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Club kachori
Small spiced kachoris
ক্লাব কচুরি (club kachori): small puffed kachoris with a spiced urad dal filling and a thin potato curry
In the narrow lanes of Burrabazar and Bowbazar, sweet shops start frying club kachori before eight in the morning for traders and office-goers, who eat four or five standing up with a ladle of thin, gingery potato curry poured into a sal-leaf bowl. The kachoris are small and puffed like balloons, with a thin layer of peppery ground urad dal inside the crust. Chef's tip: soak the dal ahead (from the night before is easiest) and grind it with almost no water, so the paste is thick enough to roll without breaking through.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the dough
- 5 ½ oz wholewheat flour (atta)
- 3 ½ oz plain flour
- 2 tsp salt½ tsp each for dough and filling, 1 tsp for the curry
- 4 ¼ cups sunflower oil2 tbsp for the dough, 2 tbsp for the curry, the rest for frying
- ½ cup waterabout
For the filling
- 2 ⅛ oz split white urad dalsoaked overnight or for 3 hours
- 1 tbsp fresh gingerchopped
- 1 tsp fennel seedslightly crushed
- 1 pinch asafoetida
For the potato curry
- 14 oz potatoespeeled, cut into 2 cm chunks
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp fresh gingergrated
- 1 tomatochopped
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 2 cups water
- ½ tsp garam masala
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Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Mix 5 ½ oz wholewheat flour (atta), 3 ½ oz plain flour and a quarter of the 2 tsp salt, rub in 2 tbsp of the 4 ¼ cups sunflower oil, then knead with ½ cup water to a firm, smooth dough. Cover and rest for 20 minutes.
5 minStep 2: Drain 2 ⅛ oz split white urad dal and grind with 1 tbsp fresh ginger and 1 green chilli to a thick, slightly coarse paste, adding no more than 1 tbsp water.
3 minStep 3: Stir 1 tsp fennel seeds, 1 pinch asafoetida and a quarter of the salt into the paste.
Step 4: For the curry, heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add 1 tsp cumin seeds and 1 bay leaf, then after 20 seconds 1 tbsp fresh ginger and 14 oz potatoes and fry for 4 minutes.
5 minStep 5: Add 1 tomato, ½ tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder, 1 tsp ground coriander and the rest of the salt and cook for 3 minutes until the tomato softens.
3 minStep 6: Pour in 2 cups water, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are soft and some break down to thicken the thin gravy. Stir in ½ tsp garam masala and keep warm.
15 minStep 7: Divide the dough into 16 small balls. Flatten one, put ½ tsp of the dal paste in the middle, gather the edges over and pinch to seal. Roll gently into an 8 cm round. Repeat. Common mistake: overfilling; the paste breaks through and the kachoris burst in the oil.
12 minStep 8: Pour 4 ¼ cups sunflower oil into a deep, heavy pan so it is no more than a third full and heat it over a medium heat to 350°F on a thermometer; with no thermometer, a small cube of bread should turn golden in about 60 seconds. Never leave hot oil unattended, and keep children well away.
5 minStep 9: Slide in 3–4 kachoris at a time and press each gently with a slotted spoon until it puffs, about 30 seconds. Turn and fry for 1–2 minutes more, until both sides are pale gold and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper.
10 minStep 10: Serve the kachoris hot with bowls of the potato curry.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 450 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 62 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does club kachori take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
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