Matar ki kachori is a flaky, crispy deep-fried pastry filled with savory, spiced green peas stuffing. In the Hindi language, matar means green peas and Kachori is a deep-fried and flaky pastry. These are like spiced empanadas. Peas Kachori served hot with some spicy coriander chutney and sweet dates chutney, is a food lover’s delight.
About Matar ki Kachori
There are many types of kachori made in the Indian cuisine. They are also a popular street food. A kachori is a stuffed round bread that is deep fried. The stuffing can vary from vegetables to lentils and even dry fruits.
They are not much different from the Samosa except for the filling and the shape. The crust of a kachori will also vary depending upon the recipe. It can be flaky, crispy or be soft.
This matar kachori has a flaky crust with a savory filling of tender green peas. This recipe can also be called Khasta matar kachori as the outer pastry is flaky and crisp. I usually make this snack when we get fresh green peas during the Indian winters.
I have earlier shared a few versions of kachori and you can check the links below:
- Kachori Recipe – Classic version
- Urad Dal Kachori – Made with urad dal (black lentils) stuffing.
- Raj Kachori – Royal Kachori Chaat
- Koraishutir Kochuri – Bengali Style soft textured peas kachori
These peas kachori are a nice warm breakfast during the winters. Yes you read it right, kachori is served as breakfast in some North Indian states. You can also serve it as a brunch or evening snack. They taste awesome with a side of green chutney and make for a filling snack.
How to make Matar ki Kachori
1: In a pan sieve 1 cup all-purpose flour (125 grams) with ¼ teaspoon baking powder (optional) and ¼ teaspoon salt or as required.
Instead of all-purpose flour, you can use whole wheat flour also or you can use half-half of both the flours. But remember that with whole wheat flour the texture will be slightly dense.
You can skip baking powder in the dough. But it helps to give a lighter and crispier texture to the crust.
2: Add 2 tablespoons oil. I have used sunflower oil. You can also use ghee instead but make sure that the ghee is in a soft state and not hardened.
3: With your fingertips mix the oil evenly with the flour and form a bread crumb-like consistency.
When you press this mixture between your palms, if will form a lump and should not fall apart or break.
4: Now add 3 to 4 tablespoons of lukewarm water or as needed in parts to the flour and begin to mix and knead.
Don’t add all the water at once. Go on adding a few tablespoons of water as required and knead the dough.
5: Knead into a dough that is smooth and firm or stiff. The dough should not be sticky. Cover with a damp cloth and keep aside for 30 to 40 minutes.
Don’t make a soft dough like that of roti. The soft dough will make for a soft crust like that of a poori and matar kachori has a crispy crust.
Making matar kachori stuffing
6: In the meantime now prepare the filling. Boil or steam 1 cup peas. Drain any water and keep aside. You can boil the peas in a steamer or stovetop pressure cooker. The potatoes were added to some other dish 🙂
You can use fresh or frozen peas.
7: Mash the peas to a coarse or semi-coarse consistency with a potato masher. Keep aside. You can also blend the peas in a blender or mixer grinder to a semi-coarse consistency.
8: Heat 2 teaspoons of oil. Add ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds and fry them till they splutter and get browned.
Use any neutral flavored oil. I have used sunflower oil. You can also use ghee (clarified butter).
9: Add ½ teaspoon green chili-ginger paste and fry for a minute on low heat.
To make green chili-ginger paste take about ½ inch of ginger and ½ or 1 green chili and then crush them in a mortar & pestle.
10: Add the coarsely mashed peas.
11: Add the following dry spice powders. Stir and mix well.
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon fennel powder
- ½ teaspoon chaat masala or add as per taste
- ½ teaspoon amchur powder (dry mango powder) or add as per taste
12: Add 1 tablespoon besan (gram flour) and saute for a couple of minutes until the raw aroma of besan goes away. The besan soaks up all the moisture and as a result, the stuffing mixture becomes dry. Hence making it easier to stuff and roll the peas kachori.
