Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Dal ki Kachori
Dal ki Kachori (Lentil-filled Puffed Bread)

Dal ki Kachori

Lentil-filled Puffed Bread
Vegetarian●●●Origin DelhiPrep 30 minutes, plus soaking and standing timeCook 30 minutes

Crisp, flaky puffed breads stuffed with a savoury, spiced urad dal filling. They have a rich, aromatic flavour with warm heat from crushed black pepper and chilli.

Filling spices

4.4 gStirred into the coarse dal paste (step 2)
Keep ready to stir directly into the ground lentils.

Everything else

01
Black gram · Urad Dalrinsed and drained
120 g
legume
02
8 g1 tablespoon
flour
03
54 g4 tablespoons
oil/fat
04
Vegetable oil · Telfor shallow-frying
456 g500 ml
oil/fat
05
to taste
salt

Method

  1. Cover 120 g urad dal with water and soak overnight, then drain thoroughly.
  2. Transfer the drained lentils to a food processor and blend into a coarse paste. Stir in the filling spices, 1 teaspoon coarsely crushed peppercorns, and salt to taste, then set the mixture aside.
  3. In a mixing bowl, rub flour and 54 g vegetable oil together. Gradually pour in enough water to bring everything together into a stiff dough, knead thoroughly, and rest for 1 hour.
  4. Knead the dough briefly once more, then divide it into 12 to 14 equal balls. Press an indentation into the centre of each portion, add a spoonful of the spiced dal filling, and pinch the edges closed to seal. Flatten each ball between your palms and gently roll on a board to roughly 8 cm (3 inches) wide.
  5. Warm 456 g vegetable oil for shallow-frying in a kadhai or deep, heavy pan over high heat, then turn the heat down to low. Fry the breads in batches for about 2 minutes until golden brown, turn them over to brown the second side, and transfer with a slotted spoon onto paper towels to drain.

Don't have something?

Urad dal
  • Whole black gram

    Use equal weight. Needs longer soaking and cooking; the dark skins impart an earthy flavour and greyish-black hue unless thoroughly rubbed off.

  • Chana dal

    Use equal weight when tempering (tadka). Provides a comparable nutty, crunchy texture in hot oil, though grains are slightly larger.

  • Split mung beans

    Use equal weight for batters or dals. Ferments and cooks faster, producing a lighter, less sticky, and less viscous consistency.

Red chilli powder
  • Chilli powder

    Use equal weight. Stir in directly with the dry spices; delivers comparable heat and red colour.

  • Kashmiri chilli powder

    Use 130% to 150% of the weight. Provides brilliant ruby colour with roughly half the fiery heat.

  • Yellow chilli powder

    Use 75% of the weight. Gives a sharp, clean pungency without tinting the sauce red.

Black peppercorn
  • Coarsely ground black pepper

    Use 75% of the weight. Add midway through simmering; spreads heat evenly through the dish instead of delivering isolated bursts.

  • Ground black pepper

    Use 50% of the weight. Stir in near the end of cooking; significantly darkens light gravies and provides an immediate, sharp bite.

Coriander seeds
  • Ground coriander

    Use 75% of the weight; stir in along with wet masala or tomato purée rather than frying in hot oil, as the fine powder burns instantly.

  • Cumin seed

    Use 50% of the weight for tempering in hot oil. Lacks the floral, sweet citrus flavour of coriander, introducing warm, pungent earthiness instead.

  • Fennel seed

    Use 50% of the weight in tempering; provides pleasant aromatic sweetness, though noticeably aniseedy rather than citrusy.

Self-raising flour
  • Plain flour

    Use 96 g plain flour with 4 g baking powder for every 100 g self-raising flour. Sift together twice before using.

  • Wholemeal flour

    Use 96 g wholemeal flour with 4 g baking powder per 100 g. Add 1 tbsp extra liquid; the result is denser.

  • Baking powder

    Use with plain flour as above; do not use baking powder alone. Mix well so it is evenly distributed.

Vegetable oil
  • Peanut oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Handles high-heat frying identically and introduces a very subtle, pleasant nuttiness.

  • Ghee

    Use 1:1 by weight. Yields a much richer, authentic aroma and a glossy, heavier mouthfeel.

  • Mustard oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Heat until smoking, then cool slightly before cooking to temper its intensely pungent, sharp mustard kick.

Similar dishes

Bervin Poori
Poori Stuffed with Urad Dal
Bervin Poori tastes richer and more buttery with herbal and licorice notes from the ginger and aniseed, whereas this dish offers a direct, sharper pepper and chilli heat.
  • Same: Bervin Poori is also a deep-fried puffed bread stuffed with an urad dal filling seasoned with coriander seeds and chilli powder.
  • Different: Bervin Poori is prepared and fried using ghee instead of vegetable oil, and its filling incorporates ginger, fresh coriander, and aniseed.
Bervin Poori
Poori Filled with Black Lentils
Bervin Poori has a more complex, warming spice flavour from the ginger and Valsadi Masala, with less direct chilli heat than this dish.
  • Same: Bervin Poori is also a deep-fried puffed bread stuffed with a savoury urad dal filling and seasoned with coriander seeds and chilli powder.
  • Different: Bervin Poori adds fresh ginger and Valsadi Masala with a higher proportion of coriander seeds, while this dish relies on a simpler seasoning with more chilli powder.
Bervin Roti
Plain Stuffed Bread
Bervin Roti tastes milder, earthier, and buttery, lacking the sharp chilli heat and aromatic coriander flavor of this dish.
  • Same: Bervin Roti is also a flatbread stuffed with a seasoned dal filling.
  • Different: Bervin Roti is griddled using ghee and filled with chana dal and black pepper, whereas this dish is deep-fried in vegetable oil with a filling of urad dal, coriander seeds, and red chilli powder.
Puran Poli
Shallow-fried Bread with Sweet Filling
Puran Poli is sweet and aromatic from cardamom and nutmeg, unlike the savoury, spicy, and salty profile of this dish.
  • Same: Both recipes are flatbreads stuffed with a spiced lentil filling and cooked using vegetable oil.
  • Different: Puran Poli uses chana dal, cardamom, and nutmeg and is shallow-fried on a griddle, whereas this dish uses urad dal, coriander seeds, and red chilli powder and is deep-fried.