Moong Daal Khasta Kachori Recipe

Ok! Confessions- I wanted to get this post out before Holi but that never happened but I am way early for next Holi so you have enough time to test, try and ace this recipe before you make it next year 😉

Holi is special. The madness associated with this festival to me is more fun to witness than to be a part of. But one thing I love about it undoubtedly (no prizes for guessing) is the food!

Back home it is all about a fun celebration all day accompanied with a plethora of dishes mostly indulgent. There is no moderation in spirit (pun intended) or taste when it comes to Holi. And why should there be? The festival after all marks the onset of spring and for many agrarian states it is also their New Year- a promise of fresh beginnings and renewed energy and hope. And if nothing else, just for a day folks forget all their worries and stress , let go of all grudges and embrace loved ones and the new year with utmost positivity.

Dahi Wada, Gujiya, Mutton Curry, Malpua and Kachoris are some of the commonly associated dishes with Holi. Not to forget the refreshing and rejuvenating Thandai, which when added to milk and other desserts imparts the most heavenly flavours. Take this vegan dessert that I created with Mango and Thandai Powder for example. It is absolute heaven with amazing summer flavours.

Today, I am sharing another Kachori (deep friend dumplings with lentil stuffing)recipe. The stuffing is made with split yellow moong beans and it comes together fairly easily. The only step that is time consuming is the frying part which is an exercise in patience. For that I recommend using a large skillet to fry or if you do not have a large one then use two or more to fry multiple kachoris at the same time

Tips for making Moong Daal Khasta Kachori

1. Make a soft pliable dough and add sufficient ghee to ensure a crispy yet crumbly dough and cover the dough with moist muslin and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.
2. While stuffing the dough balls make sure the remaining dough is covered with a moist muslin so it doesn’t dry up. Dried up dough will not be pliable and crack while rolling
3. Do not grind the moong daal to a smooth paste as the coarse texture works best for kachoris
4. Once you have stuffed the kachoris you could either roll them gently with a rolling pin or press between your palms to flatten them; both methods work equally well
5. Frying the kachoris is the most important step and it needs to be done with a great deal of patience on a low flame. Make sure the oil is really hot, then reduce the heat to medium low and fry kachoris flipping sides
6. Before adding the next batch to fry turn off the gas and let the oil cool for 2 minutes before turning on the heat to low medium and continuing to fry the next batch
7. You can make ahead the filling a few days in advance. It keeps very well in the refrigerator.

Ingredients for making Moong Daal Khasta Kachori

1. All Purpose Flower(Maida)- 2 cups
2. Ghee- 5 tsp
3. Salt-1/2 tsp
4. Split yellow moong daal, washed and soaked overnight and then coarsely ground-1/2 cup
5. Hing(asafoetida)- 1/2 tsp
6. Cumin seeds: 1.5 tsp
7. Coarsely pound whole coriander seeds: 1.5 tbsp
8. Coarsely pound whole fennel seeds: 3/4 tbsp
9. Red chilli powder: 1 tsp
10. Garam Masala: 1.5 tsp
11. Besan: 5 tbsp
12. Amchoor:1.5 tsp
13. Ginger, grated: 1 tbsp
14. Green chilies, finely chopped: 2 or to taste
15. Mustard oil: 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp
16. Salt: To taste
17. Water to knead dough
18. Oil or ghee to deep-fry

Method to make Moong Daal Khasta Kachori

1. Grind the soaked moongdaal to a coarse paste adding only minimal water as needed for grinding. We want the final filling to be relatively dry and not clumpy. Cover and keep aside
2. In a wide kneading dish add All Purpose Flour and 2 tsp ghee and mix by rubbing the flour between your palms. Take a handful of dough and bring it together in your fist and see if it sticks to form a lump. If yes, go ahead and add a few tablespoons of water and start to knead the dough. If not, then add some more ghee until the lump stays together
3. Then start to knead the dough adding a little water at a time to make a soft pliable dough. Cover with a moist muslin and keep aside
4. Next, start to make the moong daal stuffing. Add 2 tbsp mustard oil into a heavy bottomed wok and once oil is hot add hing and cumin seeds and sauté until the seeds start to splutter
5. Reduce the flame to low and add coarsely pound coriander seeds and fennel seeds and sauté for another minute
6. Then add grated ginger, green chilli, red chilli powder and Garam Masala and continue to sauté on a low flame till spices are cooked through- you will notice the change in smell from raw to nutty
7. Then add besan and salt and continue to sauté for a good 3-4 minutes till the besan is cooked through and you start to notice the change in colour (see below images)
   

   Masalas Cooked Through

   

   Add Besan

   

   Notice the change in colour of besan when well roasted
8. Once besan is well roasted, add the coarsely ground moong daal and continue to cook on a medium flame; please do not leave the mix unattended and cook with constant stirring. The mix will start to look clumpy and get tough to stir but do not worry, it starts to get drier as it cooks
9. Halfway through, add the remaining mustard oil and continue to cook until the daal mixture starts to look 70% dry; see below images for different stages of the mix
   

   Raw Moongdaal Paste

   

   After 2 minutes of cooking

   

   Final texture
10. Now make small tennis balls sized dough and fill it up with almost 1 tbsp daal mixture. Make sure the size of the dough ball is enough to make the kachoris not too thick or thin. I recommend making and frying one to see the results before frying bigger batches
11. To deep fry, heat oil in a heavy bottomed skillet, then reduce flame to medium-low. Add the kachoris without crowding the pan and fry on a very low flame , occasionally flipping sides till both sides are nice and brown
12. Drain on a kitchen towel and serve hot with a side of tamarind or coriander chutney and sliced raw onions or if you have the time some Potato Curry in a tomato gravy
13. The kachoris store very well in an air tight container for upto a week!

I have a step by step highlighted on my Instagram feed Highlights under Mungdaal Kachori in case you want to watch me make it :))