Pistachio kachori are little dough balls filled with pistachio, chocolate and homemade paneer cream cheese. They're a little like fried dumplings and they're absolutely delicious.
Heat the milk in a pan over a moderate heat until it starts to boil.
1 litre whole milk
Add the lemon juice. The milk should split almost immediately. As soon as the mixture looks slightly green, remove from the heat.
1 tbsp lemon juice
Line a colander or large sieve with a piece of cheesecloth or fine muslin. Pour the milk in carefully and allow the liquid to either drain into the sink or into a bowl if you want the whey for later use.
Tie a knot in the cloth and hang it from the tap, or from a kitchen cupboard door knob as I do. Allow the paneer to drip for about two hours. Do remember to place a bowl underneath the cloth if you a) want to keep the whey or b) don't want your kitchen tops flooded.
Dough
Meanwhile make the dough.
Place the flour into a wide mixing bowl. Add the oil and rub into the flour.
Make a well in the centre, add half of the warm water and stir from the inside out until the mixture comes together. Use more water if needed. You don't want the dough to be sticky, but it shouldn't be too dry either. Knead for a couple of minutes until you have a smooth ball. Cover and leave to rest for at least 15 minutes.
150 ml warm water
Filling
Unwrap the paneer and put it into the bowl of a food processor. Add the sugar and pulse a couple of times. Alternatively just mix together in a bowl.
30 g caster sugar
Stir in the pistachios, chocolate and cardamom.
25 g chocolate chips (2 tbsp), 25 g pistachio nuts (2 tbsp) - chopped, ½ tsp ground cardamom
Roll ½ teaspoonfuls of the mixture into balls. I made 24.
Divide the dough into 24 pieces and roll each one into a circle big enough to encase the filling. You shouldn't need to add flour to the worktop as the pastry shouldn't be sticky.
Place a paneer ball into the middle of a pastry circle and bring up the sides to cover the filling. Pinch the dough together at the top so that it holds and remove any excess if necessary. Cover with a tea towel whilst you repeat the process with the remaining filling and dough.
Place about 7 cm of oil in a pan over a moderate heat. Test with a piece of pastry. It should sink to the bottom then rise after a couple of seconds and start to brown. Fry the kachori a few at a time until they're lightly golden and the pastry looks cooked.
oil for frying
Serve warm with a sprinkling of icing sugar if liked.
Notes
I only used about 1½ cm of oil for frying and turned the pistachio kachori over half way through cooking.Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on exact ingredients used.