• Take a fine-meshed sieve and rinse the urad dal under cold running water to clean any dirt or dust. Set it aside to drain. Transfer the rinsed dal to a bowl and add double times the water to soak the lentils for 3-4 hours or overnight.
  
• Make sure you use a large bowl to soak the lentils as they will double in size. After the soak time is over, drain and rinse the lentils again. 
  

PREPARE KACHORI FILLING

• Add the soaked urad dal to the Instant Pot insert. Add salt, turmeric, and give it a good stir.
  
• Close the lid and seal the Instant Pot. Press the Manual or pressure cook button and cook the Urad dal for 4 minutes on HIGH.
  
• Once the cooking time has elapsed, turn the steam valve to the venting position to quickly release the pressure. When the pin drops, carefully open the Instant Pot lid.
  
• Strain the cooked dal through a strainer. Allow all the water to drain through. Rinse the dal once again and set it aside to cool and drain thoroughly.
  
• Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed wide pan. Once hot, add hing and mustard seeds and let them pop.
  
•  Sauté for a minute.
  
• Now add the cooked and thoroughly drained urad dal to the pan. Sauté the dal for 3-4 minutes over medium heat. 
  
• Now stir in all the spices and
  
• Mix until thoroughly combined. 
  
• Finally, add besan (chickpea flour) to the urad dal.
  
• Sauté the dal mixture for 6-7 minutes over medium-low heat.
  
• Add kasoori methi, fennel seeds, garam masala, and mix until combined. Sauté the dal mixture for additional 2-3 minutes. Then take it off the flame and set it aside. Add chopped cilantro leaves, mix, and allow this mix to cool completely.
  

PREPARE MINI PHYLLO CUPS

• Before you start working with Phyllo sheets, I would recommend setting up your workstation first.

  Get the wooden surface or chopping board ready, butter in a bowl, muffin pan, a kitchen towel, pastry brush, pizza cutter, and of course, thawed phyllo sheets as per package instructions.

  This beforehand organization will make the whole process go smoother.

  Remove the Phyllo sheets from the box. Unwrap one roll of phyllo dough and lay it flat on a clean surface.
  
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

  Remove the number of sheets you want to use for this recipe and roll the remaining sheets. Wrap it in its plastic wrap and store the sheets back in the refrigerator.

  PROTIP – 1. The thicker the cup, the better. The thicker phyllo cup is capable enough to handle our filling.

  2. Phyllo sheets must be completely thawed and at room temperature for best results.
  
• Cover the sheets you are working on with a moist kitchen towel to prevent drying and breaking the sheets. For this recipe, I am working with 6 sheets at a time.
  
• Melt butter in a microwavable bowl. Lay one sheet on a clean surface and brush the entire sheet with butter or oil. Be careful while working with the phyllo sheet, as it is very delicate and may break.

  PROTIP - You may have to hold the sheet from one end, as they are paper-thin sheets and may curl up while applying butter.
  
• Uncover the second sheet and lay it on top of the buttered phyllo sheet. Press gently so that the sheets stick to each other.

  Repeat the process – cover the whole sheet with a thin layer of butter. Continue this process with the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth sheets.
  
• Once you have a stack of 6 sheets, all buttered up, split them into 12 pieces. Depending on your preference, you can divide them into desired shapes – square or a circle.

  PROTIP – Keep the square slightly bigger than the muffin pan cavity.
  
• Grease a muffin pan. Apply butter inside each mold of the muffin pan. Transfer a phyllo sheets square into the greased muffin pan. Gently press each square into the mold of a muffin pan.

  Press the squares evenly around the edges to prevent air pockets. Poke a few tiny-sized holes at the bottom of each cup to let the steam escape.
  
• Now that our phyllo cups are set into the muffin pan, it’s time to bake them.

  Bake at 350 degrees F for 9-10 minutes or until golden. Keep a watchful eye as these sheets get burnt easily.
  
• Once done and beautifully baked, remove the phyllo cups from the oven. Let them cool for a few minutes, then remove them from the muffin pan.

  Since the muffin pan was greased, the baked phyllo cups will slide out easily.

  For some reason, if they are stuck to the pan’s bottom, take a butter knife and give the phyllo cups a slight push; it will come out effortlessly.

  Bite-sized phyllo cups are ready to be filled.
  

ASSEMBLE BAKED KACHORI BITES

• Before we start assembling the baked phyllo cups, gather all the ingredients.

  Arrange a baked cup on a plate.
  
• Fill this baked phyllo cup with kachori filling.
  
• Generously top the filling with green chutney.
  
• Some tamarind chutney.
  
• Finish off each phyllo bite with a final drizzle of green chutney and meethi chutney. Add chopped green chilies, chopped onions, and a layer of thin sev on top for an extra crunch.
  
• Sprinkle some pomegranate seeds, chopped cilantro leaves, and serve. Enjoy the crispier and flakier Kachori cups.
  
• You have to savor each bite. As you dig deep into the baked phyllo bites, you will feel the crunchy texture of onions, spice from the green chilies, and the tangy flavor from the chutneys exploding in your mouth.