HOW TO MAKE KACHORIS PRABHUPADA LIKES
a memory by Harsarani-Devi Dasi
Harsarani: I remember us cooking kachoris. Remember how we used to cook kachoris and his eyes would get really big? He’d make us roll them a certain way.
Govinda: He showed us how to cook them in that apartment.
Harsarani: He was so intent on having them the way he wanted. He’d come in and make us make them a certain way and fill them just with so much filling. Fill them up just so, cook them just so long. Then he’d go back and sit down and wait for them like a kid. Then they’d come in. They’d have to be all the way blown up and drop then. His eyes would get really big. If they were really good and big his eyes would get really big. And we used to say, “How many can you eat?” He’d say, “I can eat as many as you can make.”
Govinda: He ate eight kachoris once. I remember the day he was teaching us how to cook them in the kitchen. I remember that really well. About a month before we were in New York, Devananda was with him and giving him massages. He was sitting there talking about Vrndavana and he was talking about Krsna’s laddus and kachoris. I remember he had his eyes closed, “I simply want to go to Vrndavana for Krsna’s laddus and kachoris.” He was going on and on about laddu and kachoris. At that time we didn’t know what laddu and kachoris were. They had never been introduced. So we said, “Oh, what are they?” He said, “I shall teach you how to make laddu and kachoris. If you make me laddu and kachoris I will bless you.” Devananda and I looked at each other like, “Boy, we’re going to find out how to make laddu and kachoris.” Then we were in a traveling space-New York, San Francisco, Santa Fe, Montreal-like that. So the first time we kind of were settled again was there in Seattle, and he gave us a nice kachori lesson, although it was Kartikeya instead of Devananda. The whole secret of making them was that you blended that urad dal in the blender until it was like toothpaste. It has to be really smooth, otherwise those little beans would pop through.
Even now nobody knows how to make kachoris. Maybe Yamuna does. Most people don’t even know what a real kachori is. Most people think a kachori is this big fat potato filled thing. They don’t know the kind of kachoris we’re talking about. It’s the technique. I’m an artist, a sculptor, and I can hardly do it. It’s unbelievable. You soak the urad dal overnight, and then you blend it until it’s like toothpaste. Then he had us put it into a bowl, then he asked for some hing, salt and red pepper. Did he have cumin? No. Red pepper, hing and salt. Then you take the dough. It has to be pretty soft and just right. You make it into a little ball. It was softer than puri dough. Puri dough, he told me the secret is to make it very hard so it’s flaky. But kachori dough has a lot of ghee in it, so it’s soft and pliable. Puri dough has a lot ghee in it, but not much water. This has more water, so it’s real soft.
So then you make these little cups into your hand, and you take a little dab of urad dal, about a half teaspoon, and touch it to the salt, touch it to the hing, touch it to the pepper, put it in, close it up, seal it, pat it, and then you roll it out flat and thin, very carefully, because it squishes out.
Harsarani: It’s real delicate to make it right, but when it’s made right, then all that urad dal hits against the wall of that thing and makes it real spicy; it’s really delicious. He likes them hot.
Govinda: One other thing, when he’s cooking them. First of all you put them in once to hot ghee and they puff. Then he took them out and let them cool, and then you re-cook them. They cook twice, he said “Until it is reddish.” It’s a double cooking thing. He liked to have them with this wet potato vegetable. They’re really different. Hardly anybody knows how to make them. Maybe Yamuna. They’re round like a capati or puri. They puff up. I always had this feeling when I ate kachoris, like “This is food for the gods.” He taught us to make kachoris. Later on in L.A. he taught us how to make laddu. That was the main cooking lesson I remember in Seattle.
a memory by Harsarani-Devi Dasi
Also included in this post are some various kachori recipes.
We begin by making the pastry and then have the option of different types of filling, and finally deep frying them in ghee or oil.
We have included a basic pastry or soft dough recipe (basic dough for puris) and can begin with that.
1 cup regular flour (maida)
1/2 cup wheat flour (atta)
2 1/2 tbsp ghee
few tips for making the pastry dough:
* for making any flaky pastry, the proportion of flour to oil/ghee is important.
