Khasta Masoor Dal Kachoris; crispy, puffy, flaky deep fried Indian pastry filled with a spicy mixture of masoor dal (red lentils); a super tasty snack to serve any time!
Khasta or “crispy” is what defines this quintessential snack/street food popular in North India but now loved all over the country! My first taste of these crispy kachoris was during my days in Delhi in the 90s! My close friend, who was a Punjabi, used to make these amazing moong dal kachoris which were not only delicious but stayed crisp and puffy for days on end!
My take on these is to make them with masoor dal or red lentils.
WHAT IS KACHORI?
"Kachoris" are deep fried Indian pastries, puffy, crispy, flaky and stuffed with either potatoes, spiced lentils or sometimes even onions like the ones available in Rajasthan called “Pyaaz Ki Kachoris”.
WHAT IS THE PASTRY/OUTER COVERING MADE OF?
The outer crust is mostly made of all-purpose flour (or sometimes with a mix of whole wheat too for added nutrition) with some fat like ghee, oil or vegetable shortening like Dalda or Crisco incorporated into the dough to make for a crispy, flaky outer covering for the spicy filling!
The key step in getting a flaky, crispy outer crust which nestles the spicy interiors is to rub in the fat with the flour along with salt and sometimes semolina (for extra crispiness) to form breadcrumbs like texture. This then is made into a stiff but pliable dough.
WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE FILLINGS?
Fillings that you can stuff vary. They could be moong dal (split mung bean dal), urad dal (split black gram dal) and sometimes potatoes or even just onions. I have used masoor dal or red lentils.
The key is to spice them up with a unique blend of aromatic Indian spices like coriander, cumin, saunf/fennel seeds, chilli powder etc.
Another most important step is to make sure the filling is absolutely dry and devoid of any moisture to ensure a crisp kachori. If there is moisture and the filling is wet, then your kachoris will turn out soggy which is not what you want!
IDEAL TEMPERATURE TO DEEP FRY FOR CRISPY, FLAKY KACHORIS:
Temperature of the oil used for deep frying determines whether you get crispy/flaky kachoris or soft, soggy ones!
When the rolled, stuffed kachoris are first dropped into hot oil, they should sink to the bottom and then float back up slowly; oil should not be too hot.
These then should be fried on medium low flame to ensure a crispy texture. This way, they stay crispy for a long time! The whole process to make them could take 5 to 7 minutes for each batch.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS:
Once they are fried, there are many ways you can enjoy them.
Khasta kachoris taste best with tangy tamarind chutney and spicy coriander chutney. I have seen people enjoy them with ketchup too; it is a personal preference, but traditionally, tamarind and coriander chutneys taste best.
Another popular way is to make "kachori chaat", another popular Indian street food.
Prick a hole in the center of each crispy kachori, spoon some tamarind and coriander chutney along with a bit of beaten curd/yogurt into the opening. Sprinkle some roasted cumin powder, chaat masala powder, red chilli powder and fine sev over it.
You can add finely chopped onions, tomatoes and coriander leaves on top if you prefer and enjoy homemade Kachori Chaat!
So, what are you waiting for? Make these crispy, flaky, spicy Masoor Dal Kachoris in your kitchen and enjoy with some hot, hot adrak/ginger tea or if you prefer coffee!
Happy Cooking!
Do check out these other popular street foods you can enjoy:
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE KHASTA MASOOR DAL KACHORI:
TO MAKE THE OUTER COVERING DOUGH:
Mix the flour, semolina, salt and ghee/oil. Rub together with both the palms of your hands to incorporate the fat (ghee/oil) into the mixture. The mixture will look like breadcrumbs.
Add water little by little to form a stiff but pliable dough. Keep aside covered for 15 minutes.
TO MAKE THE FILLING:
Make a coarse paste of green chilies, fennel seeds and ginger.
Soak masoor dal in plenty of water for about 1 hour; drain.
Heat oil in a saucepan or kadai and once the oil is hot, add jeera/cumin seeds.
After a few seconds, stir in the soaked and drained masoor dal. Sprinkle some water and cook on medium heat until the dal is soft. Keep adding more water and stirring often.
Once the dal is cooked, add the rest of the ingredients: chilli-saunf paste, coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, hing, red chilli powder and amchur/chaat masala powder.
Sprinkle salt to taste and mix well. Cook on medium low heat until the dal is almost dry, stirring often.
Remove from heat and let cool.
TO MAKE THE KACHORIS:
Heat oil for deep frying.
Knead the dough for a few minutes and divide into large lemon-sized balls.
Roll each into a large 3-inch circle and then spoon a little bit of masoor filling in the center.
