Urad Dal Kachori: A Yummy North Indian Snack

Many people in North India love eating Kachori as a treat or for breakfast. They are delicious snacks. One common variety is called Dal Kachori and is made with a filling of spicy black grams. India loves it, especially when it’s served on the street. You will enjoy this recipe for Urad Dal Kachori after you give it a try. You might develop an obsession with it since it is so wonderful.

A common street food in North India is Urad dal Kachori, which is a fried nibble. It’s delicious filling is made of split black gram, and its crispy covering is made of wheat flour.

This is a vegan snack free of garlic and onions. It goes well with dates and tamarind chutney or green chutney. These Kachori are eaten as a supper in Uttar Pradesh, usually with vegetables or sauce.

What is Urad Dal Kachori?

The recipe for Urad Dal Kachori differs from that of Khasta Kachori, which is flaky. It’s not even as tender as a Poori. Therefore, the Urad dal filling within these Kachori has the right amount of crispiness and softness.

The outer layer of a Dal Kachori is made with all-purpose flour. However, in this recipe for Urad Dal Kachori, I’ve used both whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour. 

It can also be made using just whole wheat flour. I coarsely grind the Urad dal, sauté it, and then stuff the Kachori with it for this recipe for Urad Dal Kachori. Reduce the amount of water used when kneading the dough to create a firmer and flakier Kachori.

In north Indian states like Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, you can find a Urad Dal Kachori, or any other Dal Kachori, served with aloo Sabzi or potato stew. This is another traditional breakfast combo from that region of the nation. On a few occasions during our journey to Varanasi, I even attempted this pairing.

Preparing Urad Dal Kachori takes time. Thus, you can start by making your potato curry and then move on to making the Kachori. For this dish, the Urad dal needs to be soaked for three to four hours or overnight.

Ingredients for Urad Dal Kachori

For Dough:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• baking powder
• salt
• Ghee 
• water as needed

For Kachori Stuffing:

• Urad  dal soaked in water for 3 to 4 hours 
• Grinding Urad  dal and semi-fine paste
• Ginger chopped 
• Green chillies chopped
• Ghee
• Cumin seeds (jeera)
• Turmeric powder (haldi)
• Red chilli powder (lal mirch)
• Coriander Powder (Dhania)
• Fennel seeds (Saunf)
• Amchur powder 
• Asafoetida (hing)
• Salt

How to make dough for Urad Dal Kachori?

• Place the whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt, and all-purpose flour in a pan or mixing bowl.
• Mix well using a wire whisk or spoon.
• Pour in 3 tablespoons of ghee. Or, you may use three tablespoons of oil.
• Using your fingertips, rub the fat into the flour and stir thoroughly.
• The flour should have a texture similar to that of bread crumbs. A bit of the mixture should retain itself when you hold it in your palm rather than crumble and break.
• Next, gradually add water and start kneading.
• To get soft, smooth dough, add enough water. Add ⅓ cup of water, please.
• The amount you add can vary based on the quality of the flour. To rest the dough, cover it with a damp cloth and let it aside for half an hour.

How to make Stuffing?

• After giving it a few quick rinses, soak the Urad dal in sufficient water for three to four hours or perhaps overnight. Next, empty the water.
• Transfer the Urad dal to a grinder or blender. Grind to a coarse or semi-fine paste, either completely dry or with very little water added.
• Heat a pan with ½ tbsp. of ghee. Stir in the cumin seeds and allow sizzling.
• Add the chopped ginger and green chillies after that.
• Cook until the ginger’s raw smell disappears.
• You can choose to switch off the heat or maintain a low flame.
• Add a pinch of asafoetida (Hing), crushed fennel seeds or fennel powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, and coriander powder.
• Make sure the spices don’t burn by thoroughly mixing. Add the Urad dal paste after that.
• The Urad dal paste should first be mixed and then sautéed over low heat. It would help if you indeed mixed with some hand pressure.
• Season with salt to taste.
• Stir once more, and then simmer the Urad dal paste, stirring frequently, until it thickens and slightly dries.
• The paste should have a dry, dough-like consistency rather than a wet one.
• Let the paste cool.

Making the Kachori

• Then, using the Urad dal mixture, little balls will be formed.
• Additionally, the same quantity of dough is formed into balls.
• After applying some oil to the dough ball, roll it into a circle that is between five and six inches wide.
• The lentil ball should be flattened before being placed on the dough circle.
• The rolled dough’s edges should be pleated, joined, and brought to the middle.
• Tighten the cap. Ensure that the sides are tightly sealed.
• Once more, form a circle that is 5 to 6 inches in diameter. Make every Kachori in this manner. Store them in an oversized dish and cover with a damp dishtowel.

Urad Dal Kachori for frying

• Heat some oil in a pan or Kadai for deep-frying.
• A small amount of dough can be used to test the oil’s temperature. If the Kachori rises slowly and steadily on top, the oil is medium-hot and ready to fry.
• Drop them into the boiling oil gently. Cook over a medium or low-medium burner.
• Use a slotted spoon to prod them until they begin to puff up gently.
• Flip it over and fry the other side until the first side is golden and the oil stops spluttering.
• Cook until the other side turns golden and the oil no longer sizzles. While some Kachori will puff up, some won’t. Still, they taste delicious, so it’s okay.
• Using a slotted spoon, remove and set on paper towels in the kitchen. Batch-fry all of the Kachori in this manner.
• Serve hot or warm Urad dal Kachori with your preferred radar aloo or potato curry. As a snack, it goes nicely with some curd (yoghurt) and would also go well with chai.

Expert Tips:

• These Kachori can be made with only whole wheat flour. If this is the case, additional water might need to be added while kneading the dough.
• You can adjust the amount of spice powders to suit your tastes.
• If you prefer the Kachori to be flakier and firmer, use less water when kneading it. This will produce hard dough rather than a soft one.
• The Urad dal paste should be dry, like dough, instead of liquid. Therefore, when grinding, add very little or no water at all.

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