Pea kachori
Make these oven-baked green-pea pastry bites to serve as canapés at a party, or as part of an Indian-style feast.
Equipment and preparation: For this recipe you will need a food processor.
Each serving provides 151kcal, 5g protein, 20g carbohydrate (of which 1g sugars), 5g fat (of which 1g saturates), 3g fibre and 0.7g salt.
Ingredients
For the filling
- 4cm/1½in piece root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 fresh green chillies, roughly chopped
- 600g/1lb 6oz frozen peas
- 3 tbsp rapeseed oil, plus extra for greasing
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1¼ tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp chilli powder
For the pastry
- 300²µ/10½´Ç³ú plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil, plus extra for greasing
- 175ml/6fl oz hot water
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Lightly grease a baking tray with a little oil.
For the filling, blend the ginger and green chillies to a paste in a food processor, then remove from the food processor and set aside.
Blend the peas in the food processor (there is no need to wash the bowl). Remove and set aside.
Heat the oil in a lidded frying pan over a medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and fry, covered with the lid, until they start to pop. Take care to keep your eyes and face away from the pan.
Add the ginger-and-chilli paste and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the pea purée and continue to fry, stirring well, for a further 4-5 minutes.
Stir in the cinnamon, garam masala, turmeric, salt and chilli powder and fry for a further 2-3 minutes, or until there is little to no moisture left in the pan but the peas are still bright green. Transfer the pan contents to a bowl and set aside.
For the pastry, put the flour into a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the salt and oil to the well, then rub the mixture together using your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Pour in 120ml/4fl oz of the water and stir the mixture until it comes together as a dough. Gradually add the remaining water, kneading it into the dough until it feels firm and pliant. Roll the dough into a ball, then rub your hands with a teaspoonful of oil and pat the dough all over to cover it in the oil - this will keep it moist.
Pinch apricot-sized pieces of dough and roll each piece into a 10cm/4in circle on a lightly floured work surface.
Place 1 heaped teaspoonful of the filling mixture into the middle of each pastry circle and bring the edges of the pastry up tightly around the peas. Seal at the top by pinching the edges closed and trimming off any excess pastry. Roll each parcel into a ball and place onto the prepared baking tray.
Gently roll the kachori balls around on the baking try to coat them in the oil. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden-brown.