Matar Kachori is an Indian fried savory snack. Give these kachoris a fusion look by turning them into Puff Pastry Pinwheels! This vegan appetizer is a crowd favorite! Make them in 40 minutes!
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What is Matar Ki Kachori
Khasta (crisp in Hindi) Kachori (also known as Kachauri, Kachodi, or Katchuri) is a savory fried snack from northern India (Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bengal). A specially prepared dough forms the outer flaky crust which is stuffed with sweet or savory mixture and then shaped into small balls or large flattened discs. Some are also shaped as empanadas. They are then deep-fried. Matar Kachori is a popular Indian street food recipe that is also made in many Indian homes.
There are many sweet and savory varieties of kachori in Indian cuisine and matar (green peas in Hindi) ki kachori is one of the best kachoris. The other varieties are Dal Kachori, Mawa Kachori, Dry Fruits Kachori, and Onion Kachori to name a few. It's often enjoyed as a tea-time snack along with aloo ki sabzi, sweet chutney, and spicy chutney. It's a delicious mouthful because of its diverse flavors and textures. Nowadays baked kachoris are also very popular.
Puff pastry appetizer recipe
I love creating new and different recipes using puff pastry because they have endless possibilities! Baked Puff pastry snacks are great for large groups plus one can get very creative with their stuffings. You can use different types of puff pastry or filo sheets for different recipes. Stuffing of Samosa, Dabeli, Pizza, or even Jalapeno Poppers can be used as puff pastry fillings. Get creative! I recently used filo sheets to make Karanji Baklava and Carrot Halwa Baklava, and they both turned out great!
Fusion of two cuisines
I shaped the puff pastry as pinwheels or roll-ups to make this matar kachori snack recipe and stuffed them with homemade green peas filling! This way you can enjoy instant kachoris because it's made in half the time and effort! This easy pinwheel appetizer recipe is also baked! These homemade Indian veggies pinwheels are perfectly bite-sized and the flavors of the traditional green peas kachori are still intact.
Using puff pastry sheets eliminates the steps of preparing the dough and all the deep frying. Plus, the puff pastry gives it the required crispy flaky texture. Win-Win! It truly is the best way to enjoy these pinwheel appetizers. You end up getting 12-13 baked pinwheel kachoris in one batch, so it's a great Indian snack recipe for large groups. I highly recommend you give this peas kachori puff pastry recipe a try.
Why make this
- vegan, gluten-free, nut-free
- Indian fusion savory puff pastry recipe
- fun, easy, and quick party appetizer
- needs basic ingredients
- minimal prep work
- is baked and not fried
- It's a fun way to add green peas to the menu
Ingredients needed 🧾
Green peas - In the traditional Matar Khasta kachori recipe, fresh green peas are used. Matar ki kachori is made mainly during the winter because it's the harvest season of green peas. But since it's difficult to find fresh peas in the US, I have used frozen green peas. It works as well. But do not use dried green peas.
If you love cooking with green peas, check out these recipes - Green Peas Pulao, Aloo Matar, Methi Matar Malai, Khoya Matar, Kovalam Matar, Matar ka Nimona, Matar Paneer, and Lasuni Matar Palak.
Aromatics like red chilly powder, gluten-free asafoetida or hing, ginger paste, and green chillies give these green peas kachori pinwheels a spicy flavor. You can also add a teaspoon of amchur powder (dry mango powder) along with these aromatics.
Whole Spices like cumin seeds, black peppercorns, coriander seeds, and fennel seeds give this matar kachori filling recipe its authentic taste.
Use any dairy-free milk to seal these vegan puff pastry pinwheels. Adding sugar along with green peas helps retain the green color of the peas and also helps balance the flavors.
Puff pastry sheets - If you are vegan, read the label to ensure you are getting a vegan puff pastry sheet. You can also make the sheets at home. I prefer using the frozen puff pastry sheets from the Pepperidge Farm brand. You can find them in the freezer section of your grocery store.
If you want to give these puff pastry pinwheels a cheesy flavor, add dairy-free cheese to the ingredients list. This is optional, but if making it for kids or for the holidays, adding cheese to this puff pastry recipe is a good idea!
How to make it 🔪
To prepare the matar kachori masala
- In a pan, dry roast fennel seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and peppercorns for 1-2 minutes on medium flame. Chef tip - Keep stirring to ensure the spices are evenly roasted. They will release an aroma and that is the cue to stop roasting.
- Transfer to a plate and let it cool down. Then crush it coarsely using a mortar pestle.
