Kachori recipe with video and step by step photos – flaky and tasty kachori made with a spiced moong lentils stuffing.
Since Holi festival is close by, sharing this popular Indian snack of khasta kachori. Kachoris are basically deep fried breads. There are many varieties of kachori recipes in the Indian cuisine and moong dal kachori is a popular one. Other delicious kachori recipes are:
- Matar kachori
- Raj kachori
- Koraishutir kochuri (Bengali peas kachori)
Tips for making flaky or khasta kachori
- The trick to get the flaky as well as soft texture in the kachori crust is slow frying. The oil has to be at a low or low-medium flame while frying. Thus the frying takes some more time.
- Also the proportion of fat (moyen) to flour is important along with getting the correct thickness of the kachori.
- The thickness should be medium and not thin or thick. Thin kachori will become too crisp and get hard. Whereas thick kachori may have undercooked dough from inside.
In the recipe I have used organic all purpose flour (maida), but you can use a mix of both all purpose flour and whole wheat flour. The recipe is adapted from my Urad dal kachori posted some months back.
Kachori can be made and stored for a couple of days in the fridge. With this recipe you can also make kachori chaat. Serve kachori with tamarind chutney, green chutney or red chili garlic chutney. You can also have these kachori with dubki wale aloo or aloo rasedar. Some curd also goes well with kachori.
Wishing all a happy and safe Holi festival.
How to make kachori recipe
Preparing kachori dough
1. Take 2 cups all purpose flour (maida) in a bowl or pan.
2. Add ½ teaspoon salt or as per taste.
3. Add ¼ cup ghee.
4. With your fingertips mix the ghee with the flour for a few minutes.
5. You have to mix well, till you get a breadcrumb like texture in the flour. When this mixture is pressed, it should not break.
6. Then add ½ cup water in parts.
7. Mix and then begin to knead.
8. Knead to a smooth dough. Add water as required. If the dough becomes sticky, then add some flour. If the dough looks dry, then add some more water and knead. The dough can be semi-soft to soft. But do not make it too soft.
9. Cover the dough with a moist muslin or kitchen towel. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
Making stuffing for kachori
10. Rinse ½ cup moong dal in a bowl. Soak moong dal for 2 hours.
11. Later drain all the water very well and add the soaked moong lentils in a grinder jar.
12. Using the pulse option, lightly crush or make a roughly coarse mixture of the moong lentils. Do not grind too much.
13. Then heat a pan. Add ½ tablespoon ghee.
14. Once the ghee melts, keep the flame to the lowest or switch off the flame. add all the spice powders one by one. First add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and ½ teaspoon red chilli powder.
15. Then add ½ teaspoon cumin powder.
16. Next add 1 teaspoon coriander powder.
17. Add 1 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds. You can also use fennel powder.
18. Add ½ teaspoon dry ginger powder (saunth powder). Instead of ginger powder, you can also use ½ teaspoon finely chopped ginger. Some chopped green chilies can also be added.
19. Now add 1 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder).
20. Keep the flame to its lowest and mix very well.
21. Do make sure that the spices do not burn.
22. Then add the coarsely ground moong dal. Also add salt and 1 pinch of asafoetida (hing).
23. On a low flame mix very well.
24. Saute with non stop stirring for 3 to 4 minutes on a low flame. Check the taste and if required you can add more spice powders like red chili powder and mango powder. Let the mixture become warm or cool down.
25. Now make small balls from this moong dal mixture. You can also spread some oil on your palms while making the balls. Cover and keep aside.
Stuffing and making moong dal kachori
26. After 30 minutes, lightly knead the dough. Then roll the dough into a log.
27. Now cut the dough in equal portions. This will depend on the number of moong dal mixture balls that were made. With this recipe, you will get about 9 to 10 kachoris.
28. Take a portion of the cut dough and flatten it with your fingers. Keep the edges thin while flattening. You can also use a rolling pin (belan) to flatten.
29. Now place the moong dal stuffing ball on the dough. Flatten the moong dal stuffing ball.
30. Bring the edges of the dough together and join them at the center. Excess dough can be pinched off and removed.
31. Press and then flatten the top. Do check the video above to see how the stuffing and shaping is done.
32. Now gently roll the kachori with a rolling pin to get a medium thickness kachori. Stuff and prepare all kachoris this way. Keep them covered under a moist muslin or cotton cloth, so that they do not dry up.
Frying khasta kachori
33. Heat oil for frying and keep the flame to a low. When the oil is just hot enough, you can add the kachoris. Make sure the oil is not medium hot or very hot. to check the temperature while frying, add a small piece of dough to the oil. If it comes slowly and steadily to the surface, then the kachoris are ready to be fried. if the dough comes quickly, the oil is too hot. So lower the flame. If it does not come on the surface, then the oil is cold. So increase the flame.
