Jack Seeds Kachori

Kachori/Kachuri/Kachodi or Katchuri is a fried dish. It is one of the famous dish of Rajastan and very popular dish in North India and world wide now a days. It is a savoury and spicy fried dish. There are so many varieties of Kachoris. For example onion kachori, peas kachori, mava (kova) Kachori, etc etc etc. Even sweet kachoris also very popular and kachori can be eaten during upavas (fasting). 

Ready to Serve Hot Kachoris

 Kachoris are prepared with maida and moong dal usually. But as I said earlier there are varieties of stuffing is done and filled. I have used moong dal and jack seeds and little spices like cumin seeds, pepper etc.
Lets see some benefits of eating jeera/cumin seeds.
Jeera/Cumin seeds are one of the important spice, and famous for their wonderful flavour and aroma. They also have number of health benefits. Jeera can help to improve digestion and helps to overcome insomnia. It helps to improve digestion and stomach ache. Jeera is high in fiber and is good remedy for constipation. In Ayurveda, it is said that it is capable of preventing and healing severe digestive disorders like piles. Jeera contain high potassium and that helps to maintain our blood pressure and heart rate. They contain anti bacterial and anti fungai properties and its a great remedy for cold, sore throat and asthama. It is good for people who are suffering from anaemia since it helps in production of hemoglobin. These jeera seeds are good for pregnant women since it contain Iron an Calcium.
No onion or garlic is added in this Kachori.

Things needed :

For the outer layer:
Wheat flour : 2 cups
Maida (All purpose flour ) 1/2 Cup
Ghee or Oil  : 1 Tablespoon
Jeera : 1 Teaspoon
Salt : as required
For Filling (stuffing)
Jack fruit seeds : 8 to 10 (cooked)
Moong dal : 1 cup
Green chilly : 2
Coriander leaves : 1 Handful
Jeera : 2 Teaspoons
Pepper pods : 4 to 5
Turmeric powder : a pinch
Salt : As required
Garam masala powder : 1/2 Teaspoon
Oil : 1 1/2 Cup (for frying)

Method:

1. Remove the outer skin of jack seeds and cook and let it cool. (Pressure cook at least for 8 to 10 minutes).
2. Roast moong dal and let it cool.

3. Wash and cut green chilly, coriander leaves and ginger.
4. Cut cooked jack seeds in to small and put it in a jar along with ginger, coriander leaves,pepper pods and green chilly.

5. Now add roasted moong dal and dry grind with jack seeds mixture.

6. Remove from the mixi jar and put it in a big bowl.
7. Add a teaspoon of jeera/cumin seeds, garam masala powder.
  8. Mix all the ingredients nicely and divide into small size of a ball.

9. Dry roast maida, wheat flour on low flame. Leave it for cooling.

10. Add salt and 1 teaspoon of jeera.and a spoon of chilly powder. Add ghee and mix it well.
.Add required water slowly and then prepare dough.( It should be poori consistency). Let it rest for 5 minutes.

11. Now make small balls with wheat +maida dough.
12. Roll them into small poris.

 13. Add  a tablespoon of jack and spice mixture in the middle of the rolled chapati and bring all the edges to the top.
14. Make like a ball and flatten it slightly and arrange them on the plate.

15. Keep a frying pan on the fire. Put oil and heat.
16. Deep fry ready kachoris on both side. (Fry it on low flame). Put them on the kitchen tissue.

  17. Repeat the same with remaining kachoris.

 18. Serve with green and red chutney or tomato ketch up.

Note :

Dry grind roasted moong coarsely. Let it mix well with ground jack seed mixture. Add spices according to your wish. (more or less). Adding more ghee to the flour might absorb oil while frying. Dry roasting wheat flour and maida help kachori to be crispy. Use of maida or wheat flour is optional. You can not keep kachori for a long time. Since wheat flour is used it will turn soft. You can use any legume instead of jack seeds. (Rajma, Channa or whole moong Field bean/avarekai etc).
Time : 40 to 50 minutes. (The whole process).
12 To 15 Kachoris can be prepared.        

Potato Chakkuli

Potato Chakkuli is prepared using boiled potatoes and rice flour. It is something interesting that we can prepare chakkuli using many things.these days. It is not at all difficult like before.