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To prepare the matar kachori stuffing
- Heat oil in a pan. Temper fennel seeds. Once they splutter, add ginger paste and minced green chillies. Fry for 30 seconds.
- Then add the frozen green peas, gluten-free asafoetida, chilly powder, sugar, and salt. Saute for 5-6 minutes or till the peas are cooked.
- Now add the coarsely ground masala to the pan. Mix and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Using a potato masher, mash (some not all) the green peas coarsely, in the pan directly. Take it off the flame and let it cool. The stuffing should be dry.
To prepare the puff pastry pinwheels
- Thaw the puff pastry sheet as per instructions on the packet. It should be defrosted but the pastry sheets should still be cold. Line a cooking tray with cling wrap and place a puff pastry sheet over it. Flatten it lightly using a rolling pin. If the sheet is too thick, it will not bake evenly. Chef tip - At any point, if the dough feels soft and sticky, put it in the freezer for 10 minutes till it is again easy to handle.
- Grease the sheet with vegan ghee. Generously sprinkle the green peas mixture all over it leaving a ½-inch border on all sides. Use your hands to spread it across evenly. Top it with vegan mozzarella cheese (if adding).
- Tightly roll the puff pastry sheet into a log. Use vegan milk to seal the edges. Trim the ends so that they are even, then tightly wrap the log with a cling wrap. Refrigerate it for 15-20 minutes to make it easier to cut.
- Using a sharp knife, evenly slice the cold log into pinwheels (½ inch thickness) and place them on a lined baking tray. These vegan puff pastry pinwheels will at least double in size, so make sure to space them out with room to expand. Brush them with vegan milk and cooking oil spray. Chef tip - Use a glass with a flat bottom to flatten them lightly or gently reshape them with your hands if needed. Bake these vegan savory pinwheels in the oven at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or till they turn crisp and golden brown. Take them out of the oven and let them cool down a bit. They will appear soft when out of the oven but will become crispy as they cool.
Serving suggestions 🍽
Sprinkle some chaat masala on top (optional) and serve these baked kachoris immediately with green chutney, tamarind chutney, tomato ketchup, or a bowl of plain unsweetened yogurt. Whether you are hosting or attending a party, make this easy puff pastry snack/appetizer recipe that tastes great and is always appreciated. But this easy appetizer won’t last long when you serve it! They will be gone in seconds!
This Indo-American party appetizer is ideal for festivals like Diwali, and Holi, or the holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas! In northern India, kachori is consumed for breakfast or as an evening snack. It can also be considered as travel food. These appetizing puff pastry pinwheels can also be served during Navratri because they do not contain garlic or onions. This Indian stuffed pastry also makes a perfect appetizer to serve at weekend parties, brunches, potlucks, or as an after-school snack.
Hope you liked my fun take on the classic North Indian Matar Khasta kachori recipe. I have a Diwali Party menu that you can check out and use for your reference for any occasion. While we are on this topic, if you are looking for a savory dry snack for holiday gifting, then check out this Chivda recipe.
Top recipe tips 💭
Use any variety of cheese (vegan or dairy) in this easy-to-make puff pastry pinwheel recipe. You can also make it without any cheese. Instead of pinwheels, you can shape them any way you want. In fact, you can also use puff pastry shells, or filo cups and stuff them with the green peas mixture. To make this vegan pinwheel recipe Jain-friendly, skip adding ginger. The rest of the ingredients are already Jain-friendly because this easy puff pastry appetizer recipe doesn't call for onions and garlic.
FAQs 📖
You can coarsely grind the green peas before adding them to the pan if you want. If using fresh peas, cook them for a longer time by adding half a cup of water or blanching them beforehand. But the final peas mixture should be dry. The water should evaporate and the peas should turn softer. If there is moisture, add a tablespoon of besan or chickpea flour. That will absorb all the excess moisture and make the stuffing dry.
It's all right if the mixture is slightly spicy. The flavors will balance out when eaten with the puff pastry. Cool down the green peas stuffing before you add them to the puff pastry sheets. Be generous when adding the peas mixture over the puff pastry sheet, or else the pinwheels will taste bland.
Thaw the puff pastry sheets before using them. But use it at the right time, i.e. when the pastry is pliable enough to be rolled and shaped but isn’t so warm that the dough is too limp to shape or the butter starts melting. Feel free to shape them as you want. It is very customizable. If the pinwheels are falling apart, secure them with a toothpick and bake. Remove the toothpicks before eating them.
