The Veggie Indian: Raj Kachori - Stuffed fried bread

Whenever there is any party planned in our friend circle here, I am the first one to raise my hand for a Potluck. And while am sure, most of the girls in my group hate me for that.. I can’t stop myself for looking forward for the fun of a Potluck Party. It adds a personal touch to the Meal, which is so not present when we order food from outside. I hate Take-aways anyway. The food get sluggish, breads all Soggy and somehow I always feel that Restaurants pour in more oil when they do take aways. I have this annoying habit of making myself some simple meal like Omelette-bread or Moong Daal Khichdi or even Instant Noodles sometimes when everyone is up for the take-away. I know it spoils the fun, but I cant just help it. Even back in India, I never liked the Dhaba take-aways my roomies were all ridiculously fan of. I was happy with my scrambled eggs and Maggie back then, and so am I now.

When I host any Party, I try to make everything from scratch myself. Which sometimes spoils one or two thing, since giving attention to detail in everything you prepare for Party is next to impossible for one person. But then, at the end of it, the warm feeling of satisfaction I get is very overwhelming and keep me uplifted for the next party. Coming back to the Potluck, Jagruti of JCO has started with this virtual Potluck Party where everyone can bring in their own dishes and then try the others' recipes in the group to actually enjoy the party together.

So, it was the first Potluck entry and I made this refreshing Watermelon-Carrot Juice as a welcome drink for everyone and then was paired with Shobha of Food Mazaa to try what she brought to the Party which was Raj Kachori. Now, I have never been too much into Chaat and that too into a fried Poori filled with tangy fried stuff.. Too much for me.. But I still wanted to take my chances and go ahead with it.

In an attempt to make it less unhealthy as its original Avatar, I added chickpeas and avoided all sorts of Namkeen etc. And instead I used fine Sev, just a hint of spices and Chutneys and this delicious snack was ready in warm Puffed bread.... loved every bite of it, it was so much better than the one we get on those Road side Thelas... Just take care of stuffing, and eat a light dinner ;) Home made things are so much better, you see !

What you need ?

For the Kachori :-

1/2 cup All Purpose flour
1/2 cup Semolina
1 tsp Salt
1/4 cup Oil
Enough Warm water to knead the flour
Oil for deep frying

For the Stuffing - I chose :-

1 boiled Potato, diced very small
1/2 cup cooked Chickpeas, or canned chickpeas
1 Onion, chopped fine
1 Tomato, chopped fine
1/2 cup Yoghurt, whisked well
2 tsp Chaat Masala
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Black Salt
1/2 Red Chilli Powder
1/2 cup Green Coriander Chutney
1/2 cup Sweet Tamarind Chutney
1/2 cup fine Sev mixture

How to make ?

To make Kachori : -

Mix everything and knead a tight dough, it should not be too pliable to stretch. Keep aside for half an hour
Roll out in circles, and deep fry one by one on low flame to get the crispy texture. Keep aside till it gets at room temperature.

When the Pooris gets at normal temperature, make a hole on the top and fill all the ingredients one by one starting from potato/chickpeas and yoghurt and chutneys at the end. Sprinkle Chaat Masala on top and serve immediately.

My Notes

Check the oil before deep frying the Pooris, if its too hot the Poori will sink and wont puff up.
Always spread Yoghurt and Chutneys on top at the end, otherwise the Pooris will get soggy very quickly.
Options for filling are like infinite and you can play along with it to make the Kachori healthier - Sprouts, Pomegranate, Kala Chana etc are just some of them.
I actually used a simple Sabzi of chickpeas and potato for the filling, which was pre cooked with spices.
Dont wait for long after filling in the stuffing, the Pooris will loos their crunch soon.