Pakistani Qeema Kachori Recipe

Today we’re sharing an awesome Kachori recipe that is a little complicated to make, but oh so rewarding and delicious. Not only is it complicated to make, but took me a super long time to write as well, I hope you try it. Full disclosure, I took inspiration from this awesome video on youtube, and she demonstrated the technique superbly well if you get stuck anywhere.

Ingredients

Minced Beef ¼ kg

Finely Chopped Carrot 1

Peas 1 Cup

Roughly Chopped Onions 1

Garlic Paste 1 tbsp

Ginger Paste 1 tbsp

Red Chili Powder ½ tsp

Gram Masala ½ tsp

Salt 1 tsp (or to taste)

Finely Chopped Green Coriander ½ Cup

Chopped Green Chilies 2 (Optional)

Oil for frying 1 litre

Desi Ghee 4 tbsp

Water 1 litre + 1 Cup

For Kachori

Flour 2 Cups + 1 Cup

Salt 1 tsp

Desi Ghee 2 tbsp + 1 Cup

Water 1 ½ cup

METHODS

Dough

1. First, in a bowl add 2 cups of flour and 1 tsp salt.
2. Mix in the ghee with your hands, then add water slowly to make a loose dough. Knead until it is no longer sticky. It must be soft (like the texture of playdough) and not too tough, add more water if needed.
3. Let it rest at room temperature for at least half an hour (this is why this is done first).

Filling

1. Prep the vegetables (chop up the onions, carrots, peppers and coriander – all in separate containers, peel the ginger and garlic and grind them to a paste, and shell the peas).
2. In a pressure cooker add 1/4 kg minced beef, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp red chilli powder, ginger and garlic paste and roughly chopped onions, along with a litre of water.
3. Cook for 15 minutes on medium-high heat once the whistle blows.
4. When it is done, let the steam out and then open the pressure cooker, add 4 tbsps of Desi Ghee, and dry out the mix on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until it starts sticking to the bottom of the pan.
5. Then, add the Gram Masala, stir constantly and let it brown for a further five minutes. Add 1 cup of water and the carrots and peas.
6. Lower the heat and cover the pan, let it simmer at the lowest heat setting for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, check whether it is sticking to the bottom of the pot, if so, add more water. Then let it cook covered on low for a further 5 minutes. Check if the peas are soft and almost mushy, if they are, then you can move on to the next step, if not, then let it go for another 5 minutes.
7. Now, turn the heat to high and dry the mixture out while stirring constantly. This should take about 5-10 minutes, depending upon the amount of water you have in there. Be patient and keep stirring, it is crucial for the mix to be as dry as possible.
8. In the end, add 1 finely chopped green chillies and ½ cup green coriander and mix it through.
9. Spread it out on a shallow tray to cool.

Kachori Pastry Process

Arrange your extra cup of flour in a shallow and wide-mouthed vessel. Next to it keep your extra 1 cup of Ghee in a bowl with a pastry brush. Keep a small sieve (like a tea strainer) on hand. Prepare a space for rolling out dough and find a rolling pin.

Now take your dough and roll it into a 12 in. log with your hands.

Cut the log into 6 even pieces.

Roll each piece into a tight ball.

Now roll out each piece to about an 8-10 in. circle.

Brush the whole thing with ghee, then using the strainer, sprinkle flour in a thin layer on top of the whole surface area of the pastry.

Now, taking the pastry from both sides, fold it inwards about two inches from each side, making sure they don’t overlap (as in Figure 1) and then repeat the whole ghee and sprinkling process with the newly revealed surface area (as in Figure 2).

Then, turn the two folds to fold on top of each other, on the red line (figure 3), until it resembles a long rectangle (figure 4).

Now, lengthen the rectangle by gently pulling on it and rolling it from one end to the other into a cinnamon bun shape. Press the end in, firmly and then cut the roll from the middle (down the red line) into two halves and put it aside (Figure 5).

Now repeat with the other pieces, you should have 12 distinct pieces of dough at the end.

Filling the pastry

1. To fill the kachori, roll it out to 3 in. in diameter and then place it in a small bowl with the side with clear layers facing out.
2. Add two tbsps of filling into the pastry shell and no more.
3. Pick up one side and press to the other pinching together, first the corners and then the edges. Then taking it in hand, twist the pinched edges of the dough around and then press them in tightly into the bottom of the pastry, creating a ball.
4. Then put it aside and repeat with all the rest.

For frying kachori

1. Heat the oil on low in a wok or a deep pan, once it has heated for about 5 mins, add 2-4 pastries at a time depending on the size of your vessel.
2. Fry on low until golden brown for about 10 mins.
3. Take out and drain on a paper towel.

Serve kachori hot with mint chutney or ketchup.

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