You can prepare the kachori stuffing ahead of time and store it in the fridge. Warm it a bit before sprinkling it over the puff pastry sheet. You can also assemble the puff pastry pinwheels ahead of time and store them in the fridge or freeze them before baking.
Yes, they can be frozen for up to 3 months. Slice them into pinwheels and then freeze them. They can be baked directly from the freezer. They will however need to be baked for a longer time. Don't freeze baked puff pastry pinwheels as they won’t be crispy.
Leftover cooked puff pastry pinwheels can be stored in an airtight container and stored in the fridge for a day or two. It's best to reheat in an air fryer or toaster oven. But they will lose their crispiness. Make only what will be eaten and make it as close to serving as possible. Puff pastry loses its lovely crispiness after a few hours.
Yes, you can Air-Fry the Pinwheel Kachoris. Place them in a single layer in an Air fryer basket or tray. Brush them with oil/milk/cooking spray. Air fry at 350 degrees F for 6-7 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Cook it for a longer time if required.
To make the filling richer you can also add roughly chopped raisins and nuts along with the cumin seeds. You can substitute green peas with shelled edamame. You can also mix in a boiled and mashed potato into the stuffing to make Aloo Matar Kachori Pinwheels or spinach to make green Matar Palak Kachori. If you are not vegan, you can also mix in crumbled paneer along with the green peas.
More Indian Puff Pastry snacks
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Recipe 📖
Puff Pastry Pinwheels With Matar Kachori Filling
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
Matar Kachori Stuffing
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- ½ tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon vegan ghee
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 2 green chillies
- 1 cup frozen green peas
- ¼ teaspoon gluten-free asafoetida
- 1 teaspoon chilly powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- salt
To prepare the puff pastry pinwheels
- 1 frozen puff pastry sheet
- ¼ cup vegan milk
- ½ cup grated vegan cheese optional
Instructions
To prepare the matar kachori masala
- In a pan, dry roast fennel seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and peppercorns for 1-2 minutes on medium flame. Chef tip - Keep stirring to ensure the spices are evenly roasted. They will release an aroma and that is the cue to stop roasting.
- Transfer to a plate and let it cool down. Then crush it coarsely using a mortar pestle.
To prepare the matar kachori stuffing
- Heat oil in a pan. Temper fennel seeds. Once they splutter, add ginger paste and minced green chillies. Fry for 30 seconds.
- Then add the frozen green peas, gluten-free asafoetida, chilly powder, sugar, and salt. Saute for 5-6 minutes or till the peas are cooked.
- Now add the coarsely ground masala to the pan. Mix and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Using a potato masher, mash (some not all) the green peas coarsely, in the pan directly. Take it off the flame and let it cool. The stuffing should be dry.
To prepare the puff pastry pinwheels
- Thaw the puff pastry sheet as per instructions on the packet. It should be defrosted but the pastry sheets should still be cold. Line a cooking tray with cling wrap and place a puff pastry sheet over it. Flatten it lightly using a rolling pin. If the sheet is too thick, it will not bake evenly. Chef tip - At any point, if the dough feels soft and sticky, put it in the freezer for 10 minutes till it is again easy to handle.
- Grease the sheet with vegan ghee. Generously sprinkle the green peas mixture all over it leaving a ½-inch border on all sides. Use your hands to spread it across evenly. Top it with vegan mozzarella cheese (if adding).
- Tightly roll the puff pastry sheet into a log. Use vegan milk to seal the edges. Trim the ends so that they are even, then tightly wrap the log with a cling wrap. Refrigerate it for 15-20 minutes to make it easier to cut.
- Using a sharp knife, evenly slice the cold log into pinwheels (½ inch thickness) and place them on a lined baking tray. These vegan puff pastry pinwheels will at least double in size, so make sure to space them out with room to expand. Brush them with vegan milk and cooking oil spray. Chef tip - Use a glass with a flat bottom to flatten them lightly or gently reshape them with your hands if needed. Bake these vegan savory pinwheels in the oven at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or till they turn crisp and golden. Take them out of the oven and let them cool down a bit. They will appear soft when out of the oven but will become crispy as they cool.
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We'll email this recipe to you, so that you can look at it later!
Notes
Nutrition
Priya says
Any greens suggestion besides spinach?
Priya says
You can use any greens like kale, beet leaves, spinach or even skip adding them if not available.
Sangeeta Sethi says
Fantastic, delicious Preparation.
Priya says
So glad you liked it. Thanks.