Green Peas Kachori / Peas Puree
For green peas stuffing :
Green peas - 1 bowl
1 or 2 green chilies (according to how spicy you want)
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds (Zeera) - 1tsp
A handful of coriander leaves
Salt to taste
For the puree / kachori :
Refined white flour (Maida) - 2 cups
Salt to taste
Cooking butter / cooking oil ghee - 3 tbsp
Black cumin seeds (Kalonji) - 1 tsp
Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
Pre Process :
Soak the peas in water for few hours (preferably 2-3 hours). In my case I boiled them in a pressure-cooker for 2 minutes since I was using packaged freeze- peas and boiling helped to wash away the green color. No need to boil for fresh peas.
Method (peas stuffing) :
Take all ingredients except cumin seeds in a mixer. Blend to make a smooth paste. Make sure each pea is crushed otherwise they could cause the flattened dough to be torn at places at the time the dough is rolled flat.
Heat little oil in a non-stick wok/kadaai and when it is about to fume, add the cumin seeds. Minimize the flame, transfer the peas paste and cook for 5 minutes, with stirring continuously so that it does not stick to wok surface. It's better to use a non-stick wok since the paste gets very sticky. Take out the cooked stuff into a clean bowl. The peas stuffing is ready.
Method (stuffed dough balls) :
All the 5 ingredients are needed to make a soft dough. Add the salt, black-cumin and soda to dry flour powder and mix. The add the butter/oil and mix well with your bare hand. Make sure the oil is distributed uniformly. Add water, mix, and make a soft dough. You might need to sprinkle flour powder intermittently to keep the dough from getting sticky.
Tear out a small chunk of dough (depending on the size of kachori you want), roll between your palms to make a sphere first, then spread it with your finger to give it the shape of a bowl. Put a spoonful of peas-stuffing in the middle and close the dough ball with your fingers. The dough balls are ready.
Method (kachori / puree) :
Take a board (belaan). and spread a spoonful of cooking oil over it. Take one dough ball. Carefully roll it flat into circular shape, the flour layer should not tear to uncover the peas-stuffing. Fry deep in enough sunflower-oil. You may fry a bit deeper to golden if you like. Place in tissue paper to absorb extra oil.
Serve hot with any of the following :
[*] Dum Aloo
[*] Chholaar Daal
[*] Chutney / Pickle
[*] simply Tomato ketchup/sauce.
Note : You might want to make stock for a week, follow up to making the dough balls with peas inside, place loosely in a air-tight container, and keep in refrigerator. As the balls tend to get wet and sticky its safe to separate multiple layers (if any) by a piece of clean and wet cloth. I made 12-15 dough balls at a time and that sufficed for 3 days.