34. When the kachoris start puffing up, then gently nudge each kachori with a spoon, so that they puff up well.
35. When the base becomes light golden, then gently turn them over. The frying takes about 7 to 9 minutes. So one has to be patient.
36. Continue to fry on a low to low-medium flame till the kachoris become golden. While frying you can turn them often to get an even color. Regulate the temperature from low to low-medium as required.
37. Fry the kachoris till they become golden and nicely crisp from outside.
38. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain the excess oil back in the kadai. Place khasta kachori on kitchen paper towels so that excess oil is absorbed. Fry all kachori this way.
39. Serve khasta kachori warm accompanied with some fried & salted green chilies, tamarind dates chutney and green chutney. You can also serve with chili garlic chutney or curd.
Few more street food recipes for you!
Kachori Recipe
RECIPE VIDEO
Ingredients
for kachori dough
- 2 cups all purpose flour (maida)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup ghee or oil
- ½ cup water or add as required
for making kachori stuffing
- ½ cup moong dal
- ½ tablespoon ghee
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon dry ginger powder (saunth powder)
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder)
- salt as required
other ingredients
- oil for deep frying
Instructions
making kachori dough
- Take 2 cups all purpose flour (maida) and salt in a bowl or pan. mix very well.
- Add ¼ cup ghee.
- With your fingertips mix the ghee with the flour for a few minutes till you get a breadcrumb like texture in the mixture.
- Add water in parts and knead the dough till soft.
- Cover the dough with a moist muslin or kitchen towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.
making moong dal stuffing for kachori
- Rinse ½ cup moong dal in a bowl. Soak moong dal with enough water for 2 hours.
- Later drain all the water very well and add the soaked moong lentils in a grinder jar.
- Grind to a roughly coarse mixture.
- Then heat a pan. Add ½ tablespoon ghee.
- Once the ghee melts, keep the flame to the lowest or switch off the flame.
- Add all the spice powders one by one.
- Keep the flame to its lowest and mix very well. do make sure that the spices do not burn.
- Then add the coarsely ground moong dal. Also add salt and 1 pinch of asafoetida.
- On a low flame mix very well.
- Saute with non-stop stirring for 3 to 4 minutes on a low flame. Check the taste and if required you can add more spice powders like red chili powder and mango powder or salt. Let the mixture become warm or cool down.
- Now make small balls from this moong dal mixture. You can also spread some oil on your palms while making the balls. Keep aside.
stuffing and making moong dal kachori
- After 30 minutes, lightly knead the dough.
- Roll the dough into a log. Now cut the dough in equal portions. This will depend on the number of moong dal mixture balls that were made.
take a portion of the cut dough and flatten it with your fingers. Keep the edges thin while flattening. You can also use a rolling pin (belan) to flatten.
- Now place the moong dal stuffing ball on the dough. Flatten the moong dal stuffing ball.
- Bring the edges of the dough together and join them at the center. Excess dough can be pinched off and removed.
- Flatten the top and then gently roll the kachori with a rolling pin to get a medium thickness kachori. Stuff and prepare all kachori this way. Keep them covered under a moist muslin or cotton cloth, so that they do not dry up.
frying kachori
- Heat oil for frying and keep the flame to a low. When the oil is just hot enough, you can add the kachoris.
- When the kachori start puffing up, then gently nudge each kachori with a spoon, so that they puff up well.
- When the base becomes light golden, then gently turn them over. The frying takes about 7 to 9 minutes. So one has to be patient.
- Continue to fry on a low to low-medium flame till they become golden. While frying you can turn them often to get an even color. Regulate the temperature from low to low-medium as required.
- Fry till they become golden and nicely crisp from outside.
- Place khasta kachori on kitchen paper towels so that excess oil is absorbed. Fry all kachori this way.
- Serve khasta kachori warm accompanied with some fried & salted green chilies, tamarind dates chutney and green chutney. You can also serve them with chili garlic chutney or curd.
Notes
- Instead of ghee you can use oil for the dough.
- You can skip the step of grinding moong dal.Â
- You can even soak the moong dal for 3 to 4 hours.Â
- Spice powders can be added as per your requirements.
- Green chilies and ginger can also be added.Â
- Add lemon juice if you do not have dry mango powder.
- These kachori can be baked too. Bake them at 180 degrees celsius in a preheated oven till the crust is golden.Â
- Recipe can be doubled or tripled.Â
Ohh my god your recipes can never go wrong.I found your website when I first visited banglore and had the best peanut chutney and sambhar of my life.Sambhar was different it was not at all what I have been eating.So that’s when the hunt for banglore style sambhar and chutney begin and I landed on your website made the sambhar from scratch and chutney and that was all that I was looking for????.Since then I have been here thousand times made lots of recipe. My apologies that I am writing late.My next from your food pitara is dhokla????.Thankyou for sharing your recipes and you manage to explain with such a ease and for me I need smallest of the details like not to fry kachori when oil is hot or medium hot and how to check.I just love you keep posting .Good wishes to you????
thank you so much amrita. no need to feel sorry for writing so late. felt good to read everything that you have said. comments like yours make my day ????. the dhokla recipe is very good. just make sure to use fresh eno for the batter. wish you too all the best and thanks again.
