Chhaya RecipesFeatured
Crispy Bread Pockets
![](https://timeskuwait.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/bread-780x470.jpg)
A popular North-Indian snack, crispy bread pockets involve a filling of cooked chickpeas, tomatoes, onions and spices stuffed inside crispy bread pockets. They are often served as an appetizer before a meal or as a snack at tea-time. The crispy outer crust of the bread and the soft filling inside gives a sensational contrast with each bite.
Total cooking time: 35 minutes
Serving: 8 pockets
Ingredients
For the bread pockets:
- 8 slices of bread
- Pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup water or as per need to make thin slurry
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- For the filling:
- 1/2 cup onion, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup tomato, roughly chopped
- ½ inch ginger, chopped
- 1 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 cup chickpeas soaked overnight
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp spice powder
- 1/2 tsp red chili powder
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 1/8 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 cup of water
- 1/4 tsp. dried mango powder
- 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
- For garnish:
- 1/4 cup salted yogurt (whisked to drizzle)
- 1 cup julienne of capsicum, onion, tomatoes
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro.
Instructions:
For the filling:
- Mix onion, tomato, ginger, and garlic to a smooth paste in a blender jar
- Heat oil in a pressure cooker on medium heat
- Add cumin seeds to the cooker and let them sizzle a bit
- Then add the prepared onion-tomato puree and a little salt. Let it cook until it becomes a thick paste and oil separates from the masala
- Add salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, spice powder. Mix well and cook for a minute.
- Add the soaked chickpeas and water, place the lid and cook over medium-heat for 10-15 minutes.
- Let the pressure go down on its own
- in a bowl take flour, salt and water and make a thin slurry.
- For the bread pockets:
- Place two bread slices on top of each other and roll them together thinly. Cut with a round-cutter and seal; the edges
- Dip in prepared slurry and coat with bread crumbs. Deep fry them. Cut in half to form two pockets
- Open the cooker lid, add dry mango powder and mix well
- Fill each bread pocket with a scoop of the filling, garnish with julienned onion, capsicum, tomato and chopped cilantro. Drizzle with salted yogurt and serve hot or the bread will become soggy.
Indian Chef Chhaya Thakker, who has a huge following online on WhatsApp and YouTube will be sharing her favorite recipes and cooking tips with readers of The Times Kuwait. For feedback, you can write to editortimeskuwait@gmail.com