
- Around 115ml cold water
For the filling:
- 100g mung daal, soaked for 2-3 hours in cold water
- 1 green mango, grated
- 1 tbsp ginger, minced
- 4 green chillies, minced
- 1 tbsp oil
- 500ml hot water
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp turmeric
- Kashmiri red chillie powder 2 tsp
- ½ tsp asafoetida
- 60g crushed sev or gathia ..
- 1 tbsp fresh coriander, very finely chopped
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp salt
- Saunf or fennel seeds 1 tsp
Method
1. First make the filling. Place the soaked and drained daal in a blender with 60ml water and grind to a very coarse paste.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large, non-stick pan and add the fennel seed,daal, green
mango, ginger, chillies, turmeric, 500ml water, salt,red chillie powder and sugar. Cook for
25 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure the mixture doesn’t stick and
burn. Once cooked, add the cinnamon, coriander and crushed gathia/sev
or ground peanuts. The mixture should become like a paste. Allow to
cool.
3. Next, make the dough. Mix together all the dry ingredients. Take 1/3
of the mixture and in a dry pan, toast until nutty and fragrant. Add
back into the rest of the flour. Rub in the ghee and oil until the
mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add enough cold water to form a
soft dough. If it’s too hard, add more water. Knead for 8 minutes until
soft, smooth and pliable. Think pizza dough softness. Wrap in cling film
and refrigerate for an hour or so.
4. Roll the daal filling into 25 balls and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Remove the dough from the fridge and give it another knead. Divide
into 25 pieces. Remove the daal filling from the fridge. Take the first
dough ball and using a rolling pin and a flourless surface, roll into a
circle until around 4-5 inches in diameter. Place a ball of the daal
filling in the centre and pull the dough around it, pinching the dough
closed and removing some excess using the length of your index finger
and thumb. Roll the ball gently between your palms ensuring there are no
creases or holes in the dough, especially where you sealed. If there
are, the kachoris will burst whilst frying and the filling will become
really greasy. Repeat for the rest.
6. Refrigerate for around 20 minutes.
7. Heat enough oil in a wok to deep fry the kachori. Make sure the
flame is low because they need to be fried slowly. Remove the kachori
from the fridge and gently slide them into the wok. Don’t overcrowd it.
Each batch needs to be fried for around 20 minutes until deep golden
brown; move them around so they get even colouring. Remove from the wok
and drain on a kitchen paper-lined colander. They should sound hollow to
the tap.
8. Repeat the frying process for the remaining kachori.
Sit back, break open one delicious flaky pastry, dip into a bowl of sweet and spicy date and tamarind chutney.. add some khatti meethi coriander mint chutney, take a bite...( I mean a huge bite)... and start dreaming of your trip to Kenya, if not for the wild life,then atleast for the amazing food!
Asante sana ( Thank you very much),
An emotional sister,
S :)
NOTES
- Kachori come in all flavours, shapes and sizes and can be made into round or tear shaped patties and topped with yoghurt, chopped onions and tomatoes to make chaat, or formed into rounds and served with chutney.
- You can stuff the classic flaky pastry with crushed green peas, fried onions,methi ,urad daal or even potatoes.
- The best part about this recipe is the dough and filling for these kachori can be made a day or two in advance, wrapped in cling film and kept in the fridge.
- Simply make sure they come to room temperature before forming them and chill again before frying. This will ensure they’re gorgeously crisp once fried.
- The trick to perfect kachori is to ensure the pastry is short, yet pliable enough to wrap thinly enough around the filling without creating holes which may break them whilst frying.
- Make sure your kachoris are perfectly fried by tapping the pastry once they’ve had a chance to cool – they should sound hollow.
- If you cannot find sev/gathia use 60g ground peanuts instead.
- If you dont have powdered cinnamon , you can add garam masala instead.
