Daal Kachori

Ingredients

• Arhar ki Daal (Husked pigeon peas/yellow lentils) ½  cup (90 g), soaked 5-6 hours
• Oil 2 tbsp
• Jeera (Cumin seeds) 1 tsp
• Salt 1 ½ tsp or to taste
• Ginger, chopped fine 1 tbsp
• Heeng (Asafoetida) powder 1/8 tsp
• Green chillies, chopped fine 2 tsp or to taste
• Garam masala ½ tsp
• Chilli powder 1 tsp or to taste
• Khus khus (Poppy seeds) 1 tsp
• Coconut, grated 2 tbsp
• Tamarind pulp 2 tbsp or 1 tsp paste
• Sugar 2 tsp
• Cover:
• Maida (Refined flour) 1 cup
• Ghee/Oil 3 tbsp
• Baking powder ¼  tsp
• Salt ½ tsp
• Oil for deep-frying

Preparation

• Drain daal and grind coarsely.

• Heat oil and add jeera. When it splutters, add ginger, heeng, green chillies and saute till color changes a bit.

• Add the daal, salt, garam masala, chili powder, khus khus and coconut and saute till a little ‘fried’. Add about ¼ cup water and cook till daal is cooked through. Mix in the tamarind and sugar and keep aside.

• Mix the baking powder and salt into the maida. Rub ghee/oil into the maida, add water and knead into stiff dough. Rest, covered for 15 minutes.

• Make walnut sized rounds of the daal mixture.

• Break pieces of dough and roll into walnut sized rounds. Roll these flat into ¼” rounds and pinch about 1/2" of the edge all around, leaving the centre thicker.

• Now wet the pressed edges, and place a ball of the filling in the centre. Bring the wet edges together, covering the filling completely, and pinch together to seal.

• Heat oil and deep-fry the kachoris, first over high heat, then over medium, to cook through, and browned evenly.