Just saying wow! You are amazing dassana ma’am…for me your recipes are my stressbuster…,????
thank you much pushpanjali. so glad to read that my recipes are your stressbuster. thanks again and i wish you all the best.
Thank you Dassana…you are a hands on cooking expert…no wonder whatever i hv tried from your cooking site..it was really appreciated..i even suggest my near and dear ones about your website…All the best and keep posting
welcome nidhi. thanks for this lovely comment and for suggesting the website to your friends and family. thanks again and happy cooking.
All your recipes are very good and detailed especially with the pictures. I am not a good cook, I was worried after marriage how I am going to cope with the food, but everything became easy with your website. Anything or anything new I want to cook, the recipes come from you and all my food are tasty and appreciated by my husband. 4 years of my marriage and I have become a good cook. Thanks for the recipes you share. All the best that you post more recipes and you should also have an app for instant access. Thanx.
thank you very much ankita. felt nice to read your comment. i am glad that the recipes and the website have helped you. i wish you all the best.
sure, i will keep on adding more recipes. for the time-being we have are not making an app, but will consider it for the future.
Can I use self raising flour?
yes you can use self raising flour.
All your recipes and detailed instructions with pics are awesome. I am writing to let you know I loved the hands in the pics (not sure its yours or a family member’s) filling kachori with ohm tattoo . I think I might get it too 🙂
Thanks Santwana for this positive feedback. They are my hands. Nice to know that you like the tattoo.
Me & my family loved it thanks for the recipe
Welcome Akshara
If we want to bake them in microwave convection? Than What will be the procedure?
preheat oven at 180 degrees celsius for 15 minutes. place the kachoris on a tray. brush them with some oil all over. then bake in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes till the crust is crisp and golden.
Hi !! Tried this recipe and it was awesome ,and so simple to make . Making it again for the second time today . Just one query, can these kachoris be frozen ?? Can it be filled up with the moong dal filling and frozen ??
thanks farina. i don’t think kachoris can be frozen. its best to make them and fry them freshly.
I just love d way u explain with pictures n measurements thanks a lot it’s very useful for us
welcome ayesha.
Made this last night and they were oh so good! Crispy and flaky…and the filling was full of flavour. Writing this one down for sure! Thank you for an amazing recipe….again!
thanks a lot yogita. nice to know. i feel good when i get positive comments on such recipes as these recipes are slightly tricky to prepare. thanks again ????
Just came back to this recipe for reference and saw you’re reply 🙂 Your recipes are so well written and explained with tips that make it easy to follow. Even complicated recipes look easy on you’re blog. I’ve tried different kachori recipes before but never got the same results…making this again today and I know it will be awesome! you’re recipes are failproof!
thanks a ton yogita. happy cooking and enjoy the kachoris ????
Hi can u please post few recipes of soya chunks
krupa, we don’t use soya chunks at home. thats no recipe on the blog.
As promised I did try the moong dal kachori. Absolutely awesome. U never have put a bad recipe ever. This too as usual met your high standards. My husband loved it. My neighbours loved it and tbey are not even Indian and have never even tasted kachoris. The other neighbours who have tasted also loved it.
Thank you for putting out a lovely recipe once again.
thanks a lot anu. glad to know that the kachoris came out great. i usually try the recipe first and if it is good, then I make it a couple of times. then take pics or videos (have been doing videos lately). both kachoris & samosa are made at some occasions, especially during festivals, so I have got a hang of preparing them now. thanks again.
Happy Holi Dassana, this is comment not the recipe,which certainly looks yummy but I have yet to try it out. I wanted to bring to your notice that when your site loads, the first thing that comes up in a recipe collection. In my opinion the recipes you have posted most recently and the search box should come up first. We should not be scrolling down to see the latest recipe or for the search box. This is what is happening when I open ur site, maybe you can check with your regular subscribers if this is how the site loads for them too.
Also while I liked the idea of a recipe video , cud you pls include the measurements and the music is a little loud for my taste, distracts while watching.
The recipe looks great as usual and is definitely on my list to try out.
Thanks Anu for your suggestion and feedback. I am planning to change the design in some days. This kachori video had the music selected for holi festival.
Can i store these kachiris? If so for how long ? Or should i consume it the same day?
Kriya, you can store the kachoris for 2-3 days. But taste best when served hot and fresh.