Radhaballavi is a Bengali kachori recipe where the stuffing is made of white lentils or urad dal (biulir dal/kalai dal in Bangla), khoya, and a couple of spices. This kind of Bengali biulir dal puri recipe is often reserved for special occasions and served with Bengali aloo dum and/or niramish cholar dal.
Preparing the filling of radhaballavi kachori requires some care and a bit of elbow grease. With proper recipe instructions and a step-by-step video guide, you will make these radhaballavis perfectly and with minimum effort.

Radhballavi recipe is one of those Bengali recipes that have no shortcuts. The urad dal or biulir dal has to be soaked and then ground into a fine paste before frying it with khowa or milk solids and spices, till it becomes dry with minimum moisture. Once it cools down, a small portion is wrapped within a dough ball, flattened into kachoris, and deep-fried.
Every step of this recipe needs care so that radhaballabhis turn out perfectly puffed up and delicious.
Let’s look at the ingredients we need to make Radhaballabi Kachoris.
Ingredients for radhaballavi- Bengali biulir dal kochuri
- Urad Dal – Split or Dhuli (Kalai Dal or Biulir Dal) – washed and soaked overnight
- Fennel Seeds or Saunf/Mouri
- Nigella Seeds or Kalonji/Kalo Jeera
- Hing or Asafoetida
- Green Chilli
- Salt & Sugar
- Khowa or Milk Solids – alternate would be Powdered Milk
- Mustard Oil
- Ginger
- All-purpose Flour
- Ghee or Vanaspati Ghee (plant-based fat) for moyen* – alternate would be refined Sunflower Oil
- Refined Sunflower Oil to fry
Moyen – Moyen means adding fat to the flour while making dough to create layers of crispiness. The fat is added to the flour at first and rubbed into it, and then the dough is made with water or any other liquid. Over several trials, I have found that vanaspati ghee is the best for this purpose, even better than normal ghee. But it is OK to replace vanaspati in this recipe with ghee or oil or your choice.
Recipe instructions
- Knead the dough using the ingredients as mentioned for it. Be cautious about the amount of water. It should be soft and pliable.
- Wash the soaked biulir dal (urad dal) and grind it into a fine paste with ginger and green chilies
- Heat mustard oil in a non-stick pan. Temper it with hing and nigella seeds
- Add the ground dal paste and fry.
- Add sugar, salt, and the khowa.
- Crush the fennel seeds coarsely and add them to the fried mix. Cook it till you see the dal coming together in a lump.
- Turn off the heat and allow to cool completely.
- Pinch off small balls of the dough and flatten them between your palms. Keep the center thick while pressing the edges thinner.
- Take a teaspoonful of the filling and keep it at the center of the flattened dough ball. Gather the edges and pinch them so the filling is neatly tucked in.
- Now, roll it into a flat disc and deep fry it. Repeat it with the rest of the dough and filling till you get your kochuris.
Serving suggestions
Bengali kochuri recipes usually mention Bengali niramish Alur Dom or Cholar Dal as side dishes. The alur dum is a spicy potato curry, which is often cooked with a tomato-ginger gravy. It makes a great side dish option for these Bengali biulir dal puris as the heat and spice level balance the mild sweetness of the Radhaballavis.
Those who are looking for a no-frills meal can go for the kalai dal er radhaballavi & Cholar Dal combination. It is light and goes slow in terms of heat & spices.
Make-ahead or freezing option

You can easily make the filling ahead and cool it down before storing it in an air-tight container in your fridge. It stays very well for almost a fortnight.
In case you wish to use a portion of it, take some of it out and allow it to reach room temperature. Keep the rest in the fridge.
Since it takes some effort to prepare the filling, I often make a double batch of it. While I use half of it the same day, I keep the rest of it for some other time over the next few days.
More kachori recipes
More biulir dal recipes
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Radhaballavi is a Bengali kachori recipe where the stuffing is made of white lentils or urad dal, khoya and a couple of spices. This is a Bengali dal puri recipe, often reserved for special occasions where it gets served with Aloo Dum and/or Cholar Dal.
- 3 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1½ cup Water
- 2 tbsp Ghee or Clarified Butter
- A Pinch of Salt
- ½ cup Urad Dal or White Lentil Soaked overnight
- 50 gms Khowa or Milk Solids
- A pinch of Hing or Asafoetida
- ½ tsp Nigella Seeds or Kalo Jeere or Kalonji
- 1 inch Ginger
- 2 Green Chilies
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- Salt to Taste
- 1 tsp Fennel Seeds or Saunf or Mouri
- 3 tbsp Mustard Oil
- Refined Oil/Ghee to fry the kochuri
-
Knead the dough using the ingredients as mentioned for it. Be cautious about the amount of water. It should be soft and pliable.
-
Wash the soaked dal and grind it into a fine paste with ginger and green chilies
-
Heat mustard oil in a non-stick pan. Temper it with hing and nigella seeds
-
Add the ground dal paste and fry.
-
Add sugar, salt and the khowa. Give it a mix.
-
Crush the fennel seeds coarsely and add it to the fried mix. Cook it till you see the dal coming together in a lump.
-
Turn off the heat and allow this to cool completely.
-
Pinch off small balls of the dough and flatten them between your palms. Keep the centre thick while pressing the edges thinner.
-
Take a teaspoonful of the filling and keep it at the center of the flatten dough ball. Gather the edges together and pinch them so that the filling is neatly tucked in.
-
Now, roll it into a flat disc and deep fry it. Repeat it with the rest of the dough and filling till you get your kochuris.
Recipe Video
This post was first published on December 2, 2020, and later republished with a more elaborate description of the recipe.
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