Kachori

Step 1

Wash the dal, cover it with plenty of cold water and soak it for 3 hours. Drain it well, spread it on a clean cloth and leave it to dry for 15 minutes.

Step 2

Make the dough. Mix the flour with 1 teaspoon of salt in a bowl. Melt the ghee, let it cool slightly and rub it into the flour with your fingers until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs and holds together when squeezed in your fist. Add the water a splash at a time and bring it together into a firm, smooth dough. Cover with a damp cloth and rest for 30 minutes.

Step 3

Grind the drained dal in short pulses in a food processor, with no water, to a coarse, sandy crumb. Some pieces should stay visible. Do not let it turn to paste.

Step 4

Crush the fennel, cumin and coriander seeds coarsely. Grate the ginger and finely chop the chillies.

Step 5

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a wide pan over medium-low heat. Add the fennel and cumin and let them sizzle for 20 seconds, then add the asafoetida, ginger and chillies for 20 seconds more. Add the ground dal and stir continuously for 12–15 minutes, until the mixture is dry, crumbly and no longer smells raw.

Step 6

Add the gram flour, coriander, turmeric, amchoor, garam masala and 1 teaspoon of salt, and cook for 2 more minutes. Taste and adjust the salt. Spread the filling on a plate and cool completely: a warm filling softens the dough from inside.

Step 7

Divide the dough into 12 equal balls and the cooled filling into 12 equal portions.

Step 8

Flatten a ball between your palms into a disc about 8 cm across, a little thicker in the centre than at the edge. Put a portion of filling in the middle, draw the edges up around it and pinch them together at the top. Twist off any excess dough.

Step 9

Turn the pastry seam side down and press it gently into a flat disc about 5 cm wide and 2 cm thick. Do not roll it out, as this forces the filling through the dough. Cover the finished kachori with a damp cloth while you shape the rest.

Step 10

Heat the rest of the oil in a deep, wide pan to 140–150 °C. Drop in a small piece of dough: it should sink, then rise slowly to the surface in 15–20 seconds, with only a few bubbles.

Step 11

Slide in 4 kachori at a time. They will sink and rest on the base for a minute or two. Once they rise, gently press the surface of each with the back of a slotted spoon to encourage puffing, then leave them alone.

Step 12

Fry on low heat for 12–15 minutes, turning twice, until deep golden and crisp all over. Raise the heat slightly for the last 2 minutes to colour them. Drain on a wire rack and repeat with the rest. Let them cool for 10 minutes before serving.