Do you feel like eating something spicy and crispy today? If yes, let’s make delicious Homemade Moong Dal Kachori recipe today and eat it together.
Kachori, which are flaky and crispy, are the ideal snack. This traditional recipe for Khasta Kachori combines handmade dough with a flavourful lentil stuffing that is then perfectly fried.
Possibly one of the recipes for a flaky and crisp Indian snack made with spiced moong dal filling and plain flour. The only real difference between this recipe and other deep-fried Indian snacks like Samosas or Pakoras is the addition of a nutritious moong dal lentil mixture. This is a great recipe for evening munchies that tastes well with a cup of tea or coffee and some hot sauce on top.
About Moong Dal Kachori Recipe
India is renowned for its diverse culinary delights, and one such gem is Kachori. These bite-sized, crispy, hand-pie-like rounds are a sensory delight, packed with a unique burst of flavours.
Just like the diverse landscapes of India, the street food scene also varies from region to region. For instance, the recipe we’re exploring today, Khasta Kachori, with its moong dal stuffing, is a beloved street food in North India.
The rich, earthy flavour and excellent texture of the moong lentils perfectly complement the vivid spices. In this recipe for Kachori, the mung lentils are soaked, combined with spices, and cooked until they form a thick paste.
This is rolled and flattened into that traditional thick disc shape after being shaped into balls and covered in bits of handmade dough. After being deep fried to a golden brown, moong dal kachori recipe is served warm with an endless array of dipping sides. This is a labour-intensive and somewhat complex recipe (think of it as a samosa). But after you eat that first crunchy, flaky bite of deliciously fried Savoury food, I guarantee you’ll agree they are well worth the effort.
Ingredients:
Let us first know which ingredients will be required – first in Moong Dal Kachori and then in its stuffing –
For Dough:
- All-purpose flour (Maida) – 5 cups
- Salt (Namak) – 1 teaspoon
- Ghee – 6 tablespoons
- Water for kneading
For Kachori Stuffing:
- Moong dal (soaked for 2 hours) – 1/2 cup
- Green coriander (finely chopped) – 2 tbsp.
- Green chilly – 2 (finely chopped)
- Coriander powder (Dhania) – 1/2 tbsp.
- Fennel powder (Saunf) – 1/2 tbsp.
- Red chili powder (Lal Mirch) – 1/2 tbsp.
- Asafoetida (Hing) – 1 tsp.
- Ginger – 1/2 inch
- Salt (as per taste)
- Garam masala – 1/2 tbsp.
- Cumin seeds (jeera) – 1/2 tbsp.
- Amchur Powder – 1/2 tbsp.
Well, now the time has come to make Moong Dal Kachori…
How do you prepare the moong dal kachori dough?
- Combine 2 cups flour (gluten-free) and salt in a bowl and mix well.
- Add ¼ cup olive oil to the flour mixture.
- Using your fingers, mix the oil with the flour until it forms a breadcrumb-like texture.
- Add water gradually and knead the dough until it becomes soft and elastic.
- Cover the dough with a wet muslin cloth or wet paper towel and leave it for 30 minutes.
Making moong dal kachori filling
For making moong dal filling follow the steps given below:
- Firstly, wash half a cup of moong dal in a bowl. Soak moong dal in enough water for 2 hours.
- After soaking, drain all the water and put the soaked moong dal in a food processor.
- Grind the moong dal coarsely.
- Heat a flat bottom pan and add half a teaspoon of oil.
- When the oil is hot, reduce the flame.
- Add all spices one by one.
- Keep the flame to the lowest and mix the spices well, taking care not to burn them.
- Add coarsely ground moong dal, salt and a pinch of Hing to the pan.
- Mix all the ingredients well on low flame.
- Keep frying and stirring continuously for 3 to 4 minutes on low flame.
- Taste the mixture and adjust the spice level, if needed, by adding redder chilli powder, dried mango powder or salt. Let the mixture cool.
- Make small balls of the moong dal mixture; optionally, apply a little oil to prevent sticking. Keep it aside.
How to Assemble the Kachori?
- Leave the dough to rest for 30 minutes, and then knead it gently.
- Form the dough into a log shape and then divide it into equal parts. You will have about 10 equal portions.
- Take one piece of dough and flatten it with a rolling pin into a 5-inch tortilla.
- Place the ball of moong dal stuffing on the flattened dough.
- Bring the edges of the dough together and seal in the centre, removing excess dough.
- Flatten the upper part of the Kachori and then make a Kachori of medium thickness with the help of a rolling pin.
- While doing this, be careful that the Kachori does not break.
- Repeat this process to fill and prepare all the Kachori.
- Place the prepared Kachori on a baking tray lined with aluminium foil.
For frying moong dal Kachori
- Remove the Kachori from the oven.
- Make sure the flame is low when you start heating the oil for frying.
- Gently add the Kachori after the oil reaches the proper temperature.
- Use a spoon to gently prod each Kachori as it begins to puff up to ensure that it is puffing up properly.
- Gently turn them over when the base takes on a light golden hue. It usually takes seven to nine minutes to fry.
- You must be very patient when frying these Kachori.
- Keep cooking them on low to low-medium heat until they get brown. To make sure they brown evenly, you can turn them frequently.
- Maintain the temperature between low and low-medium by adjusting it as necessary.
- Deep-fry them until they get golden and have a deliciously crispy exterior.
- To absorb extra oil, place the moong dal khasta Kachori on kitchen paper towels.