Instead of gram flour you can also use chickpea flour.
13: Keep the prepared peas filling aside.
Rolling matar kachori
14: Make about 5 to 6 equal-sized balls from the dough.
15: Roll into a 3 to 4 inches diameter disc with a rolling pin or using your palms flatten the ball on a lightly dusted rolling board.
16: Place the peas filling in the center of the disc. Brush the edges with water. Brushing the edges is optional. I do this so that the dough sticks very well while folding and the filling has no chance to come out.
17: Bring together all the edges in the center and join them. Then press them downwards towards the center. This step is much like the way we do for stuffed parathas. Make sure there are no cracks in the pastry dough. Or else the filling can come out while frying.
18: Flatten gently with your palms to a kachori of about 4 to 5 inches in size. You can also roll using a rolling pin, but do very gently as otherwise the pastry covering breaks.
Cover all the prepared kachori in a damp cloth and keep aside till you heat the oil.
Frying matar kachori
19: Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai (wok). Use any neutral flavored oil.
When the oil becomes medium hot, slid the prepared matar kachori gently and carefully into the hot oil.
The oil should not be very hot nor should be cold. Fry them at low to low-medium heat. You can also fry them at medium heat. Don’t overcrowd the kadai. Add as per capacity and size of the kadai so that it allows them enough space to puff while frying.
Read the notes section below in the recipe card, for getting the right temperature while frying.
20: The peas kachori would start puffing up. Fry the first side until golden and crispy. Then turn over with a slotted spoon and fry the second side.
21: Turn over a couple of times as needed and fry till they become golden brown and flaky from both sides. Make sure they are evenly fried.
22: Drain them on kitchen paper tissues to remove excess oil. Fry the remaining batches this way and regulate the heat as needed.
Serve matar ki kachori hot or warm with coriander chutney or mint chutney or tamarind chutney. In the below photo, I served them with pomegranate chutney.
Few more tasty Snacks Recipes
Gujarati Food Recipes
Sweets Recipes
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Matar Kachori
Ingredients
For pastry
- 1 cup all purpose flour – 125 grams, can also use whole wheat flour or both the flours in half-half ratio
- 2 tablespoons oil – I used sunflower oil, can use ghee
- 3 to 4 tablespoons water – lukewarm, add as required
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder – optional
- ¼ teaspoon salt or add as required
For matar kachori stuffing
- 1 cup green peas fresh or frozen
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon Coriander Powder
- ½ teaspoon fennel powder
- ½ teaspoon chaat masala or add as per taste
- ½ teaspoon amchur powder (dry mango powder) or add as per taste
- ½ teaspoon green chili-ginger paste or crushed or minced green chili & ginger – use about ½ inch of ginger and ½ or 1 green chili and then crush them in a mortar & pestle
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons oil – can use ghee (clarified butter)
- 1 tablespoon besan (gram flour), can use chickpea flour
- salt as required
For frying
- 2 to 3 cups oil or as required
Instructions
Making pastry
- In a bowl sift the flour, salt and baking powder. Add oil and mix with your fingertips to form a bread crumb like mixture.
- Add water in parts – a few tablespoons at a time. Work to a smooth and stiff or firm dough. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside.
Making matar kachori stuffing
- Boil or steam the peas. Mash them coarsely or semi-coarsely.
- Heat oil and fry the cumin seeds till they splutter and get browned. Then add the crushed ginger-green chili paste. Fry for a minute on low heat.
- Add the coarsely mashed peas. Then add the dry spice powders and salt as required. Stir and mix well.
- Add the gram flour. Saute for a couple of minutes until the raw aroma of besan goes away.
- Check the seasoning and add some more of the spice powders or salt, if required.
Rolling matar ki kachori
- Make equal sized 5 to 6 balls from the dough. Roll into 3 to 4 inch round on a dusted board.
- Add some of the stuffing in the center. Brush some water on the edges.
