Sabudana Kachori

Ingredients

• Sago – 1 cup
• Water – about ¾ cup for soaking
• Boiled potatoes – 3 medium, cooled and mashed
• Roasted peanuts – ½ cup, coarsely ground
• Green chilli – 1 to 2, chopped
• Cumin – 1 tsp
• Coriander – 2 tbsp
• Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
• Sugar – ½ tsp, optional
• Rock salt or regular salt – as needed
• Oil – for frying

Method

1. Rinse and soak the sago in about ¾ cup water for 4 to 6 hours. Drain well once every pearl is soft through the centre.
2. Mix soaked sago with cooled mashed potato and salt to form a soft shell mixture. It should hold together without feeling wet.
3. For the filling, combine peanut, chilli, cumin, coriander, lemon, optional sugar and a little salt. Keep the filling dry rather than watery.
4. Oil your hands lightly. Flatten a portion of the shell mixture into a cup, add 1 to 2 teaspoons filling and seal completely.
5. Roll gently and flatten slightly. Repair any cracks before frying so oil cannot enter the filling.
6. Heat oil over medium, then reduce to medium-low after adding the kachori. High heat browns the outside before the potato-sago shell firms.
7. Fry a few at a time, turning gently, until evenly deep golden and crisp, about 6 to 8 minutes depending on size.
8. Drain and rest 2 minutes before serving. This is a fasting-style sabudana kachori variation rather than the flour-shell North Indian kachori formula.