Life Without Alu?: Koraishuti’r Kochuri (Deep Fried Puffed Bread with Pea Filling)

These pea stuffed deep fried breads are so easy to make and soooo delicious to eat!

These breads were a must have in our home during winters. My mom used to make these almost every week. They are usually paired with Alur Dom but today we just enjoyed them with some Indian pickles. Nevertheless they tasted amazing!

Sweet Peas ( or sugar snap peas/ Garden peas/ English peas) also known as Koraishuti in Bengali are a delicious vegetable. The outside shell (pods) are firm and rounded, and the round peas inside are removed, or shelled, before eating (the pods are often discarded).

Growing up, every winter, it was my job to shell the peas from the pods. The peas were used for varieties of recipes: Matar Mushroom, Alu Koraishutir Ghugni, Gajar Alu Matar, Shrimp Fried Rice, Mamma’s Matar Paneer (to name a few from my blog). Of course my favorite recipe was Koraishuti’r Kochuri. First my mom used to make a filling of mashed peas with some spices. Then she used to knead the dough for making deep fried breads (luchi/ puri dough) and fill little cups of dough with the pea filling. Finally she used to heat a wok with oil, roll the dough cups into small circles and deep fry them. Half of the time, we used to be waiting outside the kitchen, just waiting for mom to serve the first batch of freshly fried kochuris. We rarely waited for her to serve the kochuris on a plate with torkari (curried vegetable dish). Who had the patience for that?

I think it’s pretty amazing that now you can get a whole big bag of shelled sweet peas from any grocery shop’s frozen section. I love throwing a handful of sweet peas even in my Chanar Dalna. I think they add a beautiful flavor in the curry.

I hope you do try this amazing recipe. It tastes absolutely delicious with a curry or even on its own.

Ingredients:

For the Dough:

All Purpose Flour – 2 cups
Whole Wheat Flour – ½ cup
Grapeseed Oil – 6 teaspoons (used while kneading the dough) + 2-3 cups for frying
Water – about 1 cup (add more if required), lukewarm
Salt – about ½ teaspoon

‍For the Filling:

Peas – about 2 cups (I used frozen)
Green Chillies - 1-2
Salt - ½ teaspoon (or to taste)
Sugar - 1 teaspoon
Grapeseed Oil - ½ tablespoon
Kalo Jeere (Nigella Seeds) - ½ teaspoon
Hing (Asafoetida) - ½ teaspoon
Ginger - about ½ inch
Cumin Powder - ½ teaspoon
Coriander Powder - ½ teaspoon

Directions:

For kneading the Dough:

Note: I am using the stand mixer. If kneading by hand, mix using a wooden spoon and knead until the dough comes together and looks smooth.

Add the Whole Wheat Flour, All Purpose Flour, Salt and Oil in the bowl.
Attach the Whisk and give a whir on the lowest speed until well blended.
Now we start the kneading, attach the hook and start the mixer on the lowest speed and slowly start adding a tablespoon of water at a time. I give it time to knead and form the dough. If the sides are sticking with the bowl too much I switch off the mixer and clean the sides using a spatula.
I keep it running until the dough begins to come together adding a tablespoon of water at a time.
At this stage it will look dry, normally for 2 cups of flour 1 cup of water will be sufficient so make sure not to add too much water at this stage. Keep running the mixer.
Now sometimes the dough turns out a bit stickier, I usually add a little flour and keep kneading it until it’s smooth and almost non sticky.
Remove the hook and cover the bowl. Let the dough rest while we prepare the filling.

Tip: Use lukewarm water for a smooth soft dough.

For the filling:

Boil about 3 cups of water in a medium saucepan.
Add the Peas in it, cover and cook until the peas are soft (about 3 minutes). Strain and transfer to a grinder jar/ NutriBullet cup.
Add the Green Chillies, Salt, Sugar, Ginger, Cumin Powder and Coriander Powder in it.
Grind to a fine paste, scraping sides and adding a little water, as needed.
Heat Oil in a wide pan.
Temper it with Kalo Jeere and Hing.
Once the seeds crackle, Add the paste prepared above and fry.
Keep sauteing on medium heat for about 6-7 minutes or until the mixture dries out and gathers around the spatula in a lump. Set the filling aside to cool.

To roll and fry the Kochuris:

Once the dough has rested, re-knead the dough for a few seconds. Then divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Roll each part into a log. Divide both the logs into 14 equal pieces.
Now take a piece of dough and roll it with both your palms. Press the dough roll with both your palms and start flattening the edges, the trick is to keep the edges thin and the center thick.
Put about 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center of this dough cup.

Carefully pull the edges together to close it and make a crown on top, it will look like a garlic head.
Press the ball between your palms lightly to flatten it a little like a disc. Do the same with all the dough balls. Fill them up with the filling and close the edges and flatten them like discs.
Oil the rolling pin and surface well. Roll the kochuris with a gentle hand, applying even pressure. You may want to roll a few more Kachoris before starting the first batch. Make sure you are not putting the rolled out Kachoris on top of each other. Keep them on a cookie sheet or a big platter on a single layer.

Heat oil in a deep frying pan or wok over medium- medium high heat.
Test the temperature of the oil by dropping a small ball of dough into the oil.
Add one Kachori at a time and fry by gently pressing it down with the frying spoon at different places.

Turn over when puffed up (or after a couple of seconds) and fry the Kachori till golden brown.
Transfer the fried Kachori on a paper towel or napkin to absorb the excess oil.
Serve the Kachori hot with Alur Dom or eat it with a cup of hot tea.

Tip: You can also use the filling and dough to make yummy Parathas. Follow the same steps to fill and roll the dough then instead of deep frying, shallow fry them. Follow steps from my Alu ka Paratha to fry the crispy parathas.