- Bring together all the edges and pinch them. Press the edges downwards below.
- Roll into a 4 to 5 inches kachori. Prepare all matar kachoris like these.
- Keep them covered with a wet cloth.
Frying matar kachori
- Now heat oil in a kadai. When the oil becomes medium hot, slid the prepared matar kachori gently and carefully into the hot oil.
- The peas kachori would start puffing up. Fry the first side until golden and crispy. Then turn over with a slotted spoon and fry the second side.
- Turn over a couple of times as needed and fry till they become golden brown and flaky from both sides. Make sure they are evenly fried.
- Drain them on kitchen paper tissues to remove excess oil. Fry the remaining batches this way and regulate the heat as needed.
- Serve matar ki kachori hot with some coriander chutney or tamarind chutney or mint chutney or any green chutney of your choice.
Notes
- For making any flaky pastry, the proportion of flour to oil or ghee is important.
- You can choose to skip baking powder. But it helps to make a lighter and crispy crust.
- Also the amount of water required to knead is another important factor that determines the flakiness. Too much water will make the dough crisp but not flaky and too little can dry out the dough.
- Keep the kachori dough covered with a moist cloth at all times.
- Next comes the frying. Too hot oil won’t allow the dough to get flaky resulting in a crisp exterior with uncooked interiors and filling. Too cold oil would end up the dough soaking a lot of oil and the result would be an oily kachori. So the oil has to be at a low to low-medium temperature but not cold.
- 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 matar ki kachori 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. Increase the flame.
- A point to be remembered is that when you add the matar ki kachori to the hot oil, the temperature of the oil does get lowered naturally, so accordingly increase a bit of the flame.
- The spices in the kachori filling can be adjusted as per your preference.
- If dry mango powder is not available, then add some lemon juice instead.
- This recipe can be doubled or tripled.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Matar Kachori post from the archives (January 2013) has been republished and updated on 15 September 2021.
Hi Dassana,looks like a great recipe. I wanted to know if I could bake these in an air fryer? In which case do I have to tweak any proportions of the outer dough? Also how long would these keep good at room temperature if baked? Thank you????
thanks ashwini. you can bake them in an air fryer. yes, you will need to add some more fat (moyan) in the dough to get a crisp and flaky texture. so you can add 3 tablespoons oil or ghee in the dough. at room temperature, these kachoris stay good for a day.
Thanks for the clarification,I however deep fried it and used whole wheat flour in the recipe. I stored them in tight steel container but by next day it was no longer crisp and flaky! Tasted good though????. Should these kachoris be consumed the same day itself?
welcome ashwini. the kachori will become soft the next day. they are best served hot or warm. yes, ideally kachori should be consumed the day they are made.
Your recipe is Super!
Hi Dassana
I can’t cook for love nor money, but had a go. Everyone loved it! Thank you!
thanks for sharing the review and feedback bakul.
All your recipes are awsm, I had tried so many recipes… today I tried paneer do pyaza and it was awsm. Tomorrow gonna try matar kachori for my in laws hope this help to impress them ????. I need to make 20s kachori so what will be the measurements.
thanks avantika for the feedback on paneer do pyaaza. just double the ratio of all ingredients proportionately. you can add spice powders less or more as per your taste preferences.
Instead of boiling peas can we grind them? then what should be the cooking time of filling?
you can grind the peas and then cook them. heat oil and add the jeera etc. then add the ground peas. stirring continuously cook them. then add the spice powders and later besan. cooking time will be more. can take 9 to 10 minutes on a low to medium flame.
Hi Dassana. Made this yesterday and it turned out too good. Kneaded the dough by adding a tea spoon of rava (sooji) to make it more crispy
thanks for the feedback sonal as well as for sharing the tip on adding sooji.
what if i dont have chaat masala?
you can add some more amchur powder and a bit of black salt, if you have black salt. or else just skip it.
