I think that amongst all of the Bengali culinary inventions, Koraishutir Kochuri / Motorshutir kochuri aka Bengali deep fried flatbread stuffed with a spicy peas filling is the greatest of all. I mean macher jhol and roshogolla are equally important, but no one can argue with the delicious yet simplistic approach of this special Bengali delicacy widely made in every Bong household during winters.

I was a fussy eater. Then again that’s what my Ma says. In other words, I hated vegetables, especially the ones which were green in colour. The most compelling evidence of this fact is that whenever my Ma used to call out, “ Guddy, shak ta na khele mangsho pabina”(guddy, if you don’t finish the greens on your plate, you will not be served chicken/mutton),I used to reply  (in a shrill, high pitched voice, “ Ma tumi khub baje” (mom you are very bad). However there was one thing in particular which I  loved in vegetables. Guess what? Peas. For some reason those pods never bothered me by their appearance, taste or colour. As a matter of fact, Ma was forced to hide away peas because I would finish them out, raw!

Frozen food is not quite common in a Bengali household. Hence when the wind turned chilly and it was a torture to get out of the blanket (it still is, atleast for me), I was frequently greeted with a plate full of koraishutir kochuri and “dhonepatar chatni”(coriander chutney) on the breakfast table. In contrast to my friends who were more into cakes and pastries, pretzels and cinnamon rolls during winters, I somehow preferred the spicy Bengali jolkhabar.

My didun makes the best koraishutir kochuri. Period! However I can not deny that the numerous approaches of making a single dish never fails to amaze me. For the most part of my life, didun has mainly made the stuffing out of mashed, raw green peas sautéed with some nigella seeds, ginger, chillies and a miniscule of spices. In like manner, my boroma ( didun’s mother) used to make the stuffing out of mashed, boiled green peas and often added onions, coriander and tomatoes to it. In contrast to the usage of maida (refined wheat flour) by my didun, boroma used to use both maida and atta (whole wheat flour). My boroma and ma adds Hing( Asafoetida) to the stuffing while my didun prefers Bhaja Masala (dry roasted cumin and red chilli powder). Confusing isn’t it?

After tasting a variety of approaches to this delicacy, I have come up with my own version of it. Any person who is a fan of fried flatbread should definitely try this no onion no garlic recipe at home during winter. Though it can be prepared at any time of the year with frozen peas, the taste of koraishutir kochuri made with fresh peas is nothing but heavenly. You can always add your little twist but I like to keep it simple.

Recipe :

Ingredients –

For the stuffing  :

Fresh peas – 500gm (made into a fine paste)

Ginger paste – 1 teaspoon

Green chillies – 8-9 made into a paste.

Kalo jeera / kalonji / nigella seeds – ½ teaspoon

Bay leaf – 2-3

Salt – as per your taste

Vegetable oil – 1-2 teaspoon

For the dough :

Maida( all purpose flour ) – 5-6 cups

Atta ( whole wheat flour) – ½ - 1 cup

Salt – ½ - 1 teaspoon

Refined oil – 3/4^th cup

Water – as needed

To fry the kochuri –

Refined oil – for deep frying

Method –

For making the peas stuffing :

1.      Heat 1-2 teaspoon oil in a kadai and add the nigella seeds and bay leaf as tempering

2.      Add the ginger chilli paste and sauté for a few minutes.

3.      Add the peas paste and salt .

4.      Sauté on high for a few minutes and switch gas onto the medium flame.

5.      Keep stirring the peas mixture until it turns sticky but firm.

6.      Let it cool completely.

For making the dough :

1.      Add the maida and atta to a large vessel for mixing.

2.      Add salt and refined oil to the dry mixture and mix thoroughly. Rub the oil into the mixture firmly.

3.      Now start adding water in batches to making a firm dough. The dough should be a bit tighter than your regular roti dough.

4.      Let the dough rest for about half an hour.

5.      Knead the dough again to make it smooth. Divide into small roundels.

For making the kochuri :

1.      Stuff a teaspoon of peas filling in a roundel.

2.      Apply a bit of oil onto your palm and flatten the dough.

3.      Now flatten with a flattening pin. Make sure that the filling does not ooze out.

4.      Heat oil in a kadai for deep frying.

5.      Add the kochuri one by own and fry until light golden brown.

6.      Serve hot with coriander chutney or aloo dum.