Rajasthani Pyaaz Kachori reimagined! An intense savoury onion kachori filling is baked with light puff pastry. A super fun Indian appetiser that everyone will love.
Tell me that doesn’t sound amazing.
Indian dinner parties at yours truly usually consist of a mix of traditional and fusion dishes. Appetizers in particular is where we like to push the boat out – think stunning samosa tarte au soleil , jazzed up rajma tikkis and chilli lime accordion potatoes .
I got the idea of these pinwheels after making my schezwan paneer puff pastry swirls a little while back. Using puff pastry instead of making the dough by hand, like I do in my garlic lilva kachori , made prep so much easier.
All that’s left to do is make a classic Rajasthani pyaaz kachori filling with onions and potatoes. More on that below.
I serve them with a zingy green chutney but I can imagine how well they’d go with dabeli chutney that’s on the sweeter side.
Ingredients notes & tips
Be sure to check out the full recipe and exact ingredient list below in the recipe card.
Ready roll puff pastry – I buy fresh ready roll puff pastry, both supermarket brands and leading brands have worked for me. 1 large puff pastry sheet (320g) makes about 20 pinwheels for me.
Onions – you need to roughly chop a couple of onions. I used brown onions, red would work too. If you use a food processor, be careful not to chop them too fine. You need roughly chopped onions for texture.
Ginger and green chillies – I chopped the green chillies and grated some fresh ginger.
Spice powders – kashmiri chilli powder, turmeric and amchoor powder . I use kashmiri chilli powder for colour without the heat. If you use normal chilli powder, use less in your recipe! Turmeric again provides a little colour. Amchoor or dry mango powder gives tartness. If you don’t have it, use lemon juice once the filling is fully cooked.
Whole spices – these are all part of a classic kachori masala – fennel seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and black pepper . They’re first dry toasted in the pan and then lightly crushed in a pestle and mortar. Don’t grind down to a fine powder, keep it coarse.
I have added powdered sugar for balanced flavours.
Gram flour – a bit of gram flour helps to soak the moisture from the cooked onion.
Potatoes – boiled potato helps to bulk the filling and helps it bind together.
Coriander – chopped coriander leaves are added to the filling.
Milk – an eggless option to glaze these kachoris.
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
- YouTube
Pyaaz Kachori Pinwheels
Ingredients
- 1 roll puff pastry sheet 320g
- 3 onion chopped
- 2 medium potato boiled and mashed
- 1 tablespoon gram flour
- 2 tablespoon oil
- ¼ teaspoon hing
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kashmiri chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon amchoor powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon coriander leaves chopped
- 1 tablespoon milk for the glaze
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan).
- In a pan, dry roast 1 tsp cumin seeds, fennel seeds, coriander seeds and black pepper on low heat. Once fragrant, remove from the heat and grind coarsely in a pestle and mortar. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tsp cumin and let them sizzle for a few seconds then add hing.
- Add the finely chopped onions, and a pinch of salt. Sauté until soft. Add in the ginger and green chillies and cook until the onions are just starting to brown.
- Stir in the gram flour and cook 2–3 minutes to remove the raw taste, stirring continuously so it doesn’t stick.
- Add red chilli powder, amchur and turmeric powder. Cook for a few seconds then tip in the boiled and mashed potatoes. Mix well.
- Add salt and sugar. Remove from heat, stir in a handful of chopped fresh coriander, and cool the filling completely.
- On a flat surface, roll out one sheet of puff pastry.
- Spread the cooled onion filling evenly over the pastry, leaving a 1 cm border on the long side.
- Starting from the long edge, roll the pastry into a tight log and press the seam to seal.
- Wrap the log in cling film and chill in the fridge for 20–30 minutes until firm (this makes slicing neater).
- Remove cling film and slice the log into 18-20 pinwheels about 1–1.5 cm thick. Place them cut-side up on the lined tray, leaving space between each.
- Brush pinwheels with milk.
- Bake at 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan) for 15–20 minutes, until golden, puffed and crisp. Rotate the tray halfway if needed.
Air Fryer
- Place pinwheels in the airfryer basket and cook at 180ºC / 356ºF for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Pyaaz Kachori Pinwheels
Ingredients
- 1 roll puff pastry sheet 320g
- 3 onion chopped
- 2 medium potato boiled and mashed
- 1 tablespoon gram flour
- 2 tablespoon oil
- ¼ teaspoon hing
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kashmiri chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon amchoor powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon coriander leaves chopped
- 1 tablespoon milk for the glaze
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan).
