Sift the flour, salt and soda bicarbonate together. Add oil and mix well. Knead into a soft dough using sufficient water. Cover with a moist cloth and set aside. Soak the urad dal in two cups of water for an hour.
Drain and coarsely grind using a little water. Peel, wash and finely chop ginger. Remove stem, wash and chop green chilli. Roughly chop cashewnuts. Wash raisins and pat them dry.
Heat ghee in a kadai and add the ground dal,besan, ginger, green chilli, asafoetida, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder, fennel powder, cashewnuts and raisins. Cook till all the moisture has dried up. Add sugar, salt and lemon juice.
Mix well and remove off the heat, let the mixture cool. Divide into portions. Divide the flour dough into equal balls. Roll out into small puris so that they are thinner around the edges and thicker in the centre.
Place a portion of stuffing in the centre and bring the edges together to form a ball. Flatten slightly. Heat sufficient oil in a kadai and deep fry kachoris on low heat for three to five minutes or until golden brown and crisp.
Serve with tamarind chutney.
