Kachori recipe with video and step by step photos. Sharing a flaky and tasty kachori made with a spiced and savory moong lentils stuffing. Enjoy these khasta kachori hot or warm with a side of your favorite chutney or dipping sauce.
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 Indian kachori recipes are:
- Matar kachori
- Raj kachori
- Koraishutir kochuri (Bengali style recipe)
In the recipe I have used organic all-purpose flour (maida). But you can also use a mix of both all purpose flour and whole wheat flour in equal quantity. However if you really want to make it street style then opt for only all purpose flour.
The recipe is adapted from my Urad Dal Kachori that I had 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 by adding toppings of sweet and spicy chutney, yogurt, chaat masala and sev.
Serve moong dal kachori hot or warm 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
Making kachori takes time and you need to make the outer crust dough and the lentil stuffing. I hope with my detailed step by step guide you will be able to make perfect kachori.
Preparing dough
1. Take 2 cups all purpose flour (maida) in a bowl or pan.
As mentioned above you can also use an equal mix of whole wheat flour and all purpose flour.
2. Add ½ teaspoon salt or as per taste.
3. Add ¼ cup ghee. Do not reduce the amount of ghee as this much quantity is needed to give a flaky texture to the dough.
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 lentil stuffing
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 heat 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 heat mix very well.
24. Sauté 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.
Assembling, stuffing and shaping 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 kachori
33. Heat oil for frying the khasta kachoris in a kadai and keep the heat 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 oil 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.
Take care not to overcrowd the kadai while frying the kachoris.
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 and regulate the heat as needed.
39. Serve khasta kachori warm accompanied with some fried and salted green chilies, tamarind dates chutney and green chutney. You can also serve with chili garlic chutney or curd.
Expert Tips
- The trick to get the flaky as well as soft texture in the kachori crust is slow frying on a low heat. 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.
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Kachori Recipe | Khasta Kachori
Ingredients
For dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (maida), 250 grams
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup Ghee or oil
- ½ cup water or add as required
For lentil 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
- 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.
Assembling, stuffing and shaping
- 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.
Video
Notes
- Instead of ghee you can use oil for the dough.
- You can skip the step of grinding moong dal.
- You can even soak the moong dal for 3 to 4 hours.
- Spice powders can be added as per your requirements.
- Green chilies and ginger can also be added.
- 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.
- Recipe can be doubled or tripled.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Kachori Recipe post from the blog archives first published on March 2017 has been updated and republished on January 2023.
Hi,
Planning to try this recipe and I want to bake rather than fry – would I need to add some baking powder while preparing the dough, so it will puff up?
You can add baking powder if you want but not required. Just brush the kachori with some oil or ghee before baking.
HI – what are your recommendations for how to store in the fridge if making these a day or two in advance? I am making triple your recipe for a big dinner party and plan to make ahead but want to make sure they don’t dry out.
I would suggest half frying them first – just frying on medium heat them till they become opaque or pale golden. Then store in the fridge. Then on the party day, these can be fried till golden and served crisp.
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