Kachori or Pigeon Peas Dumpling


Lilva Kachori is spicy Indian snack is flat round flour ball made of Pigeon Peas (Lilva or Tuver) and spices. You can either deep fry it or bake it. Kachori is speciality of Gujaratis, specially in winter when you get fresh Tuver they love to make this item.

I still remember when the temperature goes low in winter, my mom used to prepare this spicy Kachori served with green chutney and fried chillies. Oh, I miss it so much! I simply sneak in kitchen and used to grab spoon of filling and eat it. I loved it so much!.
I got recipe from my mom and finally made it. Hurray! You can serve this as appetizer or take away snack for pot-luck party.
Here comes the most authentic recipe of Lilva Kachori :
Dough:
-1 cup of wheat flour
-1/3 cup semolina
-3 tbsp of clarified butter (ghee)
-salt
-water

Filling:
- 2 cups of fresh/frozen lilva (Pigeon Peas)
- 1 cup of fresh/frozen Green peas (optional- if you have enough Lilva then dont add this)
- 3-4 cloves
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp chilli -ginger paste
- 1/2 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
- pinch of asfoetida (hing)
- pieces of cashewnut (15)
- raisins
- 1.5 tsp sugar
- salt
- oil for frying

Preparation:
Dough:
-Mix wheat flour with semolina, ghee and salt
-Knead the dough with water (not so soft or hard, enough to pliable)
- Cover it with cloth or cover lid.
- Let it sit for 30 mins.

Filling:
- Finely crush the lilva in blender and transfer it into a bowl (you may use little water, but not much)
- Take a saucerpan and heat 2 tbsp oil in it, then add carom seeds, hing to it. Let the seeds splutter. Add ginger-chilli paste, clove, cinnamon powder to it.
- Transfer crushed lilva to the saucerpan and mix it well.
- Add cashewnut, raisins, garam masala, sugar and salt. Mix it well.
- Simmer the gas burner and let it sit for 5 mins with occassional stirring with spatula.
- Remove from the gas burner when color of lilva changes from fresh green to brownish green.
- Let it cool down.

Making of Kachori or Dumpling:
-Divide the dough into small portions and roll it into large cirlces.
-Put 1 or 1.5 tsp of lilva mixture in middle of the circle.
-Grab all sides of the circle and converge them in center
-Cut of the extra part of dough with your fingers.
- Gently place it on bowl and cover it will damp cloth.

Deep Fry:
- Now take a wok and deep fry 4-5 kachoris at medium to high heat till they turn golden brown on both side. Serve it will green chutney or tamarind cutney or fried chillies.

Baked:
- You can also bake it instead of deep fry. Pre-heat the oven at 350 degree.
- Place the kachoris on large oven plate.
- Brush both sides of kachori with oil and place them on oven plate
- Turn the side after 10 mins.
- Remove from the oven when they turn golden brown.

Enjoy the Kachoris!
Do leave the comment if you try the recipe.



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1 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Sir or Madam,
My name is Leticia Avierkiieva and I am a contributor at www.mycitycuisine.org, a wiki project. I am currently working on an article about Lilva Kachori for the project, and am in need of a photo for the article.
I wanted to inquire in regards to your photo:
http://bestfoodrecipes-curiousity.blogspot.com/2009/09/kachori-or-pigeon-peas-dumpling.html
The photo would be perfect for the article. Would you be willing to give mycitycuisine.org permission to use your photo for the project?
If you agree to let mycitycuisine.org to use the photo, please specify the terms of permission in your reply so I can upload this photo with the correct license terms.
1.) I certify that I am the owner of the photo(s). I grant the publisher of mycitycuisine.org the right to use the photo(s) on mycitycuisine.org and in its companion mobile software with attribution to me as the photo owner.

OR
2.) I certify that I am the owner of this photo. I release all rights of this photo and place this photo in the public domain.
I thank you in advance and look forward to hearing from you.
Best regards,
Leticia Avierkiieva (Please reply to gourmand86@yahoo.com with this request)
PS: mycitycuisine.org is a wiki project so you are encouraged to contribute to it by sharing your knowledge of your local cuisine. Thank you.