Make flaky delicious halwai style Khasta kachori with this recipe. Spiced mung lentils are stuffed in a pastry and fried to perfection! This is a popular street snack from North India.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 20 minutes
  • Cook time: 40 minutes
  • Total time: 60 minutes
  • Yield: 8 · 8 medium or 6 large
  • Category: Appetizer, Snack
  • Cuisine: North Indian

Ingredients

  • 1¼ cups (150 grams) all-purpose flour (- maida (or ½ cup all-purpose flour + ¾ wheat flour))
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon carom seeds (/ajwain crushed slightly)
  • 2½ tablespoons (38 ml, 27g) ghee
  • ¼ cup (60 ml) water ((+ 1 tablespoon or as required))
  • ¼ cup (50 grams) moong dal (/ yellow mung lentils)
  • 3 tablespoons (25 grams) besan (/ gram flour)
  • 1½ tablespoon (22 ml) oil
  • ¾ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper corn ((may omit for low heat))
  • ¾ to 1 tablespoon fennel seeds ((use less qty if you prefer))
  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
  • 3 dried red chilies ((deseeded, or 1 tsp red chili flakes, or use 1 green chili, read notes))
  • ⅛ teaspoon hing (/ asafoetida)
  • ¼ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon dry ginger powder
  • ¾ teaspoon chaat masala ((or ½ tsp amchur/dried mango powder + ⅛ tsp black salt, adjust to taste))
  • ¼ teaspoon garam masala
  • ¾ teaspoon sugar (or jaggery)
  • 1 teaspoon kasuri methi (/ dried fenugreek leaves)
  • 2 cups oil to fry
  • 4 to 8 green chilies to serve (- optional)

Method

Make the filling

  1. Rinse moong dal in a small bowl and soak for 3 to 4 hours. Later drain them to a strainer.
  2. Add cumin seeds, coriander seeds, black pepper, fennel seeds and dried chilies to a small grinder. Pulse them to a coarse powder.
  3. Heat oil in a pan and the crushed spices. Saute on a medium flame, for 2 mins until aromatic. Add gram flour/besan and saute for 6 to 7 mins, until very aromatic. You will see it gets clumpy and begins to release oil.
  4. Stir in the red chili powder, turmeric, hing and salt. Add the moong dal and continue to saute for 7 to 8 minutes until most of the moisture from the dal is dried out.
  5. Stir in dry ginger, sugar/ jaggery, amchur + black salt or chaat masala, garam masala and kasuri methi. Mix well and taste test to adjust salt and spices. Saute for 2 mins more and turn off.
  6. Cool down slightly. Divide into 9 portions (1 tightly packed tbsp) and shape to small balls. You will have 1 extra ball that you may use to taste test and adjust salt or spice.

Make the dough

  1. Stir in flour, salt and oil in a bowl. Mix well for 2 to 3 mins, until the ghee is incorporated well into the flour & forms crumbs.
  2. Pour water little by little to form a non-sticky and slightly stiff dough. (It shouldn't be dry or crumbly). If the dough is dry, dip your fingers in water as you work. Cover and rest for 30 mins.
  3. When you are ready to shape the kachori, knead the dough for 2 to 3 mins, until elastic and smooth. Divide the dough to 8 portions and roll to smooth balls. Keep them covered.
  4. With the help of your fingers, shape a ball to a small cup or a disc of 3 inches. Place the kachori stuffing in the center.
  5. Bring the sides up by pushing the stuffing inside. Bring all the edges on top and smear water. Join and press down to seal.
  6. Roll to round ball in between your palms. If the joint looks too dry, dip your finger in water and press down the joint well. (Don’t make it too wet.)
  7. Finish stuffing all the balls and keep them aside covered with a cloth or lid to prevent drying out.

Fry the Kachori

  1. Heat oil in a deep fry pan on a medium heat. You want the oil to be slightly hot, not very hot. While the oil is heating, shape the kachoris.
  2. Without a rolling pin: Take a stuffed dough ball and using your fingers, flatten gently to spread the filling across evenly and shape it to a small puri/ disc (3 inches).
  3. With a rolling pin: Place a dough ball on a rolling board and roll with light hands to a small puri (3 inches). Avoid rolling a lot on the edges.
  4. Repeat shaping half of the balls. Check if the oil is medium hot by dropping a small portion of dough to the oil. It should not sizzle and rise to the surface & the oil shouldn’t bubble much. You should see few very tiny bubbles at the bottom. This is the right temperature to fry.
  5. Gently slide the kachoris, one by one to the pan and avoid touching them for 10 to 12 mins. (They will begin to rise to the surface at 4 to 5 mins mark but will completely float & begin to puff by 10 mins.)
  6. When they are firm by 10 to 12 mins, turn them to the other side with a spider and increase the flame slightly to medium heat.
  7. Keep stirring every few minutes until they are evenly golden & crisp. (It takes me another 8 mins, but this may vary slightly depending on how many kachoris you are frying, kind of stove, cookware and intensity of heat.)
  8. Remove to a cooling rack or a steel colander.
  9. To fry the next batch of kachoris, turn off the stove and shape the rest. Turn on again and fry them in medium hot oil.
  10. To fry chilies, pat dry the rinsed chilies and poke deep holes with knife or deseed them. Add them to a spider and dip in hot oil & fry in short intervals of 15 to 20 seconds, until blistered.
  11. Enjoy khasta kachori hot with fried chilies, tamarind and green chutney.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.