Motorshuttir kachuri aar alur dom...green peas kachori and aloo dum, bengali style...

I remember having a sumptuous meal of this motorshutir kachuri at my friend Mrs. Sinha's home for the very first time.It was some 11 years ago and both of us were just smitten by it's taste. The kachoris were so delicate, thin and soft and so tasteful that overeating didn't feel like offensive. Although it sits heavy on the stomach after an hour or so, the lingering taste would still fool you to believe you did the right thing to eat that much. Mrs. Sinha treated us with this delight many a times and I learnt making it from her.

Later I saw the professional cooks making it and learnt how they make the green peas stuffing perfect every time even when they have to make huge quantities. And then me being me, I altered the cooking process of the peas paste a bit to my convenience, preserving the taste absolutely. Although when I tried making these kachoris with whole wheat flour, the delicate soft texture changed completely and the character of the kachoris changed with it. So now I cook it with all purpose flour (maida), thinking there is so little maida going to be used in the kachoris anyways as we never eat more than two for a meal.

The aloo dum that goes with these kachoris is something to die for. Some of bong friends have been reminded of their mothers when they had it at my place and I realised Mrs. Sinha's recipes was actually a winner. So no change in the recipe . Just the cooking technique of the green peas paste tweaked to make it a little low fat and a little time saving. All those who have been fearing to try this classic and for those who are seeing it for the first time this is the way to start cooking it for yourself.

ingredients and procedure .....


For the kachoris...

green peas 500 gm
green chillies 3-4 or to taste
chopped ginger 1 tbsp
coriander, cumin and black pepper powders 1 tsp each
dash of garam masala powder(optional)
roasted chickpea flour (sattu) 1 tbsp or a bit more if required
salt to taste

maida(all purpose flour) for the pastry and oil or ghee to deep fry

Make a paste of green peas, ginger and green chillies first, without adding any water. The paste should be a little coarse.

Empty the paste into a microwave safe bowl and add the powdered spices and salt, mix well.

Microwave for 2 minutes and mix well again.

Now add the roasted chick pea flour , mix well and microwave for a couple of minutes more. The mixture gets cooked and dehydrated a bit so it becomes drier and can be stuffed inside the kachoris.

Actually this is the tip I learnt from the professional cooks. They add this chickpea flour to make the stuffing bind well without altering the taste. Also the stuffing is fried (bhunoed) in a pan to cook and thicken traditionally, I do it in MW to shorten the process and shave off the oil content.

The mixtures becomes a bit darker in color. Microwave it some more if you feel it is too loose to be stuffed into the kachoris. Although the softer stuffing and equally softer maida dough make really soft kachoris. So dehydrate till it reaches a comfortable level to work with. I had to microwave for 2 minutes 4 times...mixing it well in every break.

Now is the time to make a dough using the maida(APF) and plain water. Make the dough keeping the consistency as close to the stuffing as possible. You need a dough which stretches well and makes a thin even layer over the stuffing. Knead well and make small balls for individual kachoris.

The stuffing has to be like as much as you can stuff inside each of the kachoris. Making sure you do not puncture the kachoris while rolling them... Use ghee or oil instead of dusting flour to roll the kachoris thin and smooth. This is the part where your stuffing skills will play a role....otherwise too you get the taste but miss the perfect texture the perfect thin soft kachori brings.

Fry them in hot ghee or oil til pinkish but not browned. This helps them stay softer again. A nice crisp surface and soft interiors. Much like puran poli but deep fried. And these are large sized kachoris unlike the small khasta kachoris of UP or Rajasthan...more the size and texture of bhatooras.

ingredients and procedure for the aloo dum...
baby potatoes 500 gm (boiled and peeled)
cumin seeds 2 tsp
turmeric powder 1 tsp
mustard oil 2 tbsp

to make a paste..
chopped ginger 2 tbsp
red chilly powder 2 tsp or to taste
curry powder (I use my every day curry powder) 1 tbsp
cloves 3
green cardamom crushed 1
chopped tomatoes 250 gm

salt to taste and chopped coriander leaves to garnish.

Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds, wait till they crackle. Add the boiled and peeled baby potatoes, salt and turmeric powder and fry till they turn pinkish brown.

Add the paste made with all the ingredients suggested in the list. Mix well and fry it all together, keeping the flame low to medium.

Let the spice paste dehydrate and coat the potatoes well, while keeping the flame low and stirring occasionally, mixing well. The potatoes absorb the flavors well this way and the spice paste turns aromatic.

Just as the spices turn aromatic and cooked well, add about a cup of water and chopped coriander leaves, mix well and let it simmer covered for a couple of minutes. The water will be absorbed by the dehydrated fried and slow cooked potatoes and coriander leaves will lend it's flavor too.

Serve hot with the kachoris. The aloo dum stays well in the fridge but not in the freezer. It makes a nice leftover curry and actually improves the next day in taste. Some people like these matar kachoris too the next day more.

We generally have slices of tomatoes, cucumber or radish as salad with such fried stuff too, not at all required on the side as this pairing of kachoris with this rich potato curry is just perfect. The inclusion of a raw salad is just to ensure there is no impulsive overeating. Which is a very strong possibility in this case.

Control your portion size with this meal or else you will be swallowing some antacids after a couple of hours, even if you do not worry about your clogged arteries.

Having said that, this is a meal you would look forward to be made every few days. It can be made with frozen peas too but the green peas in season and the new baby potatoes work best for this recipe. So It is essentially a winter food....a season to indulge in heavier food anyways.

This bengali matar kachori was made after 2 years this time but it has been almost twice every winter meal for us. Or if some guests, especially my siblings request me for it, another UP style kachori has not been made for ages now. A friend of mine has been reminding me of that for a long time.

I will be posting that recipe for UP style matar ki kachri very soon and that would make the difference between these two very very clear. Both use almost the same ingredients but are poles apart in taste and texture both , actually the whole experience of the meal. The only common thing is, Kachoris make a heavy meal...so we never serve any more side dishes with it...just the kachoris to be enjoyed fully...

What are your favorite winter foods?