Nimokhia kordoi l Assamese style savoury snack
Kordoi is a popular snack from Assam ( a state in North East India ). It has sweet and savoury versions and is usually made during Bihu, the major festival of Assam. This recipe is my interpretation of the savoury version.
Ingredients
- 2 cups plain whole wheat flour (atta)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp crushed red chillies
- ½ tsp carom seeds
- ½ cup grated carrot
- ⅓ cup finely chopped spinach
- ¼ cup finely chopped onion
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh coriander
- ½ cup -1tbsp sunflower /vegetable oil
- ¼ cup water, (more or less)
- oil for frying ( add enough to be able to submerge the kordois
Instructions
- In a bowl, add the flour, salt, crushed red chillies and carom seeds. Mix well.
- Add the onion, spinach, carrot and coriander and mix well.
- Add the oil and rub in well with fingertips to coat the ingredients in the mixture.
- Take a bit of the mixture in your hand and press; if it holds together, the mixture is ready for the next step.
- Add, water, very little at a time and mix together to form a slightly firm dough. Knead well.
- Keep the dough in the bowl, cover and keep aside for 25-30 minutes.
- Lightly knead the dough. Divide into two portions. Work with one portion at a time and keep the other covered in the bowl.
- Shape into a log and divide into equal portions. I got 15 kordois out of the entire dough. Roll into balls, slightly flatten them and keep aside.
- Take a portion of dough and roll out thinly. If bits come out, just 'stick' it right back and roll.
- Using a sharp knife, make parallel cuts at equal distance from each other inside the rolled out dough. The cuts should be from one end to the other, but not all the way through, leaving a border all around.
- Starting from one end, start to roll it up. Pinch the edges and push towards the center to fluff it up. You could also pinch the edges, twist and then push towards the centre. Arrange on a dish / tray.
- Repeat with all the rest of the dough balls. ( from both the dough portions)
- Heat oil (enough to submerge the kordoi) in a pan.
- Once the oil heats up ( not smoking hot ), turn the heat back down. Gently drop a few into the oil ( as many as your pan can hold without crowding too much) and fry them till golden and crisp. Keep turning them over
- Keep and eye on the heat, if it is too high, it will brown quickly on the outside and the insides won't be done. It took me approximately 10 minutes to fry each batch. The heat should not be too low too. When done properly, they will be crisp and cooked evenly, both inside and out.
- Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and place onto a kitchen paper lined plate or dish to remove excess oil.
- These savoury kordois are best eaten fresh and hot and enjoyed with some chutney, ketchup or even on their own. If not eating immediately, cool completely and store in an air tight container. It will keep for at least two days.