* 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 dough covered with a moist cloth at all times.
options for filling the dough:
1) make little cups of the dough. Place the ball of potato filling in the middle. Cover with the dough. Roll into thick round and deep fry in ghee.
2) make small balls of dough and roll them out, place little filling in the centre and close to form a pouch. Roll this out and fry like pooris or like parathas.
3) take handful of dough and roll it to a medium size poori. Take a spoonful of the filling and place it in the center of the rolled poori. Cover the mixture by taking all the sides of the poori and close it by bringing all the edges in the center, flatten with very little pressure.
* Well you get the idea…they can vary in size and shape.
tips for cooking the kachori’s:
* next comes the frying, if the ghee is too it won’t allow the dough to get flaky resulting in a crisp exterior with uncooked interiors and filling. if the oil is too cold up the dough soaks up a lot of oil and the result would be an oily pastry.
* to check the temperature while frying, add a small piece of dough to the oil, if it comes steadily to the surface, then the kachoris are ready to be fried (if the the dough comes quickly, the oil is hot. so lower the flame. if it takes a lot of time to come, then the dough is cold. increase the flame).
* a point to be remembered is that when you add the kachoris to the hot oil, the temperature of the oil does get lowered naturally, so accordingly increase a bit of the flame.
Matar Kachori
For the Stuffing:
Green peas
2 green chillies
2-3 cloves
3-4 tbsp ghee
1-1/2 tbsp. besan
1 tsp amchur powder or 2 tsp. lemon juice
Salt to taste
Ginger 1 inch
½ tsp asofoetida
Garam masala 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1 tsp
For the Dough:
1-1/2 cups regular flour
Salt to taste
Ghee
For the Dough: Mix all ingredients and knead dough with scant cold water. Dough should not be too hard. Leave it aside for 20- 25 minutes covered. For the Stuffing: In a grinder crush the cloves, green chilli and ginger then add peas to it and grind it coarsely without adding water. In a little hot ghee, on medium high fry the peas mixture. Add besan, salt and turmeric powder to it and mix it properly. Let it cook on medium low for at least 35 to 45 minutes and stir it every 5 to 10 minutes so that it does not stick on the bottom of the pan. Then add garam masala and lemon juice or amchur powder to it and cook for 2-4 minutes until done. Let it cool. For Kachori Make a slightly thick chapati with the dough. Stuff the stuffing in the centre and cover it with sides of the rolled chapatti Press from top so it does not open. Deep fry in ghee until brown.
Alu Kachori
Filling:
Potato 1 pound
Green chilies 3-4
Cumin seeds (Jeera) 1tsp
Ginger 1″ piece
Salt To taste
Garam Masala 1 tsp.
Amchur 2 tsp.
Ghee 2 tbsp.
Grind the ginger, green chilies, jeera and garam masala. Heat ghee in a kadhai. Add ground masala. Add the smashed potatoes and stir-fry it well. Make little balls. Set aside. Make the covering with the flour and wheat flour and ghee to firm dough. Make little cups of the dough. Place the ball of potato filling in the middle. Cover with the dough. Roll into thick round and deep fry in ghee.
Green Peas Kachori
Filling:
1/2 cup green peas
1 inch fresh ginger, minced
1 tbsp. aniseeds
4 green chilies, paste
ghee for frying
salt to taste
Heat ghee in a pan, add the ginger, chilli paste and the aniseed. Fry this mixture for 2 minutes, then add the green peas and salt. Cook this for 5 minutes then allow it to cool. Next, grind the peas mixture in a blender. Mix together the flours, ghee and salt scant adding water till you form a smooth dough. Take a small ball of dough and roll it out, place little filling in the center and close to form a pouch. Roll this out and fry like pooris or like parathas.