- In a pan, dry roast 1 tsp cumin seeds, fennel seeds, coriander seeds and black pepper on low heat. Once fragrant, remove from the heat and grind coarsely in a pestle and mortar. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tsp cumin and let them sizzle for a few seconds then add hing.
- Add the finely chopped onions, and a pinch of salt. Sauté until soft. Add in the ginger and green chillies and cook until the onions are just starting to brown.
- Stir in the gram flour and cook 2–3 minutes to remove the raw taste, stirring continuously so it doesn’t stick.
- Add red chilli powder, amchur and turmeric powder. Cook for a few seconds then tip in the boiled and mashed potatoes. Mix well.
- Add salt and sugar. Remove from heat, stir in a handful of chopped fresh coriander, and cool the filling completely.
- On a flat surface, roll out one sheet of puff pastry.
- Spread the cooled onion filling evenly over the pastry, leaving a 1 cm border on the long side.
- Starting from the long edge, roll the pastry into a tight log and press the seam to seal.
- Wrap the log in cling film and chill in the fridge for 20–30 minutes until firm (this makes slicing neater).
- Remove cling film and slice the log into 18-20 pinwheels about 1–1.5 cm thick. Place them cut-side up on the lined tray, leaving space between each.
- Brush pinwheels with milk.
- Bake at 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan) for 15–20 minutes, until golden, puffed and crisp. Rotate the tray halfway if needed.
Air Fryer
- Place pinwheels in the airfryer basket and cook at 180ºC / 356ºF for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
This Eggless Rasmalai Cake recipe is sure to wow your guests! In this recipe, eggless sponge cake layers with ras malai flavorings are covered in a fresh whipped cream frosting. The cake is finished with pieces of ras malai, rose petals, nuts and silver leaf.
Perfect for birthdays, celebrations and festivals such as Diwali or Eid! Plenty of options and variations, such as Ras Malai Tres Leches Cake , are included in the post.
Note – This recipe has been updated from the archives – first published in February 2018. I’ve added new images and helpful content.
This fabulous Ras Malai cake is inspired by the the classic Indian milk sweet, Ras Malai.
Ras Malai is prepared by soaking paneer (cheese) patties (malai) in a fragrant sweet milk cream (ras). The patties absorb the milk to become soft and spongy.
This Ras Malai Cake incorporates the best of both worlds – the sponge cake is flavoured with cardamom and pistachio and is topped with real pieces of ras malai! It is a wonderful fusion dessert that looks fabulous at parties and get-togethers!
Check out this list of other Indian Fusion Desserts
This collection of Indian desserts or sweets with milk is perfect for the festive season.
Ingredients
Full ingredients with measurements are available in the recipe card below at the end of this post
Eggless Sponge Cake Ingredients
- plain flour or all purpose flour
- powdered sugar also known as caster sugar
- full-fat plain yogurt
- sunflower oil or vegetable oil – basically any flavourless oil
- full-fat milk (whole milk)
- cardamom powder and ground pistachio – I basically ground down cardamom pods and pistachio in a spice grinder
- bicarbonate of soda – use a new batch of baking soda and baking powder for the best results
- baking powder
- vanilla extract
Decoration Ingredients
- ras malai – you can use homemade or shop-bought. Any brand will do, you can even use frozen ras malai but ensure to thaw thoroughly. You will be using both the malai and the milk part
- double cream (heavy whipping cream)
- pistachio slivers – you may want to use other nuts such as almonds
- saffron threads – optional
- rose petals
- edible silver leaf or varq
How to make Ras Malai Cake
Eggless Sponge
You have two options when making the sponge. Either double the recipe and prepare one large sponge cake and cut in half or prepare two separate sponge cakes. Alternatively, if you do not want a layered cake then you can prepare a single layer and decorate as below.
Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4, 180C or 360F.
In a bowl, whisk the yogurt and bicarbonate of soda until bubbly.
To the milk, add ground pistachio and cardamom and allow to infuse. You can add saffron if you wish.
In a bowl, whisk together the oil and caster sugar until well combined. Add in the frothy yogurt and the milk. Add in the vanilla essence. Optionally use rose or kewra essence
Sieve in the plain flour and baking powder and fold in gently to create a smooth batter. Add in spoons of milk at a time if the batter appears thick.
Pour the batter into the lined cake tin then tap lightly to even out the mixture
Place in the centre of the preheated oven and bake for around 45 minutes. You can test “doneness” by poking the centre with a tooth pick. If the tooth pick comes out clean,
Allow the cakes to cool down completely then cut off the top of the cake so the top is flat. Set aside whilst you prepare the whipped cream.