- Fry all of the Kachori using the same method.
- Serve the Kachori warm, along with green and tamarind date chutneys. For a fun twist on talking, add some vegan yoghurt, sliced onions, and Namkeen on top.
Expert Tips:
To make a really good crust on your Kachori, cook it slowly in low or medium-low heat. This way, the oil will be just right for frying and not too hot. This might take a little longer, but it helps make sure the outside of the food doesn’t get burnt.
To see if the oil is the right temperature, take a small piece of dough and put it in the oil: If it doesn’t bubble at all, the oil isn’t hot enough. If it bubbles a lot right away, the oil is probably too hot. Turn down the heat and wait a few minutes before trying again.
To make sure your Kachori is soft on the inside and crispy on the outside, you need to use the right amount of fat (like ghee or oil) compared to flour when making the dough. If there’s not enough fat, the crust will be too dry. But if there’s too much fat, the dough will soak up too much oil when you fry it.
Remember that the Kachori should not be too thin or too thick. If it’s too thin, it will get too crispy and hard. If it’s too thick, the inside might not cook properly. It should be just the right thickness.
Frequently Asked Question:
The key ingredients in Moong Dal Kachori:
Moong Dal, Wheat flour, Spices such as cumin seeds, coriander seeds, chilli powder, turmeric powder, & Garam masala, Oil and Salt, Water. Other optional ingredients like – Ginger, Garlic, and Green chilies for added flavour.
Traditional side dishes for this snack are chutneys such as green, garlic, or mango. A tart and velvety curd tastes even better. Serve as a more delicious bread-like side dish with a thin potato curry or other saucy recipes.
Yes, you can make moong Dal Kachori in advance.
When you’re ready to eat, put the chilled Kachori in a tightly sealed container and keep it in the refrigerator. Crisp and reheat in the oven or toaster for a few minutes.
Yes, there are many types of moong dal Kachori – Baked Moong Dal Kachori, Rajasthani Moong Dal Kachori, Sookhi Moong Dal Kachori, etc.
More Kachori recipes to try at home:
Recipe Card
Moong Dal Kachori Recipe
Ingredients
For Dough:
- 5 cups All-purpose flour (Maida)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 6 tablespoons Ghee
- Water for kneading
For Stuffing:
- ½ cup Moong dal
- 2 tbsp. Green coriander (finely chopped)
- 2 Green chilly (finely chopped)
- ½ tbsp. Coriander powder
- ½ tbsp. Fennel powder
- ½ tbsp. Red chili powder
- ½ tbsp. Garam masala
- ½ tbsp. Cumin seeds
- ½ tbsp. Amchur Powder
- 1 tsp. Asafoetida (Hing)
- ½ Inch Ginger
Instructions
Making Dough
- Take 2 cups flour and add salt in a bowl and mix well.
- Add ¼ cup olive oil to the flour mixture.
- Mix the oil with the flour until it forms a breadcrumb-like texture.
- Add water gradually and knead the dough until it becomes soft and elastic.
- Cover the dough with a wet muslin cloth or wet paper towel and leave it for 30 minutes.
Moong Dal Filling
- Wash half a cup of moong dal in a bowl. Soak dal in enough water for 2 hours.
- After soaking, drain all the water and put the soaked moong dal in a food processor.
- Grind the moong dal coarsely.
- Heat a flat bottom pan and add half a teaspoon of oil.
- Add all spices one by one.
- Keep the flame to the lowest and mix the spices well, so as not to burn them.
- Add coarsely ground moong dal, salt and a pinch of Hing to the pan. Mix all the ingredients well on low flame.
- Keep frying and stirring continuously for 3 to 4 minutes on low flame.
- Taste the mixture and adjust the spice level, if needed, by adding red chilli powder, dried mango powder or salt. Let the mixture cool.
- Make mall balls of the moong dal mixture; optionally, apply a little oil to prevent sticking. Keep it aside.
Assemble the Kachori
- Leave the dough to rest for 30 minutes, and then knead it gently.
- Form the dough into a log shape and then divide it into equal parts.
- Take one piece of dough and flatten it with a rolling pin into a 5-inch tortilla.
- Place a ball of moong dal stuffing on the flattened dough.
- Bring the edges of the dough together and seal in the centre, removing excess dough.
- Flatten the upper part of the Kachori and then make a Kachori of medium thickness with the help of a rolling pin.
- While doing this, be careful that the Kachori does not break. Repeat this process to fill and prepare all the Kachori.
- Place the prepared Kachori on a baking tray lined with aluminium foil.
Frying Kachori
- Remove the Kachori from the oven.
- Make sure the flame islow when you start heating the oil for frying.
- Use a spoon to gently prod each Kachori as it begins to puff up to ensure that it is puffing up properly.
- Gently turn them over when the base takes on a light golden hue. It usually takes seven to ninety minutes to fry.
- You must be very patient when fighting these Kachori.
- Keep cooking them on low to low-medium heat until they get brown. To make sure they brown evenly, you can turn them frequently.
- Maintain the temperature between low and low-medium by adjusting it as necessary.
- Deep-fry them until they get golden and have a deliciously crispy exterior.
- To absorb extra oil, place the moong dal khasta Kachori on the kitchen paper towels. Fry all of the Kachoriusing the same method.
- Serve the Kachori warm, along with green and tamarind date chutneys. For a fun twist on talking, add some vegan yoghurt, sliced onions, and Namkeen on top.