For example in those days you need to wash rice, dry it on a thin cloth in a shade.(inside the house it self). Then roast rice and urid dal. Dry grind it or powder it and then add coconut milk. Then to prepare chakkuli. Though the process is too difficult but chakkulis were yummy to eat whole long nearly a month. My aunt (My mom's sister) used to make chakkulis in a huge amount. She needed that amount to give for the neighbours around her houses, the workers who stay near by and the people who come to our house. The chakkulis were made normally during the Gokulastami time. We really had good time eating chakkuli, going to Udupi to watch Mosaru kudike( breaking the pots full of curd or butter milk). Gokulastami is a very beautiful festival which mostly falls in August or first week of September. The rainy days are slightly decreased and the weather is just beautiful to enjoy. But those well prepared chakkulis really tasted yummy and you can keep on munch. Even now people do prepare this traditional way of Chakkulis. And there are loads of different types of chakkulis are available and prepared in our homes these days.
Let me come back from those days now.
Here is a recipe of Potato chakkuli which is very easy and quick to prepare and you can enjoy crispy chakkuli with hot cup of coffee, tea or fruit juice.

Things Needed : 

Potatoes " 2 (Medium sized)
Rice flour : 2 Cups
Sesame seeds : 2 Tablespoons
Butter : 1 Tablespoon
Chilly Powder : 1 Teaspoon
Salt : To taste
Chakkuli Mould  to prepare chakkuli
Oil : 2 Cups

Method :

1. Wash and pressure cook potatoes and remove the outer skin when it cools down.
2. Now put potatoes in a big bowl. Smash it nicely and add rice powder, chilly, sesame seeds, butter and salt.

 

 

3. Mix all the ingredients nicely. Add water slowly (add it little by little) and prepare dough.

4.  Kneed the dough well and divide the prepared dough in to small portions.

5. Wash chakkuli mould and place the chakkuli plate inside. Fill in a portion of prepared dough and close with top lid.

6. Keep a frying pan and heat. Add oil and heat. Let the oil be hot.
7. Take a plate and squeeze out the dough from chakkuli mould and prepare chakkulis on the plate.

8. Add these chakkulis to the hot oil and fry on both sides till they turn crisp and golden brown.

9.Now remove done chakkuli from the frying pan and put it on kitchen tissue.

10.Serve  crispy chakkuli with a cup of coffee or tea or a fruit juice

Note : 

Adding more chilly powder is optional. Adding more butter is not advisable since chakkuli may turn as powder in the oil the whole oil gets dirty. Adding more potatoes may turn the chakkuli soft. You can add little jeera along with sesame seeds.
Time : 40 minutes 
Serves : 20 to 25

Ribbon Pakoda

Ribbon Pakoda or a stripe or string of fried pieces are delicious to munch. I think because of its chain style and long strip its called as ribbon. Pakoda is some fried items which can be eaten during snack time. It is almost similar to our sev or karasev (spicy sev). Though it is fried the mind pulls you to have them with hot coffee or tea even fruits juices. You can prepare Ribbon Pakodas in using different ingredients. Using only besan, besan with rice flour, besan and urid flour, besan with roasted channa etc. Each kind has its own taste and all age group can enjoy munching this ribbon pakdoas.
Here I have tried this Ribbon Pakoas with rice flour and besan flour, little jeera powder and butter.
Lets see the recipe.  

Things Needed :

Besan/Gram flour :2
Rice flour :1 Cup
Butter : 1 Tablespoon
Chilly Powder : 1 Teaspoon
Jeera Powder: 1 Teaspoon
Salt :to taste
Oil : To Fry (2 cups)

Method :

1. Put Rice flour, besan, chilly powder, jeera powder and salt in a big bowl.
2. Add butter and mix it nicely.(dry ingredients).

3. Add required water and prepare the dough.

4. Keep a pan on the fire. Heat the pan and then put oil. Let it become hot.

5. Take a prepared dough and mix it again and divide into equal parts.

6. Wash chakkuli mould and then keep ribbon pakoda plate inside.
7. Fill chakkuli mould with besan - Rice flour dough. close it with upper part.
8. Now press and leave the dough in the hot oil and prepare ribbon pakodas.

9. Let it cook on both sides. Remove from the oil and place on kitchen tissue. It helps to absorb extra oil.

10 Repeat the same with remaining dough and prepare the rest of Ribbon Pakodas.
11. Put them in a airtight bottle or box and you can have them whenever you want.

12. Serve Crispy Ribbon Pakodas with a cup of coffee or  tea. 

Note : 

You should add water little by little as it required while preparing the dough. Too much of water in the dough may take more oil. Adding little more butter is optional.( another half a tablespoon). Using more oil for frying is also optional. Adding ajwan or jeera seeds also optional. But it clots while dropping the dough to the oil. Adding more chilly is also optional.
Time : 30 to 40 Minutes.