Subtle aroma, distinct textures, and exciting blend of flavors, all assembled artistically in a crispy cup of ultimate deliciousness, so we may fondly call it Baked Kachori Bites!! I can assure you that you will enjoy making these little cups of joy as much as you will enjoy devouring them.
This unique appetizer recipe is guaranteed to disappear from your dining table and is undoubtedly going to make your little ones excited.
If you are looking for delicious finger food that can set your party racing, then these titbits will prove to be purely delightful and ultimate party appetizers.
Flaky, crispy, and addictively delicious, these mini, bite-sized Baked Kachori bites are ready to take on your next party. Yes, this is what these enticing little bites of absolute bliss are known fpr!
What are Baked Kachori Bites
Kachori is a deep-fried savory snack shaped like a round flattened ball and consists of a flour-based shell. Maida forms the covering of this sensational dish, and it is filled with flavorful ingredients and spices.
Originating from the Mewar region of Rajasthan, this dish is now a popular snack all over the country.
Deconstructed baked kachori bites are the mini version of the Kachoris. It doesn’t have an enclosed shell, as the Kachoris have, but has an open Phyllo cup that holds the savory fillings.
And as these little treats are not fried but baked, they also make for a guilt-free food that can be enjoyed without bothering about health.
Reasons You’ll ♡ Baked Kachori Bites
Phyllo dough baked kachori bites makes an excellent appetizer for valid reasons. Here are a few of the most apparent ones. These fascinating little cups of Kachori Bites are —
- Lightly crispy and delightfully flakey.
- Perfect crowd-pleasers in small bite-sized packs.
- As they are baked, you can enjoy them guilt-free.
- Easy and fun to make.
- Extremely versatile!
They’re perfect for an array of both sweet and savory fillings. So, you can imagine any filling that your creativity calls for, and that can go into these Phyllo cups beautifully.
Now the best part, the phyllo/Fillo cups can be made in advance; therefore, it helps in saving time.
What are Phyllo dough sheets
Phyllo or Fillo (pronounced FEE-low) is a Greek word that means a “leaf,” and it refers to dough sheets that are as thin as a leaf. These sheets are flour and water, so there is no fat in these tissue-like thin sheets of dough.
Being so light, they can dry out rapidly if left exposed to air, and as they are delicate, they can be a little challenging to deal with.
To prevent this, each sheet of phyllo is kept covered with a damp towel and then smeared with butter just before baking. These butter-coated phyllo sheets result in flaky and crispy textured recipes when baked.
Baked Kachori Bites Ingredient list
Don’t let the long list of ingredients and the steps-to-make-this-baked kachori bites deter you from trying this recipe. This dish may have a lengthy process, but I can guarantee it is well worth it!
Lentils — Urad dal forms the base of the Kachori filling. It lends texture and flavor to the dry filling.
Besan — Serves as one of the base ingredients for the filling of our delicious Kachori Bites.
Fennel seeds — They are used to enhance the flavor of the dry filling. It lends a sweet taste and crunchy texture to the filling.
Garam Masala Powder — The spices in the garam masala powder lend flavor and aroma to the dish.
Dried Ginger Powder — Ginger gives an intensely spicy and pungent flavor to the filling mixture. However, adding dry ginger powder will be a little mild, peppery, and sweet. As both taste great, you can choose anyone.
Green chilies — Adding green chilies lends hotness to the filling. As we are already using red chili powder, you may skip adding green chilies. If you like it spicier, you can add both.
Coriander powder — Adds a citrusy and warm touch to the filling mixture.
Cumin seeds — When roasted, cumin seeds give an earthy and intense warming flavor that adds a delightful taste and aroma to the filling.
Carrom seeds — They boost the taste of the filling mixture with their intense spiciness.
Mustard seeds — Lends an intense flavor and a mild nutty taste to the recipe.
Mango Powder — As the filling tastes best with some tanginess, we add amchur powder for this purpose.
Kasoori Methi — Added for its unique nutty and bitter flavor that renders a savory touch to the recipe.
Deggi Mirch or Red Chilli Powder — It is usually added for its beautiful red color. As deggi mirch is just mildly chili, you may add red chili powder instead for a spicier and hotter recipe.
Asafoetida — Added for its unique flavor.
Phyllo/Fillo Dough sheets — These sheets are used for making kachori cups.
Butter — Butter is used to brush each of the phyllo sheets.
How to make Baked Kachori Bites
For the FULL, printable recipe card, please scroll down to the bottom of this post.
