Matar Kachori Recipes

MATAR KACHORI (FRIED PEA-FILLED PASTRIES)

Steps:

• Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil.
• Prepare the dough: In a large bowl, combine the flour, 2/3 cup ghee and salt. Use your hand to mix them together until the flour is sandy and the mixture clumps when squashed together. Gradually add 1/2 cup cold water, a couple of tablespoons at a time, working it in with your hand. Gently knead the mixture directly in the bowl just until it comes together and forms a soft dough. (You might need to add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of water to bring the dough together.)
• Form the dough into a ball, grease it with the remaining 2 tablespoons ghee and wrap the ball tightly in plastic wrap. Set aside to rest for about 15 minutes while you prepare the filling.
• Prepare the filling: Season the boiling water with salt, add the peas and blanch for 1 minute. Strain the peas, then rinse under cold water. When the peas are cool, strain them again and tip them into a medium bowl. Transfer half the peas into a food processor; pulse until roughly chopped, then return to the bowl.
• In a small skillet, heat the 2 teaspoons oil over medium. Add the mustard seeds, coriander and cumin, and toast for 1 minute. Stir in the ginger, chile and garlic, and sauté over medium until the smell of the raw garlic is mellow, about 2 minutes, then scrape into the bowl with the peas. Add scallions, cilantro, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a squeeze of lemon, and mix well. Season to taste with salt and lemon.
• In a deep cast-iron skillet, add enough neutral oil to reach about 3 inches high. Heat over medium to about 325 degrees. (Gentle heat helps keep the delicate kachori intact.) Adjust the heat as needed to keep the kachori frying gently.
• Pinch the dough into about 20 even balls and cover tightly with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out. Working with one ball at a time on a clean work surface, use a rolling pin or ghee-greased palms to flatten each ball into a 4-inch disk. Put 1 tablespoon of the pea mixture in the center and pull all the edges of the dough up and around it into a ball, being careful not to let the outermost edges get wet with filling. Twist and pull the edges together to close them, pinching off all the excess dough at the same time. (Try not to rip the dough, or oil will get inside the kachori when you fry it. If you do make a tear, repair it and move on!) Press the seam down gently to smooth it and set aside.
• When you have 5 kachori formed and the oil is up to temperature, fry the kachori, seam-side down, flipping them once halfway through, until the pastry is evenly golden brown and cooked through, about 7 minutes. Transfer the kachori to a paper towel-lined plate or a metal rack, so that any excess oil can drip out. Repeat with remaining dough, shaping the next batch of kachori as the first is frying and leaving the remaining dough covered in plastic wrap until you're ready to form it. (If you've been pinching excess dough, you can squeeze an extra kachori or two out of the scraps.) Serve warm.

MATAR KACHORI

Steps:

• For the dough: Combine the flour with 1 1/4 teaspoons salt in a medium bowl and mix well. Add the ghee and mix in with your fingers until the dough looks crumbly. Add ice-cold water, starting with 1/4 cup then adding 1 tablespoon at a time, until a soft but stiff dough forms. Knead the dough until it's evenly combined (don't over knead), 2 to 3 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
• For the filling: Coarsely crush the peas in a food processor.
• Heat the ghee in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and let sizzle until slightly darker, about 30 seconds. Add the green chiles, ginger and asafoetida, if using, and cook, stirring often, until the raw aroma of the ginger dissipates, 30 to 45 seconds.
• Add the crushed peas and sugar and cook until the mixture dries out a little, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the turmeric, red chile powder, coriander, raw mango powder, garam masala and 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and cook until the spices are toasted and the raw smell dissipates, about 2 minutes. Add the chickpea flour and cook until toasted, about 3 minutes. Adjust salt to taste, raw mango powder for additional tang and red chile powder for spice. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
• To assemble and fry: Pour vegetable oil into a large Dutch oven or wide heavy-bottomed pot to a depth of about 3 inches. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil registers 340 degrees F.
• While the oil is heating, divide the dough into 10 balls. A kitchen scale isn't necessary but is helpful in dividing. Divide the green pea mixture into 10 tight balls. Flatten the dough balls with your hand or a rolling pin into 3- to 3 1/2-inch rounds. Try to keep the edges thinner. Dust the worksurface lightly with flour if the dough begins to stick. Place a flattened dough round in the palm of your hand and make a bowl. Put a green pea ball in the center. Fold the dough edges over the stuffing, pleating them as they come together, and seal tightly. Flatten the ball with the palm of your hand or a rolling pin to about 3 inches in diameter; cover with a damp cloth. Repeat with the remaining dough and green pea balls and keep them covered with a damp cloth.
• Double-check that the temperature of the oil is 340 degrees F. Gently slip in 3 to 5 patties and fry, moving them around occasionally so they cook evenly and flipping them halfway, until golden brown and crispy, about 4 minutes on each side. Don't overcrowd the pot; you need to allow enough space for the kachoris to puff up while frying. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain. Repeat with the remaining patties.
• The kachoris can be served with any chutney such as cilantro-mint chutney, tamarind chutney or cilantro-pea chutney. Save leftover kachoris in an airtight box after they have come to room temperature; otherwise, they will become soggy.