Decorate
Whip double cream until you reach soft peaks. Pour in a few spoons of the ras or milk from the ras malai packet and fold in gently.
Place a layer of the sponge on a plate or cake stand. Brush or spoon over some of the ras from the ras malai and allow to soak into the sponge.
Spread over a layer of cream. Alternatively, crumble the malai and create a ras malai layer.
Now place the second sponge directly on top and spoon over some milk.
Now you want to cover the top and the sides of the cake with the whipped cream.
Top the cake with pieces of ras malai and decorate with rose petals, pistachios and edible silver or gold leaf as you wish.
Rasmalai Tres Leches Cake
You can easily make this recipe into a ras malai tres leches cake as well!
Tres Leche Cake is a Latin American recipe. Tres leches cake is typically made from a light, sponge cake that is soaked in a mixture of three different types of milk – condensed milk, evaporated milk and cream. It is also known as pastel de tres leches in Spanish.
So, in a ras malai tres leches cake, the sponge is served with extra milk from the ras malai making it extra sweet, creamy and decadent!
Pro Tips and Variations
You can make two individual sponge cakes by making the recipe twice and layer or double the recipe and cake a single large cake and half it. The other option is to make a single layered cake that is smaller.
Either add a cream layer between the sponges or pieces or crumbled ras malai. Note that the second option will be quite heavy.
Prepare Rasmalai Tres Leches Cake by pouring over extra ras malai milk.
Storage
This is a fresh cream cake so it must be stored in the fridge. I recommend keeping the cake covered to prevent any harsh smells from the fridge settling on the cake.
Other Eggless Cake Recipes
Gulab Jamun Cake
Rose and Pistachio Baklava Cake
Baked Cheesecake
Instant Pot Revani (semolina cake)
Chocolate Orange Cake
Coconut Cake
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
- YouTube
Ras Malai Cake (Eggless)
Equipment
- 7 inch cake pan this recipe is based on a 7 inch cake pan
- Parchment paper to line the cake tin
- Hand mixer or whisk to whip the cream
Ingredients
Ras malai cake
- 4 pieces ras malai with 100 milliliters thickened milk (ras)
- 600 milliliters double Cream or heavy cream
- 2 tablespoon pistachio slivers
- edible silver foil optional
- 2 tablespoon rose petals
Eggless Sponge (for 1 sponge)
- 1 cup plain flour
- ½ cup caster sugar
- ½ cup full-fat plain yogurt
- ⅓ cup sunflower oil
- ¾ cup full-fat milk or whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon pistachio ground
- ½ teaspoon cardamom ground
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4, 180C or 360F.
- In a bowl, whisk the 1/2 cup full-fat plain yogurt and 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda until bubbly.
- To the 3/4 cup full-fat milk , add 2 tablespoon pistachio and 1/2 teaspoon cardamom and allow to infuse. You can add saffron if you wish.
- In a bowl, whisk together the 1/3 cup sunflower oil and 1/2 cup caster sugar until well combined. Add in the frothy yogurt and the infused milk . Add in the 1 teaspoon vanilla extract . Optionally use rose or kewra essence.
- Sieve in the 1 cup plain flour and 1 teaspoon baking powder and fold in gently to create a smooth batter. Add in spoons of milk at a time if the batter appears thick.
- Pour the batter into the lined cake tin then tap lightly to even out the mixture
- Place in the centre of the preheated oven and bake for around 45 minutes. You can test “doneness” by poking the centre with a tooth pick. If the tooth pick comes out clean, it’s done.
- Allow the cakes to cool down completely then cut off the top of the cake so the top is flat. Set aside whilst you prepare the whipped cream.
Decorate
- Whip 600 milliliters double Cream until you reach soft peaks. Pour in a few spoons of the ras or milk from the ras malai packet and fold in gently.
- Place a layer of the sponge on a plate or cake stand. Brush or spoon over some of the ras from the ras malai and allow to soak into the sponge.
- Spread over a layer of cream. Alternatively, crumble the malai and create a ras malai layer.
- Now place the second sponge directly on top and spoon over some milk.
- Now you want to cover the top and the sides of the cake with the whipped cream.
- Top the cake with 4 pieces ras malai and decorate with 2 tablespoon rose petals 2 tablespoon pistachio slivers and edible silver foil or gold leaf as you wish.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