Soak lentils — Rinse the urad dal under cold running water to clean any dirt or dust. Transfer the rinsed dal to a bowl and add water to soak the lentils for 3-4 hours or overnight. Make sure you use a large bowl to soak the lentils as they will double in size.
Boil the dal — Drain and rinse the lentils again. Add the soaked urad dal to the Instant Pot insert. Add salt, and turmeric, and give it a good stir.
Close the lid and seal the Instant Pot. Press the Manual or pressure cook button and cook the Urad dal for 4 minutes on HIGH. Turn the steam valve to the venting position to quickly release the pressure.
Strain the cooked dal through a strainer. Allow all the water to drain through. Rinse the dal once again and set it aside to cool and drain thoroughly.
Make Filling — Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed wide pan. Once hot, add hing and mustard seeds and let them pop. Sauté for a minute. Now add the cooked urad dal to the pan. Sauté the dal for 3-4 minutes over medium heat.
Now stir in all the spices and mix until thoroughly combined. Finally, add besan ( chickpea flour) and sauté the mixture for 6-7 minutes over medium-low heat. Add kasoori methi, fennel seeds, and garam masala, and mix until combined.
Sauté the dal mixture for additional 2-3 minutes. Then take it off the flame and set it aside. Add chopped cilantro leaves, mix, and allow this mix to cool completely.
Prepare Phyllo dough cups — Remove the Phyllo Sheets from the box. Unwrap one roll of phyllo dough and lay it flat on a clean surface.
Cover the sheets you are working on with a moist kitchen towel to prevent drying. Lay one sheet on a clean surface and brush the entire sheet with butter. Press gently so that the sheets stick to each other. Continue this process with the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth sheets.
Once you have a stack of 6 sheets, all buttered up, split them into 12 pieces. Transfer a phyllo/Fillo sheet square into the greased muffin pan. Gently press each square into the mold of a muffin pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Once done and beautifully baked, remove the phyllo cups from the oven. Let them cool for a few minutes, then remove them from the muffin pan.
Bite-sized phyllo cups are ready to be filled.
Assemble Phyllo Kachori Bites — Arrange a baked phyllo cup on a plate. Fill this baked phyllo cup with kachori filling.
Finish off each phyllo bite with a generous drizzle of green chutney and meethi chutney. Add chopped green chilies, chopped onions, and a layer of thin sev on top for an extra crunch. Sprinkle some pomegranate seeds, and chopped cilantro leaves, and serve.
Enjoy the crispier and flakier Kachori cups.
Expert tips, Variations, and Alterations
Defrosting tip — Phyllo/Fillo sheets should be thawed in the fridge for a few hours or overnight; after that, leave the sheets at room temperature for an hour until pliable and soft.
Torn sheets — If the phyllo sheets get torn while shaping, don’t bother. You can add these torn sheets to the muffin cups and bake. It will only add a flaky layer and a terrific crunch.
Store-bought Filo cups — You can use the store-bought Filo cups for preparing your Kachori Bites. These Filo shells are pre-baked, but I recommend you bake them for yet another 5 to 7 minutes before using them for the recipe.
Cool the filling — Phyllo/Fillo sheets are delicate and can also lose their shape when exposed to heat. So it is best to add the filling when it is cooled, or it may turn the sheets soggy.
Fill the cups when serving — Phyllo cups will get soggy if left for some time with chutneys layered on them. So, it is best to fill the cups just before serving. This will let your Kachori Bites be at their crispiest best when served.
Chutneys — Remember to top your Kachori Bites with chutneys before serving, or they will taste dry and lack flavors. Chutneys add a zing to the recipe with a melange of flavors.
Preserving Phyllo sheets — Phyllo/Fillo sheets tend to dry out very quickly when exposed to room temperature. So it is essential to keep them wrapped with a lightly damp dish towel (not saturated, just a little moisture) while you work with the other sheets.
This is a crucial step, so take care to keep this in mind while working with your Phyllo sheets. These sheets can become sticky if too damp or brittle if too dry.
Flaky touch to baked Kachori bites — To give a crisp touch to the Kachori bites, try brushing each Phyllo sheet with butter while layering to fuse the sheets.
Adaptive and versatile — These baked phyllo/Fillo cups are a very adaptable recipe. Feel free to add or subtract whatever ingredients you like! The sky is the limit when it comes to filling; you can fill these phyllo cups with whatever your heart desires.