Hi… I’m not sure what I did wrong but my dough is cracking up… Too dry? Please help
add some more water and knead again.
wonderful recipe dassana. You are inspiration for all the bloggers. I love your recipes and always follow your blog. Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipes.
thank you shilpi for your positive feedback 🙂 glad to know this and you are welcome.
Thank you so much for the recipe.
I tried it.But the kachoris turned out soft.It was not crispy.What must have gone wrong?
welcome beena. if too much water goes in the dough or if the dough is moist and soft like a chapati dough, the kachoris will get the texture of pooris. the dough has to be firm and not soft. i hope this helps.
Thank you so much for the recipe.
How to make the kachoris round and puffed like the ones we get from shops?
if you roll them well and evenly, then they will puff up well. also the filling mixture has to be dry, so that it does not stick to the dough.
The recipe came amazing and even tried with chicken filling. All your recipes are just perfect and great work Dasana!!
thanks you divya 🙂
Hey, the recipe sounds & looks very very tempting, i wld b trying it 2moro itself, can u tell me which brand instant yeast do u use for ur recipes.?
thanks. i use mauripan brand of instant yeast.
Hi…its yummy,…i loved it…thank u so much for sharing this…i like ur site…
welcome always and thankyou neha 🙂
I had a quick question. Can i fill i n the stuffing, roll the pooris and freeze/refrigerate them to fry them after 2-3 days?
i would not suggest. as after freezing/refrigerating some moisture would release due to condensation and the kachoris will become soggy before you fry them.
Too gud i love kachori there s a particular place in my hometown n kachori of tht place is v tasty. .had kachori at many other places but missed tht taste but to my surprise these kachoris almost tastes similar loved it
pleased to know this shabana 🙂 thankyou for trying the matar kachoris.
At my place there is a famous kachori shop n d
Taste is awesome. .. had kachori at many other places but not a single one matched to tht taste but this kachori recipe of urs was exactly like tht loved it even my hubby loved it?
?
hey shabana we are pleased to know your hubby loved the matar kachori recipe 🙂 thankyou for trying them.
i am big fan of your site. i am in food business and your knowledge helps me a lot. thanks sister
pleased to know this manjit 🙂 thankyou and you are welcome.
Hi!! Dassana….m a big fan of ur recipes….today I tried the kachories bt wid potato filling…bt my outer part became soft…..wat to do??
thanks geetanjali. the outer part has become soft due to the dough being soft. nothing can be done, unfortunately. they will taste like stuffed pooris. next time whenever you make, knead the dough to a firm texture. the dough should not be like a chapati or paratha dough.
Looks very nice and will be tasty also I will try soon.
Hi Dassana,
Tried out this today and served with your mathura k dubke wale aaloo.
My parents were very pleased when I served this at breakfast.
Thanks for the awesome recipe 🙂
Amrita
welcome amrita. glad to know this.
Hey there am not indian. But thanks for the recipe.. today I had no idea what to cook for iftar you recipe really helped a lot thnx may god bless you in sha allah
thanks a lot maryam.
Hi dassana..tried ur recipe in morning breakfast today n it turned out very delicious..specially measurement give by you in ur recipes is always perfect..thanks for this morning delight!
welcome payal. glad to know this.
I tried ur matar kachori…..it was awesome ….next time I m going to try khandvi…..
One more thing all recipes are so easy to understand…
Thank you
welcome anju. thanks for sharing your positive feedback.
Lovely amazing…..thanks…..
I made it for my feoncy…his mom n dad they lovey it
welcome anjana. glad to know this.
hai dassana, thanx for your receipes, itz very clear n easy to make. keep posting more. I wll try matar kachori today hope it comes good. thanx a lot once again, hv a nice day.
welcome bhargavi. good to know this. thanks for sharing positive feedback.
lovely!!
hi. i tried this recipe today, added muton keema along with matar in the filling and they turned out awesome.. 🙂 my dad loved it!! thank you for sharing. will definitely try out ur other recipes.
p.s. keep up the good work 🙂
welcome farah
Yipee!!!!!
