Khasta (Raj) Kachori - Indian Chaat Dish

One of my best foodie memories of my hometown is waiting in line for a 3 rupees Khasta Kachori in a small 4 ft x 4 ft roadside food stall so I could satiate my craving for a spicy & tangy indian chaat!! Khasta Kachori, also known as Raj Kachori or Daal Kachori is a popular street-food in India. "Khasta" actually means "flaky", so this is essentially a flat disc-shaped kachori which is filled with a delicious moong dal mixture, then deep fried, and later stufed with potatoes, sev, onions and chutneys. Next to sev-puri, this is my favorite chaat, and once you try it, I bet it will become your favorite too!

Sia asked for Street Food for this edition of Coffee's MBP, and I finally got a chance to try my hand at Richa's Khasta Kachori recipe, which I had bookmarked for quite some time now. I followed her recipe to a large extent, except that I added moong dal to the filling, and used all-purpose flour for the crust. I also modified a few spices according to my taste. It looks intimidating at first, but is not that tough. With a little help from my cousin, I was able to make my Khasta Kachori; they didn't puff up as much as Richa's, but it tasted great and we absolutely loved it!! Its totally worth the effort! Believe me, this is definitely something you'd NOT want to miss!!

Ingredients

For the Crust
2 cups plain flour (maida)
1/4 cup ghee - melted
1/4 tsp soda (fruit salt)
1/2 tspn salt
about 1 cup warm water (approx) - to knead the dough

For the Filling
1/2 cup yellow moong dal (split yellow gram)
1 tspn cumin seeds (jeera)
1/4 tspn asafoetida
1 tspn ginger-green chilli paste
1 tspn chilli powder
1 tspn garam masala
1 tbsp amchur powder(dry mango powder)
2 tbsp Bengal gram flour (besan)
3 tbsp oil
salt to taste

To Serve
green cilantro chutney
khajur-imli chutney
thin yogurt
boiled potatoes - chopped finely
onions - chopped finely
chopped coriander
thin sev

Method

Make the Dough for the Crust
Mix all the ingredients and knead into a firm dough by using a little water at a time. Knead properly for at least 5 to 7 minutes, but keep it hard and firm. Remember, it should be harder than regular chapati flour, as the kachoris need to be thick and flaky. Cover with a wet muslin cloth and leave for 30 mins.

Make the Filling
Soak the moong dal in water for at least 6 hours. Then drain the water and set aside.

Heat the oil in a pan, add the jeera and asafoetida. When the seeds crackle put the soaked and drained moong dal and fry for a few seconds.

Add the green chilli-ginger paste, chilli powder, garam masala, gram flour, amchur and salt. Stir for 5-7 minutes till all the masalas are cooked properly. Pulse this mixture in a food processor to form a coarse-to-fine powder. Divide the mixture into 12 equal parts and shape each part into a ball.

Make the Kachori
Divide the dough into 12 parts. Take each part, roll into a circle of 2" diameter. Add the mixture to the center, then roll the dough over it to cover the filling. Pinch the ends together, then roll it out again gingerly to make a 2 " disc. Make sure that the filling does not spill out.

Lightly press the centre of the kachori with a thumb. Now deep fry them in hot oil over a slow flame till they puff up and turn golden brown on both sides. Drain on a tissue paper and keep aside.

Assemble the Kachori
Keep one kachori on a plate and a crack a hole in the centre of it. Fill it with 3 to 4 tbsp of the beaten yogurt. Add the chopped potatoes and onions, then drizzle with the green chutney, tamarind chutney, and chopped coriander. Sprinkle the sev on top.

Serve this delicious Khasta Kachori as a perfect evening snack, serve two of these and you are pretty much done with dinner! Hope you enjoy this kachori chaat as much as we did!

Related Recipes:
Hot & Spicy Samosas
Mix Dal Vadas
Sev Usal Chaat