Mawa Kachori

Mawa Kachori is a delicacy from Rajasthan, a puffed pastry filled with mawa (dried evaporated milk solids) and nuts.

Ingredients for Crust

1 cup all-purpose flour (maida, plain flour)
2 tablespoons clarified butter (ghee)
Approx. ½ cup of lukewarm water as needed

Ingredients for Filling

1/2 cup heavy cream or whipping cream
1 cup milk powder
1/4 cup mixed nuts (almonds, pistachios coarsely ground)
1/4 teaspoon crushed cardamom
3 tablespoon sugar

Note: If you are using mawa use ¾ cup of mawa instead cream and powder (Mawa/khoya is evaporated or thickened milk. It is usually milk or cream cooked down to reduce it to milk solids)
Oil to fry

Ingredients for Syrup

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/8 teaspoon crushed cardamom
Few strands of saffron

Method for Crust

Mix flour, and clarified butter in a bowl, making firm soft adding water slowly as needed.
Knead the dough until the dough becomes soft and pliable.
Set the dough aside and cover it with a damp cloth. Let the dough sit for at least ten minutes.

Method for Syrup

Boil the sugar and water on medium heat, as sugar comes to boil add saffron, and cardamom on medium heat until syrup is about one thread or 220 degrees (Fahrenheit) on a candy thermometer.
Set aside.

Method for Filling

Mix the cream and milk powder in a frying pan.
Cook on medium heat until it becomes the consistency of soft dough, this should take about 3-4 minutes.
Stir continuously so the mixture does not burn on the bottom of the pan. T
This mixture is known as mawa.
Next, add nuts mixture, sugar, and cardamom powder to mawa.
Mix together well and cook for about 2 more minutes until the mixture is consistent with a soft dough.
Keep aside.
After cooling, the mixture will become drier but still should be lightly moist.

Mawa Kachori, puffed pastry filled with dried evaporated milk solids

Method for making Kachories

Knead the dough for a minute.
Divide the dough into about 18 equal parts.
Roll each ball into about 2-inch diameter.
Take one of the rolled doughs in your palm and place about 1 tablespoon of filling in the center. Pull the edges of the dough to wrap the filling. Proceed to make all 30 balls.
Let the filled balls sit for 3 to 4 minutes before pressing.
In the frying pan heat the oil on medium-high, frying pan should have about 1-1/2 inches of oil.
Set the filled balls on a clean and dry surface with the seam facing up. Using the base of your palm, slowly flatten them into about 3 inches circle.
To check if the oil is ready put a little piece of dough in the oil. It should sizzle, and come up slowly.
Slowly drop the Kachories in the oil, do not overcrowd the kachories in a frying pan, and fry them on medium heat.
After they are puffed, slowly turn them over.
It will take about 5-6 minutes to fry. Fry until golden-brown on all sides.
If the kachories are fried on high heat, they will get soft and will not be crispy.