Kachori

Variations

Kachori is supposed to have originated in Uttar Pradesh, India. In these states it is usually a round flattened ball made of fine flour filled with a stuffing of baked mixture of yellow moong dal or urad dal (crushed and washed horse beans), besan (crushed and washed gram flour), black pepper, red chili powder, salt and other spices.

Additionally in Rajasthani cuisine, kota Kachori is probably the most famous kachori in the state. The use of hing gives it an authentic taste of rajasthan, calling it the most famous rajsthani snack won't be wrong, it's a signature snack of rajasthan. The Pyaaj Kachori (onion kachori) is also famous. Another form of Kachori in Jodhpur is the Mawa Kachori, invented by the late Rawat Deora. It is a sweet dish dipped in sugar syrup.

In Gujarat, it is usually a round ball made of flour and dough filled with a stuffing of yellow moong dal, black pepper, red chili powder, and ginger paste.

In Delhi it is often served as chaat. Delhi also has another kind of kachori, called 'Khasta kachori' or 'Raj Kachori'.

A variant includes sweet upwas (fast) kachori, made with potato, coconut, and sugar. Kachoris are often served with a chutney made from tamarind, mint, or coriander. Another type is fried and stuffed with pulses (urad and moong especially) and is generally found in the Kutch region of Gujarat. In West Bengal, a kachori (often pronounced kochuri) has a quite different variation. In West Bengal, kachori is softer and smaller. It is made mostly of white flour (maida) and asafoetida (hing), which are often added to make it extremely tasty. It is mostly eaten as a tea time snack in the morning or evening often accompanied with tasty potato-peas curry and Bengali sweets. Also, a kachori stuffed with peas (koraishuti kochuri) is a winter delicacy in Bengal.Another variant in Bengal exists mostly in sweet shops is the hard form (like in Delhi) with masala inside called as 'Khasta Kochuri'. Generally, no curry is accompanied with the khasta kochuri version.

Some of the variants in North India include a version similar to the Rajasthani one, accompanied by a curry made of potatoes and varied spices or even chana (chole) similar to one served in chole bhature.