Recipe: Kachoris

Kachoris are a special iftar treat, readily available from street vendors everywhere, along with samosas and pakoray. Unfortunately, they are deep-fried in oil and can be quite heavy on the stomach. Try this light recipe for homemade kachoris and mint chutney so you can enjoy them without feeling too guilty.

Ingredients

For the dough:

Flour 1 cup

Oil/butter 1 tbsp

Yogurt 1 tbsp

Salt 1 tsp

Soda ½ tsp

Water

For the filling:

Minced/boneless chicken 250 gms

Soya sauce 2 tbsp

Ginger-garlic paste 1 tbsp

Salt and pepper to taste

For the dip:

Mint leave 1 hand full

Green chillies 2

Water 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Yogurt 1 tbsp

Method

For the dough

•  Sift the flour and soda thoroughly in a bowl.

•  Add the oil and yogurt to the bowl and mix.

•  Add the water one tablespoon at a time and keep mixing until there is no dry flour left and dough is formed. You will require 2 to 3 tbsp of water for this.

•  Knead the dough for 2 to 3 minutes.

•  Allow the dough to rest for about 2 hours.               

For the filling

•  Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan.

•  Once the oil has reached medium heat, add the ginger-garlic paste.

•  Add the chicken and seasoning and cook until chicken is tender and set aside.

For the dip

•  Process all the ingredients, except the yogurt, in a blender until they become a fine paste.

•  Add the mixture to yogurt to make the green dip.               

Let’s Get Rolling!

•  Divide the dough into 4-6 portions.

•  Take each portion, make it into a ball and then roll it thin with a rolling pin.

•  Add the chicken filling to the centre of each portion, leaving some space on its outer ring.

•  Take all ends of the dough and join them in the centre (over the top of the filling) for each portion. Repeat this method for the remaining dough.

•  Deep fry the kachoris until the sides turn golden-brown.

•  Serve the kachoris with mint and green chilli dip.

Madiha Hamid is a digital media professional. She runs a food blog for Pakistani and regional cuisines called cheflingtales.com. Follow her on Twitter@cheflingtales

Published in The Express Tribune, Ms T, July 21^st, 2013.

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