Jaipur Pyaaz ki Kachori Recipe (Spicy Snack with Onion Filling)

I wasn't much of a kachori maker unless you count the seasonal lilva or fresh toor kachoris (recipe here) we made once in winters. Why would I when I can step out of my home and get awesome kachoris around the corner? It is now when I have stopped getting kachoris at a wish that I have tried making them at home.

Jaipur Pyaaz Ki Kachori Recipe

Kachoris are a very popular snack in northern, western and eastern parts of India, particularly Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Mahrashtra, Each one has their own variations of the kachori.

Delhi and Uttar Pradesh have the pungent heeng kachoris which are filled with udad dal tempered with asafoetida are popular. Uttar Pradesh also boasts of badiyon ki kachori made from sun-dried lentil dumplings. Bihar's popular sattu (roasted gram flour) ki kachori is served with chutneys and a version of chokha of their favourite litthi-chokha combination. In Bengal you'll see people pairing rossogullas and sondesh at local sweet shops with radhaballabhi which are lentil kachoris served with a spicy potato gravy or gorging on koraishutir (peas) kachori in winters.


And a little further south on the map of India, you have some more variations of kachoris. Rajasthan's, especially Jaipur's, street food is dominated by the onion-filled pyaaz ki kachori and the sweet version mawa ki kachori. Gujaratis like their khasta kachori which is filled with tempered moong dal and served by popping open the top and filling it up with yoghurt, date-tamarind chutney (recipe here), corriander mint chutney (recipe here), chopped onions and sev and their liva or fresh toor kachori in winters. Maharashtrians like the fennel and green chilly flavoured lentil filled Shegaon kachori invented by a shop opposite the Shegaon railways station. I have seen people from these areas debate for hours about which of these is the best kind of kachori.

Jaipur Pyaaz Ki Kachori Recipe

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Makes: 3 kachoris

Ingredients

For the Cover:

1 cup maida (all-purpose flour)
1 tbsp vegetable oil (peanut or sunflower)
1/2 cup water
A pinch of salt

For the Filling:

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp asafoetida
1 small green chilly finely sliced
1 medium-sized potato boiled and mashed
2 medium-sized onions finely chopped
1 tsbp gram flour (besan)
1 tsps red chilly powder
2 tsps corriander powder
1 tsp dried mango (amchur) powder
1 tsp garam masala
Salt to taste

Vegetable oil for deep frying

Method

For the Dough:

In a large bowl, take the flour, add a pinch of salt and 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Mix with light fingers.

Add in the water slowly and knead a stiff dough. Knead well for about 3-4 minutes.

Cover and keep for 10 minutes.

For the Filling:

Heat 1 tbsp oil in another pan.

Temper with the cumin and asafoetida.

Add in the sliced green chilly and fry for 30 seconds.

Now add the onions and saute them for 3-4 mins on a low flame.

Next add the dry spice powders, besan and salt and mix well.

Mix in the mashed potatoes and cook for about 3 minutes on a low flame. Keep aside to cool.

Making the Kachoris:

Keep the oil for frying to heat in a deep-frying pan.

Make 3 equal-sized balls of the prepared dough.

Roll out the dough into a poori of about 4 inches diameter.

Fill in about 1 tbsp of the prepared filling in the centre.

Pinch the sides together and make a filled ball of the dough.

Roll it out till it is about 5 inches in diameter.

Poke holes on both sides with a fork so that it doesn't fluff up during frying and becomes crispy.

Fry one kachori at a time in the heated oil.

Keep pressing with the slotted spoon allowing the air to escape as you fry it for about 4-5 minutes on each side on a low flame till it turns brown on both sides.

Serve hot with date-tamarind and corriander-mint chutneys.