Hare mattar ki kachori

I came upon this recipe sometime back during my India visit. I got this recipe from one of the cookery shows on TV. As with samosas or any other type of kachoris , this does need some prep work but the end result is worth it.

Ingredients:

For the outer cover:

1. Maida or all purpose flour  1 cup
2. Ajwain or carom seeds       1/4 tsp
3. Salt                                    1/4 tsp
4. Pure ghee                           2 tbsp
5. baking soda                        1/2 tsp

For the filling:

1. Green peas(shelled)*           1 cup 
2. Oil                                     1 tbsp +for deep frying
3. Hing                                   1 pinch
4. Cumin seeds or jeera          1/2 tsp
5. Chopped green chillies        4 or as per your taste
6. Salt to taste
7.  ginger                                1 inch piece 
8.  garlic                                 2-3 cloves (optional)
9. Garam masala                     1/2 tsp
10. Grated coconut                   4 tbsp
11. Powdered peanuts              4 tbsp (Roast the peanuts.. separate the skin and then powder it)

Note: *You can fresh or frozen peas. If you are planning to use frozen peas, follow all the steps like i did.. i.e thawing the frozen peas, using the paper towel to remove the moisture and then crushing in the food processor. If you using fresh peas, you can avoid all these steps and directly crush them in the food processor)

Method:

For the filling:

1. If using frozen peas, spread the frozen peas on a paper towel and cover it with another sheet of paper towel. This is to remove the moisture that appears when you thaw the frozen peas. 

1. Now when the peas are dry, crush then in the food processor in the PULSE MODE. You donot want a paste. 

1. Make a paste of ginger-garlic and the green chillies.

1. Heat oil on a pan. Add hing, jeera,and  ginger-garlic-chilli paste and fry. Now add the coarsely crushed peas mixture. Add the salt. Mix and cook till the water from the peas gets evaporated.Set aside to cool.

1. Add the garam masala, grated coconut and peanut powder and mix properly.

For the outer cover:

• Mix maida, ajwain, ghee, baking soda and salt in a bowl till crumbs are formed.

• Then add cold water and knead a stiff dough (Add water little by little).I used approximately 90 ml of water.Cover the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes.

• Divide the dough into equal portions. Press each portion using your palm and press at the edges to make puries.

• Stuff each poori with the filling and seal it and just flatten the stuffed balls.You can use a rolling pin to flatten but personally i like to flatten with my palms. The reason being, if you use the rolling pin, it is likely that the mixture will come out of the cover.Also make sure that the outer cover is not very thick.

• Heat sufficient oil in a kadhai and deep fry the kachoris in medium hot oil till crispy and golden. Make sure that the oil is not very hot else the outside will be cooked while the inside will still be uncooked. To check the readiness of the oil drop a small ball from the dough, it should come up slowly. If it comes up immedietely , it means that the oil is too hot. This process of frying is a bit slow, but it ensures even cooking through out.

• Drain and place them on absorbent paper.Serve hot with tamarind chutney .

Note: This makes about 8-9 kachoris.