Pyaaz Kachori

Pyaaz kachori belongs to Jodhpur, where sweet shops near the clock tower fry them from early morning and sell out before lunch. Unlike the dal kachori of Kota or the hing kachori of Delhi, the filling here is onion cooked down with besan, fennel and crushed coriander until it turns jammy. It is a snack built for travel and for heat, keeping well for a day because the fat in the dough and the dry filling resist going soggy.

A good one is round, puffed and blistered, with a shell that shatters in thin layers rather than chewing like a puri. Inside, the onions are soft, sweet and sharp with green chilli and dried mango powder. The secret is patience at the stove: the kachoris go into barely warm oil and cook for twenty minutes or more, which is what builds that crackling, layered crust.

In Rajasthan they are eaten as breakfast or tea-time food, slit open and spooned with saunth (sweet tamarind chutney) and a thin green chutney. At weddings they appear on the snack counter, and many families fry a batch for train journeys. They reheat well in an oven, which makes them practical for guests.

At a glance

Region	Rajasthan
Cuisine	Rajasthani
Diet	Vegan
Course	Snack
Prep time	40 minutes
Cook time	50 minutes
Total time	90 minutes
Serves	6
Spice level	Medium
Difficulty	Hard
Gluten-free	No
Key ingredients	maida / onion / besan / fennel seeds

Ingredients

For the dough

• 2 cups (250 g) maida
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup (70 ml) oil or melted ghee, for moyan
• About 1/2 cup cold water

For the filling

• 3 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds, coarsely crushed
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds, coarsely crushed
• 1/4 tsp asafoetida
• 3 large onions (about 400 g), finely chopped
• 2 green chillies and 1 inch ginger, finely chopped
• 1 boiled potato, mashed
• 4 tbsp besan
• 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp amchur
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander

To fry

• Oil for deep frying

Method

1. Rub the oil into the maida and salt with your fingertips for 3-4 minutes, until a fistful pressed together holds its shape like wet sand. This moyan is what makes the shell flaky.
2. Add cold water a little at a time and bring together into a soft but not sticky dough without kneading hard. Cover with a damp cloth and rest for 30 minutes.
3. For the filling, heat oil on medium, add cumin, fennel and coriander and let them sizzle for 20 seconds. Add asafoetida, then the onions, ginger and chillies.
4. Cook the onions on medium for 6-8 minutes until translucent and just turning light gold at the edges, not brown. Lower the heat and add the besan; roast, stirring, for 3-4 minutes until it smells nutty.
5. Add the powdered spices, salt and mashed potato and mix until the filling holds together in a dry lump. Stir in coriander and cool completely before using.
6. Divide the dough into 12 balls and the filling into 12 portions. Flatten a ball into a 3-inch disc with thinner edges, place filling in the centre, pleat the edges up and pinch closed. Press gently into a 3-inch round, seam side down.
7. Heat oil until just warm: a pinch of dough should rise slowly after 3-4 seconds. Slide in 4-5 kachoris and keep the flame at its lowest.
8. After 8-10 minutes they will float and puff. Flip and keep frying on low, turning occasionally, for another 12-15 minutes until deep golden and crisp all over. Raise the heat for the last minute, then drain on a rack.

Tips

• If the oil is too hot, the shell browns fast and stays raw and chewy inside. Low heat for the full time is non-negotiable.
• The filling must be dry and cold; wet filling steams the dough from inside and causes the kachori to burst in oil.
• Leave one side slightly thicker when sealing and keep the sealed side down while flattening so it does not open.

Serve with

Sweet saunth chutney and green coriander-mint chutney, with masala chai.