Spice it up — Those who love to have the recipe spicier can add more chilies and spices to the filling.
Filling variations — This recipe can be easily customized to different tastes and preferences. For a moist filling, you can use potatoes for the ‘aloo tikki’ bites or ‘samosa’ bites, which undoubtedly will taste as wonderful as this recipe.
Sturdier Phyllo cup — You may want your phyllo/Fillo cups to be sturdier for holding the fillings and chutneys. For that, I would recommend using 6 Phyllo sheets. The thicker the cup, the better it is equipped for handling the stuffing and chutneys.
Let me know what you think!
Are you loving the idea of grabbing these little bites of happiness? I know you can’t hold yourself for long. Neither can I!
Well, then let’s get straight to the recipe and create our scrumptious cups of delight. Should you make these Baked Kachori Bites, please let me know your thoughts by sharing your comment below.
And don’t forget to share it with your family and friends.
MORE COMFORTING APPETIZERS THAT YOU’LL LOVE!
Baked Kachori Bites
INGREDIENTS
BOIL THE DAL
- 1 cup Urad Dal
- – – Salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon Haldi (Turmeric powder)
KACHORI FILLING INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons Oil
- ⅛ teaspoon Hing/ Asafoetida
- ½ teaspoon Mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon Deggi Mirch or Red chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon Dried Ginger Powder or 1.5 teaspoons crushed ginger
- 1 tablespoon Coriander powder (sukha dhaniya)
- ¾ cup Besan (Chickpea flour/ Gram flour)
- ½ tablespoon Garam Masala Powder
- 1 tablespoon Roasted cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon Amchur Powder (Mango Powder)
- ¾ tablespoon Saunf (Fennel seeds)
- 1 tablespoon Kasoori methi/ dried fenugreek leaves
- 1 small Chopped green Chilies (optional)
- 1 tablespoon Chopped cilantro leaves
PHYLLO CUPS
- 1 – Phyllo/Fillo dough sheets
- – – Butter to brush each sheet
GARNISHES
- – – Chopped Onion
- – – Thin sev
- – – Pomegranate seeds
- – – Chopped cilantro leaves
INSTRUCTIONS
- Take a fine-meshed sieve and rinse the urad dal under cold running water to clean any dirt or dust. Set it aside to drain. Transfer the rinsed dal to a bowl and add double times the water to soak the lentils for 3-4 hours or overnight.
- Make sure you use a large bowl to soak the lentils as they will double in size. After the soak time is over, drain and rinse the lentils again.
PREPARE KACHORI FILLING
- Add the soaked urad dal to the Instant Pot insert. Add salt, turmeric, and give it a good stir.
- Close the lid and seal the Instant Pot. Press the Manual or pressure cook button and cook the Urad dal for 4 minutes on HIGH.
- Once the cooking time has elapsed, turn the steam valve to the venting position to quickly release the pressure. When the pin drops, carefully open the Instant Pot lid.
- Strain the cooked dal through a strainer. Allow all the water to drain through. Rinse the dal once again and set it aside to cool and drain thoroughly.
- Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed wide pan. Once hot, add hing and mustard seeds and let them pop.
- Sauté for a minute.
- Now add the cooked and thoroughly drained urad dal to the pan. Sauté the dal for 3-4 minutes over medium heat.
- Now stir in all the spices and
- Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Finally, add besan (chickpea flour) to the urad dal.
- Sauté the dal mixture for 6-7 minutes over medium-low heat.
- Add kasoori methi, fennel seeds, garam masala, and mix until combined. Sauté the dal mixture for additional 2-3 minutes. Then take it off the flame and set it aside. Add chopped cilantro leaves, mix, and allow this mix to cool completely.
PREPARE MINI PHYLLO CUPS
- Before you start working with Phyllo sheets, I would recommend setting up your workstation first.Get the wooden surface or chopping board ready, butter in a bowl, muffin pan, a kitchen towel, pastry brush, pizza cutter, and of course, thawed phyllo sheets as per package instructions. This beforehand organization will make the whole process go smoother.Remove the Phyllo sheets from the box. Unwrap one roll of phyllo dough and lay it flat on a clean surface.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the number of sheets you want to use for this recipe and roll the remaining sheets. Wrap it in its plastic wrap and store the sheets back in the refrigerator. PROTIP – 1. The thicker the cup, the better. The thicker phyllo cup is capable enough to handle our filling. 2. Phyllo sheets must be completely thawed and at room temperature for best results.
