Khasta Kachori Recipe
Kachori is a beloved savory Indian food with a crispy, flaky jacket of wheat wrapping a savory, spicy filling of moong dal. This homemade version makes the perfect snack for a cold evening with a cup of hot tea. A vegan, soy-free and nut-free recipe.
It’s hard to translate the Hindi word “khasta,” often associated with savory Indian snacks, unless you use a combination of terms like, “crispy, crackly, flaky, brittle.” But even then, they come short.
If you really want to know what “khasta” tastes and feels and sounds like, you should try a kachori.
Kachoris were popularized around India by the Marwaris, traders from the western Indian state of Rajasthan, who settled across the length and breadth of the country, bringing with them delicious, if often rich and indulgent, foods.
What we love about these kachoris
- They’re khasta–I just told you what that means.
- They have that incredibly delicious filling of mung beans or moong dal with spices like fennel and cayenne.
- They are pretty easy to make. You do have to go through a few steps like making the dough, making the filling, and putting them together, but if you have ever made parathas or samosas — or even if you haven’t — you have nothing to worry about. You’ve got this.
- They’re fried, yes, but they are quite light and not sit-in-your-tummy-for-hours heavy. The danger with that, of course, is you could be tempted to eat more, but, ah well.
Ingredients
For the kachori dough
- 1 ½ cups maida (an Indian all purpose flour that’s low in protein. I’ve added an affiliate link here, but if you can’t find it, use regular all purpose flour)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ajwain (caraway seeds)
- 4 tbsp coconut oil (should be solid at room temperature. Refrigerate before using, if it’s liquid)
For the stuffing
- ¾ cup moong dal (mung lentils. These are the yellow split moong lentils with no skin, Soak them for 2-3 hours or, preferably, overnight)
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 dry red chili peppers
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp amchur (mango powder)
- ¼ tsp ginger powder
- ¼ cup besan (chickpea flour)
- Salt to taste
- Peanut oil or other vegetable oil for frying
Nutrition
Serving: 1kachori | Calories: 132kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Potassium: 35mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 17IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg