Khasta kachori, a popular Indian snack, Bengali khasta kachuri

Khasta kachori is popular across the country. Rajasthani khasta kachori is very famous but khasta kachori is also very popular snack in West Bengal. Bengali people love to have those in the evening with hot masala tea. It is known as khaasta kachuri in Bengal. Such kachoris are crispy, deep fried, spicy and stuffed with lentils based item.

Khasta kachori in West Bengal

Though there are different other types of kachori are available in West Bengal as well as other parts of the country but khasta kachori is different in taste. Hing ka kachori, green peas kachori etc are very famous evening snack. Those are also very easily available street food in West Bengal. Hing ka kachori, green peas kachori etc are similar to puri. Those are often used as meal instead of just a snack. In menu Bengali wedding reception party, you may see hing or green peas kachoris are served as dinner. But khasta kachori (khaasta kachuri) is only used as an evening snack.

Khasta kachori with aloo sabzi

Khasta kachuri is served normally with sweet & sour red chatni or sometimes even with simple tomato sauce.  Mostly Bengali people prefer such date, jaggery & tamarind made sweet & sour red colored chatni over simple tomato sauce, so street food vendors generally offer that sweet & sour red chatni with khasta kachuri. But some street food vendors also offer khasta kachori with aloo sabzi (potato curry). In north India, some spicy half mashed potato curry is served with this snack. When I was in Delhi, I love to have those khasta kachoris with that potato curry.

But here in Bengal, there are only very few street food vendors offer aloo sabzi with kachori. I enjoy both but whenever I am hungry I would prefer that potato curry instead of sweet & sour chatni. But as in Kolkata it is not served with kachori, so prefer to make kachuris at home. I mean, that potato curry is the only inspiration to me for making khasta kachori at home.

Suggested post: Delicious Kolhapuri bhadang snack

Flattened khasta kachori with aloo sabzi in Delhi

When I was in Delhi, I used to have a different type of kachori at Kamlanagar market in Delhi. They used to say it khasta kachori but there was no stuffing material inside it. But it was crispy & flattened. A very special spicy potato curry was served with those khasta kachoris. But surprisingly 5 pieces of those kachoris used to available only for Rs 10 and that spicy potato curry was free, haha. That is why I often used to bring those kachoris my home for the evening snack, sometimes even for my dinner.

Khasta kachori recipe

Khasta kachori, a popular Indian snack, Bengali khasta kachuri

 

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Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 35 minutes Very popular Indian snack

Author: PM (FavCounter)

Recipe type: Snacks

Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

For stuffing material

• ½ cup split black gram lentils/urad dal
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 1.5 tsp cumin powder
• 2.5 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp dried mango powder / aamchur
• 1 tsp saunf/fennel
• 1 tsp garam masala
• Salt as needed

For making dough

• 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tbsp ghee
• Salt as needed
• Water as needed
• 3-4 tbsp refined oil for frying

Instructions

Stuffing material preparation

1. Boil urad dal in a pressure cooker till 7-8 whistles, release pressure, drain residual water, then keep it aside and wait till temperature drops
2. Now heat ½ tbsp oil in a cooking pot, add all spices (coriander powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, whole fennel, turmeric powder) and stir for 45 seconds
3. Then in the meantime blend boiled urad dal in a blender and pour it into cooking pot and mix with all other spices
4. Add dried mango powder (aamchur), garam masala & salt, then cook for next 5-7 minutes
5. Now take all stuffing material in a bowl

Dough & khasta kachori preparation

1. Mix all purpose flour, salt & melted ghee properly
2. Now add baking powder into water and stir to mix
3. Then pour it slowing into all purpose flour and knead it to make soft perfect dough to prepare khasta kachori
4. Now prepare 12-15 small balls with that dough, and roll it to make small circular shaped pieces
5. Then put stuffing material on each circular shaped piece and cover it by closing its edges and hide stuffing material inside and make larger sized ball by keeping stuffing material inside
6. Now again roll it slightly to make circular shaped pieces (2-3 inch diameter)
7. Now heat all residual oil in a kadai and deep fry those pieces till outer side of those pieces turn to light brown or golden color

Notes

You can make khasta kachoris with split mung dal instead of urad dal, then you do not need to boil dal/lentils, if you are using mung dal then just saute mung dal without oil in a kadai, then rest it till temperature drops and blend it in a blender. Rest cooking process will be same as mentioned above.
Khasta kachori can be served with spicy potato curry with little gravy or green & red chatni or just with tomato sauce

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