Matar ki kachori

Motorshutir kochuri (Matar ki kachori)

Today I am in the mood for something simple, some Bengali soul food. Ask any Bengali about his favorite breakfast and it will always be luchi or puri. Those fried, puffed white puris are to die for. And unlike the normal puri, we Bengalis love our puris made entirely of maida or white flour. Not for us the atta ones. NAHHH!!!!!

One of my favorite childhood memories is of gobbling up luchi and aloor dum by the dozen. Alas with my ever expanding girth I have to rein in my temptation…but come winter and I let go of all my weight loss resolutions and it is time to hog on the luchi's elder esteemed brother..the motorshutir kochuri. Simply put it is a puri stuffed with green peas. Those tender fresh in the season green peas are my weakness. I can simply sit down with a bag full, start peeling and stuffing my face. No need to cook them. 

If you shirk away from having deep fried stuff then you can have it as a stuffed paratha cooked with very less oil. It tastes nice but I would recommend, for once at least, having it in the proper manner. 

Now a word about the luchi or kochuri. The maida/flour is seasoned with salt and then some oil is added before it is made into a dough. While kneading, remember not to knead it too much. As it is with flour, overworking it activates the gluten and your end product will become very chewy. You want the luchi to have a crunch and be crisp. So, knead as less as possible and form the dough quickly.

Ingredients

300 gm flour

Salt to season

1 tbsp oil

For the filling

2 cups green peas (only fresh)

1 tbsp chopped ginger

1 tbsp chopped green chili

Salt to taste

Sift the flour and add the salt. Rub in the oil thoroughly. Now knead using little water and form dough.

Grind together green peas, ginger and chilli. Heat some oil and add the paste. Cook on a high flame, stirring all the time. You have to cook till it dried up completely. 

Now take small balls of the dough and add the filling. 

Roll into small puris. 

Deep fry. 

Serve with some onion rings and pickle.