Lilva Ni Kachori | Fresh Pigeon Peas Kachori | Toovar Kachori is one of the most popular snacks from Gujarat, typically made in the winters when the markets are a flood with fresh pigeon peas or Toovar dana a.k.a. Lilva dana. These kachoris or hand pies are small in size, they are filled with a sweet and spicy mix made with these fresh pigeon peas and deep fried until crisp and golden!!!

Lilva Ni Kachori | Fresh Pigeon Peas Kachori | Toovar Kachori

Lilva Ni Kachori | Fresh Pigeon Peas Kachori | Toovar Kachori are typically made in winters as the fresh pigeon peas are available in the season for just a couple of months. So, these little, golden crispy kachoris are a must have delicacy in Gujarat. Lilva Ni Kachori | Fresh Pigeon Peas Kachori | Toovar Kachori are quite famous across the country for their spicy, tangy and yet sweet filling and that super flaky exterior!

Lilva Ni Kachori | Fresh Pigeon Peas Kachori | Toovar Kachori

Lilva Ni Kachori | Fresh Pigeon Peas Kachori | Toovar Kachori is super flaky and crisp to the core, as you can see here!! I can’t imagine calling it a kachori if it ain’t crispy and flaky enough. The crispy exterior makes way for this really delicious, melt in the mouth kind of filling. The filling is so, so good that I had to physically keep away from it until I was ready to fill these babies up!! 😉 I personally feel it pairs the best with some spicy green chutney, the sweet and spicy filling compliments the chutney. You can also serve these with sweet tamarind chutney or some mint and yogurt chutney.

Lilva Ni Kachori | Fresh Pigeon Peas Kachori | Toovar Kachori

Lilva Ni Kachori | Fresh Pigeon Peas Kachori | Toovar Kachori are best consumed fresh and piping hot, with some tea. Though no tea for me but the hubby can’t live without his tea and these golden beauties make for the best tea mate 🙂

Let’s make some kachoris.

For the dough
Take Maida (APF), add salt to taste and the oil.

Rub the flour with the oil for 3-4 minutes. The Maida/ flour must resemble breadcrumb like texture.

Add the lemon juice and make semi hard dough using a little water at a time. The dough must be like a poori dough but not too hard else the kachori will crack when fried.

Cover the dough with a damp kitchen towel and rest it for 15 minutes. Then divide them into 8-9 lemon sized balls. Cover again and let them rest.

Lilva Ni Kachori | Fresh Pigeon Peas Kachori | Toovar Kachori

For the filling
Peel and clean the fresh pigeon peas/ Lilva. Wash and drain them. Do the same for the green peas.

Blanch these together for 10 minutes, set them aside to cool down completely.

Once they are cooled, crush them together either using a mortar pestle or in a food processor. They must have some texture and not turn into a paste. Set this aside.

Heat oil in a non stick pan ( the Lilva/ pigeon peas tend to stick so use a non stick pan). Once the oil is hot, add asafetida, cumin seeds. Let them crackle.

Next add ginger and green chili paste. Cook them for a few minutes. Add turmeric powder. Sauté for a minute.

Add roasted white sesame seeds and the coconut. Mix well.

Next, add the crushed pigeon peas/ Lilva and the green peas. Sauté these together for 5-6 minutes.

Add salt. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir again. Again cover and cook.

Add chopped cashews, sugar and chaat masala. Mix well.

Add lemon juice and chopped coriander leaves. Mix well. Turn off the flame. The filling is ready.

Lilva Ni Kachori | Fresh Pigeon Peas Kachori | Toovar Kachori

Divide the filling into 8-9 lemon sized balls as well.

Now, roll all the balls of dough to a diameter of 2.5″ to 3″.

Lilva Ni Kachori | Fresh Pigeon Peas Kachori | Toovar Kachori

Place the ball of the filling in the center of the rolled dough. close it tightly. Do the same for all the dough balls. set them aside while you heat the oil to fry the kachoris.

Lilva Ni Kachori | Fresh Pigeon Peas Kachori | Toovar Kachori

Now fry the kachoris on low flame as they must crisp up and the color must remain light golden brown.

