Tuver Lilva na Ghughra |Kachoris – Of Pigeon Peas and winters at home!

Where I come from, the Southern Part of Gujarat, Winters definitely mean a bounty of bounty of fresh vegetables. And while there are a lot of vegetables at their prime in winters, one of the most celebrated ones in Southern Gujarat is Tuver | Pigeon Peas | Tender beans from which Arhar ki Daal is made on de-husking and drying. The way Northern India celebrated Peas with Nimona and a zillion other things, we celebrate Tuver Lilva with Ghughras | Kachoris and so many myriad ways. They are slightly more cumbersome to shell than peas unfortunately and today, I still look back my memories in wonder when I remember the mounds and mounds of Tuver my mother, my grandmother and all women of Southern Gujarat demolished through in winters. I am still spoiled, although I do get Tuver in Bengaluru, it is not the same texture/tenderness as the one in Gujarat. The Gujarati Tuver is harvested at a much tender stage, has a tinier, softer bean and is not spotted. So, the way all moms spoil their offsprings, my mom still accumulates a small mound of shelled Tuver Lilva for me to carry back home, ( inspite of my numerous protests that I do get it in Bengaluru, ) every time I go home in winters! ❤ If you are reading this mom, my protests are usually pretend play, I love the Tuver Lilva you give me. Its just that I hate to think of how much time and effort it must has taken you to shell the not-so-small mound! Love you, Mummy!

તુવેરના ઘુઘરા । કચોરી । Tuver Na Ghughra or Kachoris are quite similar in concept to pasties and empanadas, or Matar Karanjis, you can think of them as savoury Gujiyas made with crushed, tender beans of Pigeon Peas. I served them with Green Chutney, a date tamarind chutney and ketchup for N! 💕💕 But if you ask me, nothing goes better than green chutney, made slightly garlicky, with these beauties! .

Recipe: ( My mom’s inputs + adapted from Asha Khatau’s The Best of Epicure’s Gujarati Cuisine )

Ingredients: ( makes about 18-20 Kachoris )

For the pastry/outer casing:

• 3/4th cup of whole wheat flour,
• 3/4th cup of refined flour, ( you mind end up with a little extra dough at hand, but you can use the same to stuff paranthas with aloo/paneer etc, or make kachoris with a different stuffing ),
• salt, to taste,
• 1/4th tsp of Hing/Asafoetida,
• 2 tbsp of Oil,
• Chilled water, as needed, to knead the dough.

For the stuffing:

• 2 cup of tender pigeon peas |Tuver dana | Tuver Lilva, shelled and crushed to a coarse texture, ( if you beans aren’t tender/frozen for a longer time, I would recommend blanching them in boiling water for 5 mins before crushing, drain well to remove all excess water and then use),
• 2 tbsp ( or more ) of peanut oil ( or an oil of your choice),
• 1/4th tsp of Hing/Asafoetida,
• 1 tsp of cumin seeds,
• 2 tbsp of sesame seeds,
• 1 tsp of ginger green-chilli paste,
• 1/2 tsp of sugar ( optional, but recommended ),
• some chopped coriander leaves,
• some grated coconut ( fresh ),
• juice of 1 lemon or 1 tsp of Amchoor Powder,
• salt to taste,
• 1/2 tsp of cumin powder,
• 1/2 tsp of roasted fennel powder, ( optional but recommended),
• a few raisins, about 12-15, ( optional, I usually skip but some homes do add them )
• Oil to deep fry

Method:

Make the Dough:

Sift the flour/make sure there are no lumps to it. Add the oil, salt and asafoetida, and mix well to form light crumbs. Now make a stiff dough using a little chilled water at a time. Like samosas, ideally the stiffer the dough using as little water as possible, crisper the casing and lesser bubbles on the outer surface. But stiffer dough is also tough to work with, because it is less pliable. Take a call based on your preference. Even if the dough is slightly soft than that, the Karanji will turn out good and reasonably crisp, nothing to worry. Make the dough as stiffer as you think you will be comfortable handling it without tearing it. It will soften a little on resting so stop before you think it is the rest softness for you. Roll the dough in a ball when kneaded, oil it and let it sit for 15 minutes.

Make the stuffing:

1. Heat the oil in a pan, add the cumin and sesame seeds and let them crackle. ( You may add the sesame seeds at the end, I add it to the oil, because I like it nicely toasted. ) Add hing/asafoetida and the ginger green chilli paste, and mix well.
2. Add the crushed Lilva/pigeon peas and the sugar ( if using ) and mix well. The aim to dry out the mix but to not overcook it. Keep stirring all the time making sure the peas don’t stick to the bottom. ( A good way to achieve this would to add the oil to the pan after it is hot in step 1, instead of first adding the oil to the pan and then heating it up. Heat the pan, then add the oil and swirl it all along its edges to coat the walls well. This improves the non-sticking qualities of any kinds of pan made of metal. ) Sprinkle a tiny tiny amount of water if needed but I would advise not using it at all. I would also advise not putting a lid on while cooking because that ruins the vibrant green of the beans. You need to cook only 75-80%. The stuffing will also get cooked when you deep fry the whole thing.
3. Take the pan off the heat. Let it cool down a little and then add all the spice powders, grated coconut ( if using ), raisins (if using) and lemon juice/Amchoor powder. Mix well. ( NOTE: You may use boiled and mashed potatoes as a binder. A few homes use moistened poha too. Rinse the poha very briefly, squeeze out the water and add it to the mix. I don’t use any of it. Grinding the beans fine enough to make a thick paste and coarse enough to leave a little texture is more than enough a binder for me, )
4. Set it aside.

To make the Ghughras:

1. Divide the dough into 20 equal portions. Roll out each of them roughly 3″ circles. (Roll out one piece of dough after rolling it into a smooth ball to check if you can roll a 3 inch circle out of it. If not, reduce the number of portions to 16-18 incase it feels too small in size. )
2. Similarly diving the stuffing into same number of portions. Place one portion in the centre of 1 disc and fold over into a half moon making sure that the edges are clean of the seal will not be tight. Prod the stuffing as you seal from one and to another gently as you seal from one and to another. Pinch the edge into a crimp pattern using your thumb and forefinger. It is slightly difficult to explain in words, but if you don’t want to spend time doing it, just seal the edges really well. But I must say the crimped pattern looks prettier. OR, you could also make round balls by gathering the sides of the disc and pinching of the excess dough on top. Form a smooth round ball, completely sealed from all sides.
3. Deep fry them, 2-3 at a time ( depending upon the size of your frying pan, do not over crowd the pan ), on medium heat until golden from on all sides and the oil stops bubbling as frantically as it did when you first lowered the Ghughras into the pan. When the bubbling/fizzling slows down, it is a sign that the Ghughras are done. Make sure to use a medium to low heat, because if you fry it in extremely hot oil, the outer casing will brown too fast, resulting in a limp/not crisp casing. Again, like samosas, patience is key.
4. Drain well and serve hot with a condiment of your choice.