Kachori (Potato Balls with coconut filling)

Kachori 

"Kachori's are small potato balls stuffed with a sweet and savoury coconut filling and often had with sweet yogurt. It is a snack originating from the Indian district of Maharashtra and is a popular street snack."

Ingredients

For the potato balls

4 medium sized potatoes (about 500g)

Salt to taste

3 tablespoons corn flour or more

250 ml of ghee or oil for frying or 
Non-stick cooking spray if using an airfryer 

For the filling

1 cup freshly grated coconut

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

1 tsp poppy seeds

2 teaspoons lime juice – around juice of one lime

A bunch of finely chopped coriander leaves

10-12 raisins, chopped

¼ cup cashew nuts, broken into bits

1 green chilli, finely chopped

¼ cup sugar

Salt to taste

Yogurt sauce

2 cups full cream yogurt

A pinch of salt

4 teaspoons or more sugar

Directions

Whisk yogurt, salt and sugar and keep aside.

Cover potatoes with water in a saucepan and bring to boil.  Boil potatoes uncovered for 20 minutes or until soft. Test with a knife. Allow to cool, peel and mash with a masher or a ricer. Don’t overcook the potatoes, because if skins break, and the potatoes absorb water, they will get soft and soggy. Add cornflour and salt to taste and knead till you get a doughy consistency. Cover and keep aside till you make the filling

For the filling, in a bowl mix the grated coconut along with the rest of the ingredients. Check seasoning, if you like it sweeter, add more sugar. Keep aside.

Make equal portions of the potato dough, about 1.5 to 2 inches each. Roll a ball in the palms of you hand and flatten. Add a tablespoon of the coconut filling and gather all the edges of the dough carefully from all sides. Seal any edges that open up with the potato. Smoothen the ball on the palm of your hands and continue making the kachoris till all the potato balls and filling is used.

In a pan heat some oil and shallow fry the kachori, only 4 at a time, until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. I used an airfryer by spraying the kachoris with a non-stick cooking spray. The kachoris were soft inside and crispy on the outside. Serve warm with sweet yogurt.