It took me about 15 minutes for frying a batch of 8-9 kachoris. Drain the fried kachoris on absorbent tissues.

Lilva Ni Kachori | Fresh Pigeon Peas Kachori | Toovar Kachori

Serve them hot with chutney and tea/ coffee.

Lilva Ni Kachori | Fresh Pigeon Peas Kachori | Toovar Kachori

Lilva Ni Kachori | Fresh Pigeon Peas Kachori | Toovar Kachori

A delicious, crispy, sweet and spicy flavored kachoris/ hand pies are a famous Gujarati snacks that go so well with some green chutney/ dip and tea or coffee. 

Course Breakfast, Side Dish, Snack, starters
Cuisine Gujarati
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 4 persons
Author Shreya Ashish Tiwari

Ingredients

Dough

  • 2 cup maida /APF
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 3 tbsp refined oil
  • salt to taste
  • water as needed to knead the dough
  • enough oil to fry

Filling

  • 3/4 cup fresh pigeon peas/ lilva
  • 1/4 cup fresh green peas
  • 4 tbsp refined oil
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • a pinch of asafoetida (hing)
  • 1 tsp ginger paste
  • 1 sp green chili paste
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tbsp roasted white sesame seeds (til)
  • 1/2 cup fresh, grated coconut
  • 1 tsp chaat masala
  • salt to taste
  • 1.5 tsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp chopped, fresh coriander leaves
  • 2 tsp lemon juice

Instructions

Dough

  1. Take Maida (APF), add salt to taste and the oil.

  2. Rub the flour with the oil for 3-4 minutes. The Maida/ flour must resemble breadcrumb like texture.

  3. Add a lemon juice and make semi hard dough using a little water at a time. The dough must be like a poori dough but not too hard else the kachori will crack when fried.

  4. Cover the dough with a damp kitchen towel and rest it for 15 minutes. Then divide them into 8-9 lemon sized balls. Cover again and let them rest.

Filling

  1. Peel and clean the fresh pigeon peas/ Lilva. Wash and drain them. Do the same for the green peas.

  2. Blanch these together for 10 minutes, set them aside to cool down completely.

  3. Once they are cooled, crush them together either using a mortar pestle or in a food processor. They must have some texture and not turn into a paste. Set this aside.

  4. Heat oil in a non stick pan ( the Lilva/ pigeon peas tend to stick so use a non stick pan). Once the oil is hot, add asafoetida, cumin seeds. Let them crackle.

  5. Next add ginger and green chili paste. Cook them for a few minutes. Add turmeric powder. Sauté for a minute.

  6. Add roasted white sesame seeds and the coconut. Mix well.

  7. Next, add the crushed pigeon peas/ Lilva and the green peas. Sauté these together for 5-6 minutes.

  8. Add salt. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir again. Again cover and cook.

  9. Add chopped cashews, sugar and chaat masala. Mix well.

  10. Add lemon juice and chopped coriander leaves. Mix well. Turn off the flame. The filling is ready.

Assemble and fry

  1. Divide the filling into 8-9 lemon sized balls as well.

  2. Now, roll all the balls of dough to a diameter of 2.5" to 3".

  3. Place the ball of the filling in the center of the rolled dough. close it tightly. Do the same for all the dough balls. set them aside while you heat the oil to fry the kachoris.

  4. Now fry the kachoris on low flame as they must crisp up and the color must remain light golden brown.

  5. It took me about 15 minutes for frying a batch of 8-9 kachoris. Drain the fried kachoris on absorbent tissues.

  6. Serve them hot with chutney and tea/ coffee.

Recipe Notes

You can store the filling for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.
You can skip the lemon juice in the dough, but it makes the dough white and crisper on frying. 
Fresh Lilva/ pigeon peas can be cleaned and stored in the freezer all year around like green peas.

Love,
Shreya 🙂

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Lilva Ni Kachori | Fresh Pigeon Peas Kachori | Toovar Kachori

Adapted from YouTube.

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