Green Peas Kachori With Spicy Dum Aloo | No Onion No Garlic Recipe

It is the 5th challenge of SNC and am so glad that we have crossed over 5 successful months preparing regional cuisines, catching up new friends, welcoming new buddies, visiting their blogs and it was totally fun. Am just overwhelmed when people feel so comfortable and enjoy themselves like being a part of a family. Every single person in this group has given me a hand at some point of time and am really so thankful to all of them, without whom there would not have been SNC. Thanks buddies and to appreciate this there is a small surprise waiting which will be revealed on March 5th along with February month's results. To know more about it check it out here. 

This month my dear friends Sano akka and Tamil have posed the challenge and hosted the event. Tamil had challenged the Northern team with a very authentic sweet, Paal Kozhukatai and Sano akka had challenged Southern team with a spicy combo, Green Peas Kachori With Spicy Dum Aloo. Both the Northern team and Southern team were equally exited and I was really glad to see how everyone loved the challenge recipes. Everyone had done it so well and had posted drool-worthy clicks, and their comments about the dish pushed me to try the recipe. I tried it yesterday for lunch and was so amazed with the taste and all the flavors. It was such a delicacy, the spicy dum aloo complimented green peas kachori so well. The mild sweetness from peas and the spiciness from dum aloo was such a treat to my taste-buds. My Husband loved it equally and I earned praises too. Do try this and am sure you will love it. It is such a hit among our Southern team members and am so thankful to Sano akka for introducing to us a delicious combo!! Meanwhile check out how the Northern team are enjoying their challenge recipe here. Thanks Tamil for introducing them our Southern sweet hit!!

PREPARATION OF KACHORIS 

INGREDIENTS
Serves 4 kachoris 
Total Preparation Time - 30 minutes

For Kachoris:

1. All purpose flour / Maida - 1 cup
2. Salt - 1/8 spoon 
3. Oil - For deep frying + 1 spoon

For Filling:

1. Fresh green peas - 1 Cup (100 gram after removing from the pods)
2. Green chillies - 1
3. Roasted cumin powder - 1/4 tsp
4. Asafoetida / Hing - 2 pinches
5. Ginger paste - 1/4 tsp 
6. Sugar - 2 pinches
7. Ghee / Clarified butter - 1 tbsp
8. Salt to taste

PREPARATION METHOD

Preparation of peas filling for kachoris

• If you are using fresh peas, open the bean pod by pressing its ends, it will easily open up. Then open the full pod and release the peas from them. Discard the pod cover. Measure 100 grams from this. If you want to use dry peas soak the peas in warm water until it softens then use it. 

• To a blender or mixer add the green peas, green chilly, and grind into a coarse paste. Sprinkle little water if necessary do not add too much of water. 

• Now heat a pan add ghee then add asafoetida and ginger paste and saute on low flame. 
• Now add the ground green peas mixture and stir well. Cook on low flame, then add salt,  roasted cumin powder, sugar and stir well. 
• Cook until the raw smell leaves and the mixture loses the moisture content and seems dry.  
• Remove from flame and set aside. 

Preparation of kachoris

• Now take a bowl and add maida, salt, oil and mix well using your fingers. Then add water little by little and knead well simultaneously until it forms a dough. The dough should not be sticky, if so add some extra flour and knead well.Close the bowl and set this aside for 10 to 15 minutes.  (you can do this step before preparing the peas mixture; this will help you save time)
• Now take the dough and knead well again for few minutes and divide the dough into 4 equal parts. 

• Then dust a chapati board / pastry board with some flour and place a ball in the center of the board and flatten using fingers, then using a rolling pin, roll into thick pooris. 
• Now take a spoon of green peas mixture and place it in the center of the thick poori. Then seal the edges using the sides and make a ball again. 

• Flatten gently and roll into pooris gently. Do not press too hard this might tear the outer dough and the the filling may come out. So carefully and gently roll into thick pooris. 

• Do the same with the rest of the balls and filling. 
• Now place a frying pan on flame and pour oil to deep fry the pooris. When the oil turns hot (not smoky hot) gently slide in the prepared pooris, after 2 minutes turn the poori and press the poori slightly using a slotted ladle. This will help the poori puff up beautifully. 
• Then when the pooris turn golden on both sides remove from flame using a slotted ladle drain excess oil and set aside. 
• Serve with spicy dum aloo. 

PREPARATION OF DUM ALOO

INGREDIENTS

Makes Dum Aloo for 1 to 2 people
Total Preparation Time - 30 to 40 minutes

For Dum Aloo / Spicy Baby Potato Masala

1. Baby potatoes - 150 grams
2. Fresh green peas - A handful
3. Tomato - 1/4 of a tomato (chopped)
4. Ginger paste - 1/4 spoon 
5. Sour curd - 1/2 cup (thick)
6. Kashmiri Red Chilli powder - 1/2 spoon 
7. Coriander powder - 1/2 spoon 
8. Cumin powder - 1/4 spoon
9. Garam masala - 2 pinches
10. Turmeric powder - 2 pinches
11. Asafoetida - 2 pinches
12. Cumin seeds - 1/4 spoon
13. Fennel seeds - 1/4 spoon 
14. Bay leaf - 1
15. Sugar - 2 pinches 
16. Coriander leaves - Few 
17. Salt - As per taste
18. Oil - 2 spoons

PREPARATION METHOD

• Wash baby potatoes well in water. Scrub off all the dirt and wash well. 
• Then pressure cook or boil or steam baby potatoes until they become soft. I boiled the baby potatoes for 25 minutes. Place a pot or saucepan on flame drop in the potatoes and pour water until it gets immersed well close the pan with a lid and boil on high flame. You can steam or pressure cook the potatoes also. See that the potatoes are cooked well but not mushy. Insert a knife to see if it goes smoothly into the potatoes till the center, if so the potatoes are cooked well. if not cook for some more time. If you peel the potatoes the skin should come off easily this is also another way to find if the potatoes are cooked.
• Now take the boiled potatoes and peel the skin. 
• Now heat a pan and deep fry the potatoes (use the oil used to deep fry pooris) well until the turn golden brown. 
• Then remove from flame and place on  a tissue paper to remove excess oil. 

• Now heat a pan and add oil and saute asafoetida, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, bay leaf for a few seconds.
• Then add green peas and saute for a minute. 
• Now add chopped tomatoes and green chillies and saute for a minute. 
• Then add the dry powders such as, salt, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder,   garam masala and turmeric powder and saute. Sprinkle some water and cook until the raw smell leaves and oil separates from the masala.
• Now add sugar and roasted potatoes and saute well. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on low flame. 
• Then add curd (beaten well) and half cup of water and stir well. Cook for another 3 to 5 minutes on low flame. I made it dry you can make it with some masala also. so add water accordingly.

• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with kachoris!!

TIP 1: You can toast the kachoris instead of deep frying. Also you can make it smaller in size to make it looks like kachoris. 

TIP 2: I have made my dum aloo more spicy, but you can reduce the spice level. Also make sure to use sour curd to get the best flavors. 

TIP 3: You can use ordinary potatoes also, boil/steam/pressure cook potatoes and peel off the skin and dice into cubes and use it. 

A perfect, super delicious combo from the awesome Bengali cuisine is now ready!!

 

Linking this to Sano's space and SNC page!!

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