Shital's-Kitchen: Amritsari Kulcha & Chole

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Amritsari Kulcha & Chole

A delicious brunch of Amritsari Kulcha & Chole seems to be a popular dish amongst people in the North of India. That is where the name Amritsari comes from (North Indian city of Amritsar). I have never been there, but am always fascinated by the beautiful Golden Temple and the pictures I have seen. I have heard of delicious, hearty food of Amritsar: flat breads with a spoonful of ghee and spicy curries, sounds awesomely amazing!!

Kwality Sweets, (formerly known as Lucky Dhabba) in Sunnyvale, serves delicious weekend brunch of non-fried Amritsari Kulcha and Chole. We just love it! A very rustic, picnic food it is. Yes, we would normally box their food to carry it to a strawberry picking or a cherry picking picnic. After few hours of fruit picking, we would spread our plastic mats under the cherry tree and enjoy this delicious Indian meal. Doesn't that sound fun? You could also prepare these delicious Kulchas and enjoy them at home. Here is a perfect recipe for perfect kulchas every time.

To make 6 Kulchas:
2 cups all-purpose flour/maida (you could also use whole wheat flour for health purpose)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ghee
1/2 cup plain yogurt/ dahi

For the filling
2 large potatoes (boiled)
salt to taste
lime juice
Chopped green chillies (to your spice level)
1 tsp. garam masala powder
1 tsp. grated ginger 

To garnish kulcha
2 tbsp. coarsely ground coriander seeds
Chopped cilantro
Red chilli powder

  • Mix 2 cups all-purpose flour/maida with 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. ghee and 1/2 cup plain yogurt/ dahi. Use some water (if needed) to make a soft dough. (You could substitute wheat flour for all purpose flour too.) 
  • Remove the dough on a clean, flat surface. Knead the dough well. If the dough feel sticky, do not worry. As you work the dough, it tends to get less sticky. You could also divide the dough into 2 parts and knead each part separately. Make a soft ball of a well kneaded dough and set it aside covered for 20-25 minutes.  
  • Boil 2 large potatoes. Cool and peel them. Add 1 tsp. salt, lime juice, chopped green chillies (to taste), 1 tsp. garam masala powder, and 1 tsp. grated ginger. Mix well and keep the filling aside 
  • Divide your well rested kulcha dough into 6 equal parts.
  • Grease the dough with some ghee or oil and flatten it. You could use a rolling pin to roll the dough to 3-4 inch diameter.
  • Place 1 part of potato filling on the dough. Bring the sides together. Press them well to fuse it well. Make a smooth ball. Use your fingers to flatten it gently. You could also use a rolling pin the roll the stuffed dough. Roll the dough to form a even 6-7 inch flat bread/kulcha.  
  • Sprinkle some ground coriander seeds and press them in well. Sprinkle some cilantro and chilli powder too.
  • Preheat the oven to 500F temperature or the highest temperature on your convection oven. I also like to use baking stone/pizza stone to bake them evenly. You could use regular baking sheet too. Always preheat baking stone for 15 minutes.
  • Gently place each kulcha on the hot baking stone. Bake kulchas for 5-6 minutes (or till they turn golden brown) on 500F temperature. The key is to create tandoor like temperature and to cook them on high heat. This will make the kulchas cook evenly but yet remain soft. Slow baking will make the kulchas hard and crisp.
  • Remove when done and apply some butter or ghee. 
  • Serve with sliced onions and hot, spicy Chole or your favorite curry or just chilled yogurt.

Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe to make 6 Kulchas:
Mix 2 cups all-purpose flour/maida with 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. ghee and 1/2 cup plain yogurt/ dahi. Use some water (if needed) to make a soft dough.
(You could substitute wheat flour for all purpose flour too.)

Since I wanted to share Kulchas with my next door neighbor and my friend, I doubled the ingredients. This just reminded me of my childhood in India.  Every time mummy cooked some new and delicious dish/meal, she would ask us to take some for our next door neighbors. This was always mutual! We would be so excited when our neighbors would bring in some delicacy to taste :) This sharing never ended!!







