Sunday morning calls for some calorie loaded breakfast such as luchi or kochuri especially if the breakfast is for a Bong. Those fried things make a bongs’ weekend special! We bongs have a unique relationship with those deep fried round wonders; be it a lethargic Sunday/ holiday morning or a “Niramish Khabar Din ( specific day for vegetarian food )”- er dinner or just a special day. We love to celebrate it with those small Poories along with a preferred side. Hing er Kachori ar Aloo r Cholar Dal er Tarkari is one such combination.
Here I am not talking about the traditional Cholar Daal but the runny Potato Sabzi with a few boiled Cholar daal. This Torkari is flavored with spices. Hing er Kochuri is widely available in almost every confectioner’s shop in Bengal and popular in Households also.I still remember kachori prepared by my Dida ( Grandma). She though used to serve it with Aloor Dum however, I love the Hing er Kachori ar Aloo r Cholar Dal er Tarkari from Mistir Dokan.
Hing r Kachori is mostly served with Aloor Tarkari or Cholar dal in sweet shops in Kolkata. I just love the special aroma of the Aloo r Tarkari served there. the combination of Hing er Kachori ar Aloo r Cholar Dal er Tarkari is pure bliss. Here in Gurgaon, we have almost no options available other than one or two C R Park-based shops in Delhi. It is not possible to go there every now and then and hence I ended on saying Let’s try “Dokaner Moto Hing er Kachori ar Aloo r Cholar Dal er Tarkari at home.”
- All Purpose Flour: 400 g
- Salt to taste
- Vegetable Oil / Ghee for Moyan: 2 tbsp
- Korai /Beuli / Urad Daal / Vigna Mungo / Black Gram : 1 Cup
- Green Chili: 2-3
- Ginger Paste: ½ tbsp.
- Asafoetida / Hing: ½ tsp
- Fennel Seed: 1 tbsp soaked in water
- Salt to taste
- Mustard Oil: 1 tbsp
- Aloo / Potato: 4-5 (medium sized) – Diced
- Chola r Dal /Chana Dal / Bengal Gram: 3 tbsp
- Chopped Tomato: 1
- Green Chilies – 1-2
- Dry Chilies – 1-2
- Tej Pata / Bay Leaf: 1
- Asafoetida 1 pinch
- Ginger: 2’
- Panch Foron Powder ( Bengali 5 spices ): 1 Tsp.
- Salt to taste
- Sugar: 1 Tsp.
- Turmeric Powder: 1 Tsp.
- Shal Pata / Shorea robusta Leaf: for covering the pan ( optional )
- Mustard Oil: 2 tbsp
- Soak Daal overnight (or at least 8 hours) with a pinch of salt and wash thoroughly after that.
- Grind daal along with chilies, ginger paste, salt and fennel seeds into a smooth paste by using little water.
- Heat mustard oil in a pan and temper with Hing / asafoetida and add Daal paste and sauté the mixture for around 10 minutes in medium flame till the mixture turns dry and a bit sticky. Remove the stuffing from heat and keep the mixture aside.
- Take the flour in a big bowl and mix with salt and 1 tbsp oil properly. Add lukewarm water and knead it for sometimes to make a non-sticky dough. Cover the dough with a wet cloth/cling film and give it 15 minutes of standing time.
- Knead the dough once again and divide the dough into 20 small balls and keep them aside.
- Divide the stuffing into 20 equal portions and make small balls.
- Take one flour ball and roll with the help of your hand and flatten it a bit and then put one stuffing ball in the middle and seal the flour ball by bringing the sides together. Repeat the process with rest of the flour balls.
- Heat sufficient oil in a big pan for deep frying.
- Take one stuffed ball and roll out into around 3” disk without puncturing it.
- Check the oil and fry the kachori till it turns golden brown under medium heat and repeat the process with rest of the kachoris.
- Best partner of these kachoris is Aloo Cholar Daal er Tarkari.
- Boil Chola r daal along with little salt in a pressure cooker. Two whistle is more than enough.
- Take mustard oil in a pan and heat sufficiently.
- Temper oil with asafoetida, Tej Pata, dry red chilies and Cumin seeds.
- Add chopped tomatoes and cook for 5-8 minutes or so till tomatoes soften.
- Add Panch Foron Powder and Ginger paste and cook for some more time.
- Now add diced potatoes and cook for sometimes and then add cooked daal and add salt, sugar, chili and turmeric powder and cook for two more minutes.
- Add 2 cup water and cover the pan with a lid and cook for 10 minutes or so in low flame till potatoes soften.
- Cover the pan with Shal Pata after completion (This step is absolutely optional but provides amazing Aroma to the Tarkari).
And after that !!! There’s nobody at least in my place who’s ready to wait when the Hing er Kachori ar Aloo r Cholar Dal er Tarkari is prepared! You can also try Bedmi Poori Aur Aloo ki Sabzi from my blog which is absolutely delicious as well.
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