Crispy Bread Pockets

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.
  

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  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

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