Urad Dal Ki Kachori (Whole Wheat)

Ingredients

• 1+½ cup atta wholewheat flour
• 2 tablespoon oil
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅓-1/2 cup room temperature water or as needed
• ½ cup urad dal split urad lentils (dhuli urad dal)
• ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
• 2 indian green chilies (hot), adjust to taste, roughly chopped
• ½ inch fresh ginger roughly chopped
• 1 pinch hing asafoetida
• 1 pinch nigella seeds kalonji
• 1 tablespoon mustard oil or use any cooking oil
• 3 tablespoon water for grinding the dal
• ½ teaspoon red chili powder (hot), adjust to taste
• ¾ teaspoon salt adjust to taste
• Oil for deep frying

Steps

1. Add urad dal to a medium bowl and wash 3-4 times under running water until the water runs clear. Soak the lentils in excess water for 5-7 hours.
2. In a wide, shallow dish or large mixing bowl, combine the atta, oil and salt.
3. Incorporate the oil using your hands or spoon until the flour resembles fine crumbs.
4. Gradually add water and mix with your hands to form a soft dough. Knead the dough using your knuckles for 3-5 minutes until smooth.
5. Cover the dough and let it rest for 15-20 minutes to rest the gluten & develop elasticity and pliability.
6. Meawhile lets make the dal filling. Drain and discard all the water from the soaked urad lentils. Add them to a blender jar.
7. Add roughly chopped ginger & green chilies, hing powder and fennel seeds.
8. Add 3 tablespoon water and grind to a fine paste. If needed, add 1 tablespoon water. Dont add too much water.
9. Heat up oil in a non stick pan or a kadai. To the warm oil, carefully add the lentil paste. Sprinkle salt and red chilli powder.
10. Bhuno (saute) the lentils on low heat while stirring continously. Keep scraping as you do the bhunai. Initially, they will feel very pasty and sticky but in 5-7 minutes you will see them attaining a soft dough consistency.
11. Don't dry out too much. Don't brown the dal mixture. The dal paste should feel soft and not stick to your fingers. Switch off the flame. Take out in a small bowl and let cool. You can make the dal filling a day ahead.
12. Take small portions of the dough and place them on a rolling surface. Lightly grease the surface with a few drops of oil, then roll each dough ball into a 2.5-inch circle using a rolling pin. Don't dust with dry flour, use little oil as needed.
13. Add about 1 tablespoon of the dal filling to the center of the dough circle. Gently bring the edges of the dough together, folding them over the dal filling to seal it completely.
14. If needed, apply a few more drops of oil and gently press the filled dough to flatten it into a round shape. Roll gently with the pin to a 3 inch circle taking care not to apply too much pressure. Don't try to roll very thin else dal will start coming out. Repeat this process for all the kachoris, keep the rolled ones covered with a cloth to prevent drying out.
15. Heat oil in a deep pot over low-medium heat for frying. Tip:- The oil should be hot but not smoking. To check, drop a small piece of dough into the oil; if it sizzles and rises to top without changing color, the oil is ready for frying.
16. Carefully lower the rolled dal kachoris into the hot oil, one at a time. Fry them until they turn golden-brown and crispy, flipping and gently pressing them with a slotted spoon occasionally for even cooking. The heat might cause few kachoris to puff up. All of them will not puff up and that's how they are meant to be.
17. Once done, use a slotted spoon to lift the kachoris from the oil and drain excess oil. Fry the remaining kachoris in the same way, then transfer them onto paper towels to absorb any extra oil. Serve warm with curry and raita.