- Cover the sheets you are working on with a moist kitchen towel to prevent drying and breaking the sheets. For this recipe, I am working with 6 sheets at a time.
- Melt butter in a microwavable bowl. Lay one sheet on a clean surface and brush the entire sheet with butter or oil. Be careful while working with the phyllo sheet, as it is very delicate and may break.PROTIP – You may have to hold the sheet from one end, as they are paper-thin sheets and may curl up while applying butter.
- Uncover the second sheet and lay it on top of the buttered phyllo sheet. Press gently so that the sheets stick to each other.Repeat the process – cover the whole sheet with a thin layer of butter. Continue this process with the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth sheets.
- Once you have a stack of 6 sheets, all buttered up, split them into 12 pieces. Depending on your preference, you can divide them into desired shapes – square or a circle.PROTIP – Keep the square slightly bigger than the muffin pan cavity.
- Grease a muffin pan. Apply butter inside each mold of the muffin pan. Transfer a phyllo sheets square into the greased muffin pan. Gently press each square into the mold of a muffin pan.Press the squares evenly around the edges to prevent air pockets. Poke a few tiny-sized holes at the bottom of each cup to let the steam escape.
- Now that our phyllo cups are set into the muffin pan, it’s time to bake them.Bake at 350 degrees F for 9-10 minutes or until golden. Keep a watchful eye as these sheets get burnt easily.
- Once done and beautifully baked, remove the phyllo cups from the oven. Let them cool for a few minutes, then remove them from the muffin pan.Since the muffin pan was greased, the baked phyllo cups will slide out easily.For some reason, if they are stuck to the pan’s bottom, take a butter knife and give the phyllo cups a slight push; it will come out effortlessly.Bite-sized phyllo cups are ready to be filled.
ASSEMBLE BAKED KACHORI BITES
- Before we start assembling the baked phyllo cups, gather all the ingredients. Arrange a baked cup on a plate.
- Fill this baked phyllo cup with kachori filling.
- Generously top the filling with green chutney.
- Some tamarind chutney.
- Finish off each phyllo bite with a final drizzle of green chutney and meethi chutney. Add chopped green chilies, chopped onions, and a layer of thin sev on top for an extra crunch.
- Sprinkle some pomegranate seeds, chopped cilantro leaves, and serve. Enjoy the crispier and flakier Kachori cups.
- You have to savor each bite. As you dig deep into the baked phyllo bites, you will feel the crunchy texture of onions, spice from the green chilies, and the tangy flavor from the chutneys exploding in your mouth.
RECIPE NOTES
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I find Phyllo sheets in grocery stores? Phyllo sheets are easily accessible in your nearby grocery store. Look out for them in the freezer aisle/ frozen section, near the puff pastry. Can I use the pre-made Phyllo cups? Sure, you can. They’re supplied frozen until you’re ready to use them. Thaw them in the refrigerator and use them as directed. For toasted texture and flavor, toast the pre-made phyllo cups before adding the stuffing. Can I make Phyllo cups ahead of time? Yes, you can. I would recommend preparing them 1 day in advance at the most. Let them rest on the kitchen counter and fill them up only the next day before serving. How can I avoid Phyllo cups from getting soggy? As a rule of thumb, do not fill them too early before serving. Fill the dry stuffing only 2 hours ahead of the party. As the guests start arriving, top them with chutneys and serve. Can I refreeze Phyllo sheets again? Yes, you can refreeze the opened Phyllo sheets for up to 2 months. Remember to keep the sheets covered with a damp cloth when thawing them. For refreezing, roll them back, wrap them in a freezer-safe bag and store them. Freshly baked Phyllo/Fillo cups storing Suggestions! When completely cooled, you can store the baked phyllo cups in an airtight container at room temperature. Phyllo cups will stay good for 2 weeks. Fill them up just before serving.Baked phyllo cups can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a month. I love to make a big batch of phyllo cups and store them in the freezer for future parties! Think of all the yummy filling you can make (appetizers and desserts) with these filo cups. Reheat the filo cups in the oven at @350 degrees F until crisp again when ready to serve.
Thanks Ruchi, I made these bites for my Holi party and they turned out great, I added curd too while serving. Everyone loved it 💕
Thank you for your feedback, Nikki! So glad you liked the recipe. 😊
Thank you very very very much for this DELICIOUS recipe!
Your steps made it easy and great, will defiantly make it again for my next gathering. 🙂
Thank you, Aarti! I am glad you liked the recipe. 😊