Kachoris of Aligarh

These are one of my favourites, if not the favourite kachoris of India.

Although I have lived all my life in Delhi, we used to visit Aligarh to visit my mum & dad's hometown. We used to reach early morning, and the first thing was kachoris from my naanu's kachori shop. Might be the nostalgia that makes the kachoris better.

What Makes Them Different

These are flat, and bigger than the usual kachoris. You can think of them as an extended version of the mathri. A good Aligarh kachori, when you break it, still has a slight bit of doughy texture inside. They should not break all at once in a crisp. I'm unsure if I was able to explain this properly, but somewhere around those lines.

Aligarh kachori (flat and wide), with spicy aloo sabzi and raita on the side

These kachoris are served with a semi-liquid spicy aloo sabzi. To tone the spice down, at most places a raita (buttermilk) is poured on it. You can also have the buttermilk separately. It's usually spicier than most cities.

You dip the kachoris in the subzi. The subzi's spice is neutralised by the kachori, and it tastes absolutely delicious.

Eat 2 pieces first thing in the morning, and they're so heavy that you'll be full till evening.

Places I've Tried

• Moolchand Kachori, Center Point: my favourite
• Shibboji: very famous with Aligarh people, but I absolutely despise it
• Pathak Cafeteria: naanu's shop; I like this one too

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Rating: 9/10 (with a little nostalgia bias)

Part of the Kachori Trail of India series.