Kachori is a spicy snack, originating from the Indian subcontinent, and common in places with Indian diaspora and other South Asian diaspora. Alternative names for the snack include kachauri, kachodi and katchuri. Kachoris were popular in old Indore, even before samosas gained popularity after the partition of India. Banarasidas, the author of biographical Ardhakathanaka, has mentioned buying Kachoris in Indore in 1613. For seven months, he bought a ser of Kachoris daily, and owed twenty rupees.
Variations
Kachori is supposed to have originated in Uttar Pradesh, India. In these states it is usually a round flattened ball made of fine flour filled with a stuffing of baked mixture of yellow moong dal or urad dal, besan, black pepper, red chili powder, salt and other spices. Additionally in Rajasthani cuisine, kota Kachori is probably the most famous kachori in the state. The use of hing gives it an authentic taste of rajasthan, calling it the most famous rajsthani snack won't be wrong, it's a signature snack of rajasthan. The Pyaaj Kachori is also famous. Another form of Kachori in Jodhpur is the Mawa Kachori, invented by the late Rawat Deora. It is a sweet dish dipped in sugar syrup. In Gujarat, it is usually a round ball made of flour and dough filled with a stuffing of yellow moong dal, black pepper, red chili powder, and ginger paste. In Delhi it is often served as chaat. Delhi also has another kind of kachori, called 'Khasta kachori' or 'Raj Kachori'. A variant includes sweetupwas kachori, made with potato, coconut, and sugar. Kachoris are often served with a chutney made from tamarind, mint, or coriander. Another type is fried and stuffed with pulses and is generally found in the Kutch region of Gujarat. In West Bengal, a kachori has a quite different variation. In West Bengal, kachori is softer and smaller. It is made mostly of white flour and asafoetida, which are often added to make it extremely tasty. It is mostly eaten as a tea time snack in the morning or evening often accompanied with tasty potato-peas curry and Bengali sweets. Also, a kachori stuffed with peas is a winter delicacy in Bengal.Another variant in Bengal exists mostly in sweet shops is the hard form with masala inside called as 'Khasta Kochuri'. Generally, no curry is accompanied with the khasta kochuri version. Some of the variants in North India include a version similar to the Rajasthani one, accompanied by a curry made of potatoes and varied spices or even chana similar to one served in chole bhature.
