Braj Kitchen · Dish

Mathura ki kachori sabji: what it is and how it's made

By the Mathurawala Kitchen · Updated 31 May 2026

What is a kachori?

A kachori is "a deep-fried, spicy, stuffed pastry or bread originating from the Marwar region of Rajasthan, India."[1] The casing is a flour dough; the filling is "a baked mixture of moong dal or onions... besan, coriander, red chili powder, salt, and other Indian spices."[1] From Rajasthan the kachori spread across South Asia, "each region adding its own local variations."[1] Mathura's is one of those variations.

What makes the Mathura kachori different?

Two things. First, heeng. The Mathura kachori leans on asafoetida for its aroma and digestive warmth, which is why Wikipedia names "Mathura Heeng Kachori" as a signature dish of the Braj region.[2] Second, it is sattvik. Following Braj's Krishna-worship tradition, the filling carries no onion or garlic, unlike the pyaaz (onion) kachori of Jodhpur.[1][2] Our heeng comes from Hathras, near Mathura, the traditional source.

How kachori sabji is made

1. Soak and coarsely grind moong or urad dal, then cook it down with heeng, ginger, coriander, fennel and chilli into a dry, fragrant filling.
2. Roll a flour dough, place a spoon of filling in each, seal it into a ball and rest it.
3. Deep-fry on a low, steady flame so the kachori puffs and crisps without browning too fast.
4. Make the aloo sabji: a tangy, heeng-tempered potato curry, thin enough to soak into the kachori.
5. Serve hot, the kachori cracked open, sabji ladled over, with tamarind or mint chutney alongside.

How Mathurawala serves it

Kachori is the single most-talked-about dish among our Pune customers, mentioned far more than anything else in our Google reviews. We fry it fresh through the day and serve it with the Mathura-style aloo sabji and heeng. It is one of only two items on our menu literally branded "Mathura," and it is the flag of who we are.