A Different Type of Chaat

My mother-in-law has been in town for a couple of months now to help with baby Anand. A huge side perk for all of us is that we get delicious home-made food on a daily basis. Every time we go over to my sister-in-law's place to visit baby Anand, we leave with bags full of yumminess.

I was first introduced to khasta kachori chaat when I was visiting Chirag's parents very early into our relationship. I love all types of chaats (Indian street food) - pani puri, dhai puri, bhel, etc. I had eaten round spicy kachoris before, but what was khasta kachori chaat? The fact that it ended is chaat, already told me that I was going to love whatever this dish was.

Khasta kachori is a spicy, flaky, puff pastry, which originated in Rajasthan. It's a perfect snack compliment to an afternoon tea, but I like it best when the kachori is made into a chaat (Indian street food). The kachoris are stuffed with a flavorful mixture of fennel seeds, sesame seeds, spices and chickpea flour. Once fired, the kachoris puff up, get golden brown and slightly crispy. I always thought that making these kachoris was very complicated, but this weekend my mother-in-law showed me just how simple it was. 

Like most Indian mom's, when I asked about the proportions of the ingredients for the recipe, I got a reply back like "a fist full of dough, a little of spices, and a few tablespoons of oil". So, I tried my best to make a note of exactly how much of ingredient we used during the learning process. Here is the recipe - plus or minus a teaspoonful.

mom-in-law supervising me carefully :)

Dough:

1 cup all-purpose flour 

1/2 cup wheat flour

1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

4 tablespoons of oil

1/2 cup warm water

Mix all the dry ingredients together first. Then add the oil and start kneading the dough. Slowly start adding the water and continue to knead the dough. It will be slightly sticky. The dough should be slightly tougher then what you use to make roti (chapattis). Once you're done, roll up the dough in a ball, cover it and set it aside.

Filling:

1/2 cup chickpea flour

1/4 teaspoon tumeric

1 - 1 1/2 teaspoon of red chili powder

3 teaspoon of cumin and coriander powder mixture (dhana-jeeru)

1/2 teaspoon of garam masala

1 teaspoon of fennel and sesame mixture - coarsely ground

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon of oil

Heat oil in a small skillet and add chick pea flour. Cook the flour in the oil over low heat until the flour is lightly cooked and golden brown. Turn off the heat and mix the remaining ingredients. 

Kachori:

Take some dough, about the size of your palm and roll it into a ball. Then using a rolling pin roll out the dough into a small tortilla. Add about 3/4 teaspoon of the fill mixture and place it in the middle of the tortilla. Fold the dough over and seal all the edges. Continue to fold the dough and roll it back into a ball. This part was a little tricky for me at first as the seal kept opening up. Just be patient and very gentle. Once again use the rolling pin to gently roll out the dough into a tortilla. Keep it slightly thick so that the filling is sealed inside. Next, heat some oil on medium high heat to start frying. Use the back of the spatula to slowly press on the tortillas to help them puff up. Turn two to three time until it's lightly golden brown on both sides. Strain off the excess oil and lay out the kachoris on paper towel to soak up the extra oil. 

Khasta Kachori Chaat:

Now comes the fun part! Once the kachoris have cooled off, peel the top layer off to expose the filling and create a little vessel for you to add all the toppings for the chaat. You can add or subtract as many ingredients as you want to customize your chaat. I like mine with boil potatoes cut into small pieces, red onions, tomatoes, sautéed rice puffs, and crispy sev. An Indian chaat would not be complete without a spicy coriander chutney and the sweet tamarind chutney. I also like to make some sweet yogurt sauce by mixing regular yogurt with a bit of sugar and water to drill it right on top.

This khasta kachori chaat is bursting with all kinds types of flavors and textures. It's a satisfying, yet refreshing chaat... perfect for lunch, dinner, or a snack anytime of the day. 

What's your favorite Indian chaat?