Green Sweet Peas Pattice
1 cup Green Peas
3 cups Maida (flour)
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 inch ginger, minced
1 tsp Til (sesame seeds)
4-5 green chillis,finely chopped
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp asofoetida
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala
Chopped coriander
Salt to taste
ghee for deep frying
Boil the green peas for a very little time. Blend the peas into a coarse paste. Take a tbsp of ghee in a deep pan and add the peas paste and cook it. Add green chillis, ginger paste, til, coriander powder, chopped coriander, sugar, lemon juice, garam masala and salt and mix well. Add breadcrumbs and mix well. Set the mixture aside. Take maida and add little salt and add 1 tsp of ghee. Knead the flour with a little cold water till it becomes pliable dough. Take handful of dough and roll it to a medium size poori. Take a spoonful of the pea filling and place it in the center of the rolled poori. Cover the mixture by taking all the sides of the poori and close it by bringing all the edges in the center, flatten with very little pressure. Heat ghee in a pan and deep fry the pattice until golden brown and little crisp. Offer hot or at room temperature.
Hot Kachori
For the pastry:
1-1/2 cups plain flour
3 tbsp. ghee
salt to taste
cold water to knead dough
for the filling:
1 cup yellow moong dal, washed and soaked for 1/2 hour
1 tsp. garam masala
1 tsp. red chilli powder
1/2 tsp. dhania (coriander) powder
1/2 tsp. coriander seeds, crushed coarsely
1/2 tsp. fennel (saunf) seeds, crushed coarsely
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tbsp. coriander leaves, finely chopped
salt to taste
2-3 pinches asafoetida
1 tbsp. ghee
oil to deep fry
1 tbsp. plain flour for patching
For pastry: Mix flour, salt and ghee, knead into soft pliable dough. Set aside for 30 minutes.
For filling: Put plenty of water to boil. Add dal. Boil dal for 5 minutes, drain. Cool a little. Heat ghee in a heavy pan. Add all seeds whole and crushed and allow to splutter. Add asafoetida, mix. Add all other ingredients. Mix well. Do not smash the dal fully, but just enough to make the mixture hold well. Remove from fire, cool. Divide into 15 portions. Shape into balls with greased palms. Set aside.
Make a paste with scant water and flour for patching. Set aside. Roll a walnut sized portion of dough. Knead into a round and flatten, rolling to a 4 inch diameter Place one ball of filling at centre. Pick up round and wrap ball into it like a pouch. Break off excess dough carefully. Do not allow cover to tear. Press the ball with palm, making it flattish and round. Repeat for 4-5 kachories. Deep fry in hot ghee, on low flame only. If the kachori gets a hole anywhere, apply some paste. Return to ghee and finish frying. Turn and repeat for other side. Fry till golden and crisp. Small bubbles should appear over kachori. Drain and offer hot. Take care to fry on low, as hurried frying will result in soggy and oily kachories.
Kachoris #1
1 cup of Moong Dhal (Cooked)
For Filling:
3 green chillies(minced)
4-5 mint leaves
Small bundle corriander leaves chopped finely
sprig curry leaves
salt to taste
1 tsp shredded ginger
2 tbspns of ghee
1 tsp asofoetida
1/2 tsp Jeera (cumin)
1/4 tsp Saunf (fennel)
1/2 tsp Mango powder -1 tspn
turmeric pwd 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala 1 tsp
Chillie Powder – 1 tsp
for the pastry (dough):
1-1/2 Cups Maida
2-3 tbspns ghee
salt to taste
Ghee for deep frying
Make dough like for Puri or Chappatti and set aside. Take half quantity of coked dal and mash it and keep half of the dal aside. Heat ghee fry the green chillies, mint, coriander leaves, and curry leaves, then add the jeera and saunf and fry till it splutters. Add the mashed dhal garam masala, mango powder, turmeric powder, chillie powder, salt and fry on low heat till dry. Remove and set aside to let it cool. In the meantime pour ghee in a wok to get hot. While the ghee is getting hot make small puris, putting a tbspn of the dhal mixture in the center and gathering the ends of the circle and firmly pressing the gathering, then slightly flatten with palm and deep fry till golden brown.