Pull the edges of the dough to the center to cover the filling and pinch together. Press lightly; fill the rest of the dough balls with the filling; keep aside.
Roll the filled dough balls with a rolling pin to about 3 inches in diameter, taking care not to let the filling come out. They should be a little thick.
Once the oil is hot (a small piece of dough put in the hot oil should rise slowly; if it rises fast, it is too hot), gently slide in the filled, rolled dough/kachori into the hot oil. As it fries, you will notice it rising slowly, puffing up like a puri.
Keep pressing gently with a flat ladle until it puffs up fully. This whole process should be done on medium low heat.
Fry on both sides until the kachoris are golden brown, puffy and crisp. Each batch should take about 5 to 7 minutes.
Remove and drain on paper towel lined plates to remove the excess oil.
Continue with the rest of the dough.
Serve hot, crispy and spicy masoor dal kachoris with your favorite dip; sweet and sour tamarind chutney, spicy coriander chutney and/or tomato ketchup.
These can be fried ahead of time and kept in warm oven until serving time.
Enjoy and Happy Cooking!
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Khasta Masoor Dal Kachoris; crispy, puffy, flaky deep fried Indian pastry filled with a spicy mixture of masoor dal (red lentils); a super tasty snack to serve any time!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour/maida
- 2 tbsp suji/semolina (optional)
- 3 tbsp ghee/oil/vegetable shortening
- Salt to taste
- Warm water
- 1 cup masoor dal/split red lentils
- 1 tbsp jeera/cumin seeds
- 2 tbsp oil
- 3 green chilies/2 jalapenos/Serrano peppers
- 1 tsp fennel seeds/saunf
- 1 inch ginger
- 1 tbsp dhania/coriander powder
- ¼ tsp haldi/turmeric powder
- 1 tsp garam masala powder
- ¼ tsp hing/asafetida powder
- 1 tsp red chilli powder/cayenne
- 1 tsp amchur/dry mango powder (or Chaat masala)
- Salt to taste
- Oil for deep frying
- Green coriander chutney
- Tamarind chutney
- Tomato ketchup
Instructions
- Mix the flour, semolina, salt and ghee/oil. Rub together with both the palms of your hands to incorporate the fat (ghee/oil) into the mixture. The mixture will look like breadcrumbs.
- Add water little by little to form a stiff but pliable dough. Keep aside covered for 15 minutes.
- Make a coarse paste of green chilies, fennel seeds and ginger.
- Soak masoor dal in plenty of water for about 1 hour; drain.
- Heat oil in a saucepan or kadai and once the oil is hot, add jeera/cumin seeds.
- After a few seconds, stir in the soaked and drained masoor dal. Sprinkle some water and cook on medium heat until the dal is soft. Keep adding more water and stirring often.
- Once the dal is cooked, add the rest of the ingredients: chilli-saunf paste, coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, hing, red chilli powder and amchur/chaat masala powder.
- Sprinkle salt to taste and mix well. Cook on medium low heat until the dal is almost dry, stirring often.
- Remove from heat and let cool.
- Heat oil for deep frying.
- Knead the dough for a few minutes and divide into large lemon-sized balls.
- Roll each into a large 3-inch circle and then spoon a little bit of masoor filling in the center.
- Pull the edges of the dough to the center to cover the filling and pinch together. Press lightly; fill the rest of the dough balls with the filling; keep aside.
- With the pinched side up, roll the filled dough balls with a rolling pin to about 3 inches in diameter, taking care not to let the filling come out. They should be a little thick.
- Once the oil is hot (a small piece of dough put in the hot oil should rise slowly; if it rises fast, it is too hot), gently slide in the filled, rolled dough/kachori into the hot oil. As it fries, you will notice it rising slowly, puffing up like a puri.
- Keep pressing gently with a flat ladle until it puffs up fully. This whole process should be done on medium low heat.
- Fry on both sides until the kachoris are golden brown, puffy and crisp. Each batch should take about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Remove and drain on paper towel lined plates to remove the excess oil.
- Continue with the rest of the dough.
- Serve hot, crispy and spicy masoor dal kachoris with your favorite dip; sweet and sour tamarind chutney, spicy coriander chutney and/or tomato ketchup.
- These can be fried ahead of time and kept in warm oven until serving time.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Leftover kachoris can be reheated in a hot oven (350 F or 180 C) for 5 to 7 minutes until crispy and hot again.
Make sure the filling is dry; you can store leftover filling in the fridge for up to 2 weeks to enjoy hot kachoris another day.
The same recipe can be made with moong dal too.
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Now I know where to come for making these!
Thank you so much Rita 🙂 You are most welcome anytime!
You Kachoris look so tempting, I just want to pick one and have a bite!!
Thanks a lot Swati 🙂