Your presentation is excellent just aawesome !!! I made kachori today!
First 2 were horrible but den it is good ..n reaally tastes like d market one… !! Thanks for the wonderful receipee… s
They works a lot for me….. !!!!!…….
welcome purnima. while frying kachoris the first one will usually not be good as oil is not hot enough. if your oil is hot enough then all kachoris will come good. test the hotness of oil by adding small piece of dough. if the dough rises steadily to the surface then the oil is hot for frying. thanks for sharing your positive review on matar kachori recipe.
Your.presentation is amazing….!!!!!!
Thanks alot ….. !!
Today gonnna made matar kachoriiii… but worried abt d dough … !!… plz advice…
thanks. the dough should be firm and yet smooth to roll. don’t make a sticky or wet dough.
Thx a lot… actually I like kachori most…
welcome shaifali
I like the kachori very much when I tried it at myself it exactly become just like restaurant and my family member gave me compliment.
thanks pranjali for sharing positive feedback. glad to know this.
Hey , I love all your recipes. This is one is just excellent.
I have tried many of your recipes like samosas , gobhi manchurian , malai kofta , kadhai paneer and all have turned a great success. Thanks .. and excellent way of presentation with step over step pictures…Superb !!!
welcome aayushee. glad to know this. thanks for sharing positive feedback on recipes.
started making this kachoris now by reading this post…fingers crossed hope it turns out crisp…will comment again once its done:-p
sure 🙂
It’s really very nice. it’s very useful for me. Please going on thank u.
welcome priya
Hey i love it.. This is first time i tried it but also sad at this time too because it did not become hard and crispy insead it become so soft so help me please
I did everything what you said on recipe
ohh.. could be because the dough must have become soft. the dough should have some firmness. if its not too late, you can fry the kachoris for some more time so that the outer crust becomes crisp.
It’s really good
liked ur recepies very much
easier n simple.
thanks
– Aarti
welcome aarti. thanks for sharing positive feedback on recipes.
Simply love your recipes. v.easy to follow. I have tried the recipes. Thanx.
welcome punitha
Hi Amit,
Thanks again for the excellent recipe. Its my 5 recipe from your website and it’s irresistible.
Need to rush my kachauri’s are getting cold. 🙂
Thanks
welcome ashish. glad to know that you are liking the recipes.
Hi.. love your recipes. Please tell me when you mean one cup flour.. do u mean a teacup or a large coffee cup.. thanks
ann, its an american cup of measurement and not a tea cup or large coffe cup.
I just recently found your site and it is fabulous! I am making these tonight. I already made your chole recipe and took it to a girl’s night and it was devoured! Thank you for posting the pomegranate chutney recipe in the comments. It looks divine.
thanks peldyn. i am glad you liked the recipes.
Hello Dassana,
Today for iftar i tried your peas kachori receipe. It was a hit among my family. Thanks to you for all the appreciation i got. God bless
thanks to you too, simran for this sweet reply.
Yummy!
matar kachoris were divine! it was a hit. thank you.
thats great.
This is my fav anytime…looks absolutely tempting!!
I have to make these, these look so perfectly delicious :)!
hi dassana,
i tried the receipe…..yesterday….but the kachories did not turn crisp…and then in anger again i tried the kachories with left over atta after finishing my dinner chapatis ….these kachories were still crisp….in maida kachories i had added oil and meetha soda but atta was normal chapatti dough..i am confused…where is the flaw……..i am determined to make perfect kachoris…i have decided that ….and serve them to my husband……yesterday….me and my son had to glup them and we did not reveal anything to him…..please guide me…i want to serve this on his birthday next week…one alteration i had made was that i made pyaaz kachori…in stuffing i added onion garlic after fring and tbsp of fried besan with koota hua sabut dhaniya, fennel and sabut red chillies and other usual masalas …waiting for your response…..cheers
arre baba don’t get angry. in cooking such things happen. in fact i have had disaster many times while making samosas. they cover would never turn flaky and be soft. everybody would laugh at home. thankfully i make pretty good samosas now.
