Baked Pyaaz Kachori

About this recipe

Pyaaz kachori is Jaipur breakfast royalty—a flaky pastry shell hiding a spiced onion filling, usually swimming in oil but working beautifully baked when the technique is respected. The fillings' onions must be cooked down until they're soft and almost jammy, concentrating their sweetness so they taste caramelized rather than raw. This transformation is what separates good kachoris from mediocre ones. The dough is a straightforward laminated pastry: flour, salt, oil, and water folded together and rested so the gluten relaxes. The layering happens naturally when you rub oil into flour before adding water—the dough develops a flaky texture that shatters between your teeth without being heavy. Rest the dough for twenty-five minutes so it becomes supple and easier to shape without tearing. The filling is where attention matters: crackle whole spices (fennel, cumin, coriander seeds, nigella) in oil to release their aromatics, then add finely chopped onion and cook for ten minutes until completely soft and golden. Add dry spices—Kashmiri chilli powder, garam masala, amchur—and besan (which absorbs excess moisture and adds subtle nuttiness), then cook another four minutes until the besan toasts and the moisture evaporates. Cool the filling completely before assembly or the dough becomes too warm and tears. Divide dough into twelve balls, flatten each into a disc, place a spoon of filling in the centre, gather the edges and seal, then flatten gently into a kachori shape. Brush with oil and bake at 200°C for twenty-eight minutes until deeply golden. The pastry should shatter when you bite through to the spiced onion filling inside. Serve with both tamarind and mint chutneys alongside, and strong, sweet chai to wash everything down. These freeze beautifully after assembly—bake from frozen, adding five minutes to cooking time.