Kachoris #2
2 cups wholewheat flour
1/2 cup mung dhal
1/2 cup channa dhal
3 cardamoms crushed
6 peppercorns
4 cloves
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
ghee for frying
salt to taste
Soak the dhals overnight. Drain and grind to make a paste. Rub a little ghee into the flour and salt. Gradually mix in enough water to make a stiff dough. Grind the cloves, peppercorns, cardamoms and cumin seeds. Heat a teaspoon of ghee and fry the dhal paste, ground masala and salt. Knead the flour dough and divide into balls. Flatten and put in a portion of dal filling. Close up and roll out into thick round puris. Deep fry in ghee till golden brown. Remove, drain, and offer.
Kachori #3
Urad dal 1/2 cup
Asofoetida (hing) 1 tsp
Ginger-Green chillies paste 3 tbsp
Red chilli powder 1/2 tsp
Cayenne powder 1/2 tsp
Salt 1/2 tsp
Ghee 2 tbsp
Maida (flour) 3 cups
Ghee for frying
For the Stuffing: Soak dal overnight. Semi-grind the dal with as little water as possible. Heat 2 tbsp of ghee and fry the hing. Now add the ginger-chillies paste. When the oil separates, put the semi-ground dal in and keep stirring to make sure it does not stick to the bottom. Now add salt, red chilli powder, pepper powder. Mix well. Keep stirring till the dal begins to form a thick paste. Let cool.
For the Kachori: Make a soft dough with maida, salt and 6 tbsp of ghee. Make small balls, flatten each ball, put the stuffing inside. Roll them like lightly, slightly thicker than puris. Deep fry the kachoris in ghee.
Karaishuti Kachuri
1-1/2 cups maida (flour)
4 small green chillies
Salt to taste
2 tbsps aniseeds
3 tbsps ghee
¼ tsp asafetida
½ pound green peas, shelled
1 inch piece ginger
Ghee for deep frying
Add 2 tbsps ghee and a pinch of salt in the flour and mix it well, adding a little water at a time and kneading to a soft dough. Grind the peas, ginger, chillies and aniseeds to a fine paste. Fry the asafetida till light brown. Add the pea paste and salt. Fry well till the paste is cooked. Remove from the fire and let it cool. Divide the dough into 8 balls. Press each ball in the center and fill it with the pea mixture. Close the opening well and flatten. Roll out as for puris. Deep fry in hot ghee on slow fire till golden brown. Drain excess ghee.
Khasta Kachori
1-1/2 cups urad (moong dal washed)
1-1/2 cups maida (flour)
Ghee for frying
3 or 4 green chilies chopped
1 inch fresh ginger chopped
1 tsp. coriander seeds crushed
1 tsp. aniseeds
Salt to taste
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp. garam masala powder
Soak urad dal overnight. Strain and spread the dal on thin cloth in shade, and leave till the next morning to dry. Heat a little ghee and fry the dal till pinkish. Add the spices, salt and green chilies. Mix well. Knead the maida with a pinch of salt, a tbsp. of warm ghee and little water to make a stiff dough. Roll small-sized puris and put a spoon of urad dal mixture in the center of the balls. Let them dry for sometime, then deep fry the kachooris until crisp and golden brown on slow heat.
Urad Dal Ki Kachori
Urad dal (split) 1/2 cup
Red chillis ground 1/2 tsp
Cumin seed 1/2 tsp
Wheat flour 1 1/2 cups
Ghee 4 tsp
Water 1/2 cup
Ghee for deep frying
Salt to taste
Soak the dal in water overnight. Drain and grain it to a fine paste. Heat half the ghee and fry dal paste till dry. Then mix cumin seeds, chillis and salt. Mix flour, remaining ghee, salt and water to make a dough. Knead it well and make a stiff dough. Cover it with a damp cloth and keep it aside for half an hour. Make small ball like tikki. Put one tablespoon of dal paste in the centre of each tikki. Pinch the edges together to form a ball again. Roll out into 2 inches chapatis. Heat the ghee and deep fry these kacauris till light brown and puffed. Serve hot.
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