the stuffing should not matter as you cooked the onions. so either it is the baking soda or water proportion. if a pinch of baking soda is added, then there would be no issues. but if you added 1/4 tsp baking powder than it will affect the dough. since i have used baking powder and this is less concentrated than baking soda.
also even if some extra water is added, then the pastry become crisp but not flaky while frying. it will be more like pooris, some parts crisp and some parts soft. perhaps the chapati dough was perfectly done for the kachoris. it must have had the right amount of water in it. adding baking powder is not essential. it just helps the dough to leaven. but kachoris can be made without adding baking powder or soda.
most important is the proportion of water. moreover the quality of maida also matters. some flours absorb more water and some less. so when you make next time, just add little by little water and knead. the dough should not at all feel sticky. a little firmness is ok. it should not be soft like chapati dough. you can omit adding the baking powder or soda.
also remember to cut the ghee or oil in the flour. this technique is also important. making a bread crumb like consistency before kneading is usually done for pastries to give that flaky crust. avoid over kneading or punching too much the way we do for roti dough.
i hope next time you make perfect kachoris.
i will definately try them soon and then give u feedback…..
i could not understand what u mean by….
“”””””also remember to cut the ghee or oil in the flour. this technique is also important. making a bread crumb like consistency before kneading is usually done for pastries to give that flaky crust””””””
do i need to reduce the oil amount in making dough
cutting the fat in the flour is the 3rd step where we make the breadcrumb like consistency. since oil is added fingertips are used to make the breadcrumb like texture. but if butter is added then with a knife the butter is cut into the flour. this technique usually done for large proportions and for pie pastries and flaky stuff.
Like to have this kachori as a tea time snack now! loved the pic of golden kachori’s puffed and sizzling in oil!
Matar kachori loooks very yummy.I see there is some purple colour chutney is kept for serving next to kachori, in the picture.could you pls provide recepe for that? I’ll be greatful,pls.
thanks.
hi chandrika. the purple chutney is made from fresh pomegranate. i will update the recipe soon. this sweet chutney was so good and was an excellent accompaniment with the kachoris. we also had the chutney later with pakoras and the combo was great. in short, i will give you the recipe – just grind 1 or 1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds/arils with jeera powder, red chili powder (optional), chaat masala, ginger, few mint or coriander leaves ( (you don’t want to change the color hence less amounts), lemon juice, black salt and some powdered jaggery or sugar if required. use the method of andaz or estimation when adding the masalas. if you want you can strain the chutney.
wow,I am sure it’ll be delicious.I’ll surely try this chutney.very very nice of you for shareing such healthy and mouthwatering chutney.
hi chandrika. if you strain the chutney then the consistency is thin. its tastes like pani puri water. if you want a thick consistency, then don’t strain the chutney.
hey Dassana..how r u dear..its been a long time..the kachoris look beautiful..i m gonna make them soon..
hi suhani. i am good. hope are doing good to. do make these matar kachoris. i still have to make your bengali style kachoris.
Matar Kachori looks very nice. Yesterday I saw it in a store and wanted to make some and today you have posted the recipe for it.
Hi,
The recipe looks yummy… I just want to know, how many Kachoris will this recipe make? I am planning to try this recipe in a day or two and I have a family of 4 and was wondering about the quantity.
hi fizaah, this recipe will make 6 kachoris. but you can easily double the recipe. just increase the ingredients proportionately.
Thanks Dasanna!!!!
wonderful Dasanna ! i loved the photos 🙂 kachori is one of my favourite Snack Item !
looks fabulous dassana! kachoris have been on my to-make list for ages, i love them 🙂
Bookmarking this one . Looks so tasty
tempting and super inviting .. ..wish to try it out
i think, i would make this for myself for this weekend.
xx
awsummmmm i prepared today……….superb!!!
thankyou shefali 🙂