Remove the dough on a clean, flat surface. Knead the dough well. If the dough feel sticky, do not worry. As you work the dough, it tends to get less sticky. You could also divide the dough into 2 parts and knead each part separately. Make a soft ball of a well kneaded dough and set it aside covered for 20-25 minutes.











To prepare filling for 6 kulchas :
Boil 2 large potatoes. Cool and peel them. Add 1 tsp. salt, lime juice, chopped green chillies (to taste), 1 tsp. garam masala powder, and 1 tsp. grated ginger. Mix well and keep the filling aside.








Chole/ Chickpea curry was almost ready simmering away for more taste!
For the recipe of Chole, click on the link here:  http://shitals-kitchen.blogspot.com/2013/04/chole-bature.html

Use a mortar and pestle to roughly grind 2 tbsp. coriander seeds.
These will be used to top the kulchas.

Finely chop cilantro and keep some red chilli powder too for kulchas.
Workplace read to begin rolling Kulchas!!

Divide your well rested kulcha dough into 6 equal parts.



 Grease the dough with some ghee or oil and flatten it. You could use a rolling pin to roll the dough to 3-4 inch diameter.





Place 1 part of potato filling on the dough. Bring the sides together. Press them well to fuse it well. Make a smooth ball. Use your fingers to flatten it gently. You could also use a rolling pin the roll the stuffed dough. Roll the dough to form a even 6-7 inch flat bread/kulcha. 















Sprinkle some ground coriander seeds and press them in well. Sprinkle some cilantro and chilli powder too.





Prepare all kulchas first and then bake them or you could do it in batches too.



Preheat the oven to 500F temperature or the highest temperature on your convection oven. I also like to use baking stone/pizza stone to bake them evenly. Always preheat baking stone for 15 minutes.
Oven stone tends to turn dark with more baking process, so please do not think my baking stone is dirty :) 

Gently place each kulcha on the hot baking stone. Bake kulchas for 5-6 minutes (or till they turn golden brown) on 500F temperature. The key is to create tandoor like temperature and to cook them on high heat. This will make the kulchas cook evenly but yet remain soft. Slow baking will make the kulchas hard and crisp.


Kulchas puff up while cooking. This will ensure even cooking :) 
Love it!!

Remove when done and apply some butter or ghee.

Kulchas can also be made in Tandoor.
Here are the pictures on Kulchas made in charcoal tandoor




They would look crisp at first, but they are well done and deliciously soft from inside.




Serve with sliced onions and hot, spicy Chole or your favorite curry or just chilled yogurt.




 Plan this for your weekend brunch too!!

37 comments:

  1. Beautiful looking Chole Kulchas Shital...Muh me pani aa gayaaa....:-)

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  2. Wow this looking so beautiful and professional.. Thank you so much for sharing. Will try it out.

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  3. Thanks for the recipe! I want to try it for a dinner with friends but wanted to check if i can make the dough a day in advance or may be even half bake the kulchas a day in advance - have you tried that?

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    1. Ritu, you could make the dough a day ahead and refrigerate. let it come to room temperature before you make the kulchas. You could rool the kulchas and keep them ready before guests arrive and then just bake them. Grease the bottom of each kulcha and keep them covered so that it does not stick to the surface or do not dry out. I have not tried baking them partially a day ahead.

      Enjoy!

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  4. thank you shital for wonderful recipe.. i just randomly came across this on web! :) wonderful and yummy brunch time :)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks a lot for stopping by and checking out my blog. :)

      Happy cooking!

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  5. Is baking powder and baking soda the same ?

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    1. Hello Gimisha, Baking powder and baking soda are different. However, you could use baking powder instead of baking soda in this recipe.

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  6. Kulcha looks yummm Sheetal. Plan to make it sometime this week. I dont have the baking stone, Can I use a regular baking tray?

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Rinjal, Yes you could use baking tray instead of baking stone. You need not preheat the tray. just preheat the oven to the highest temperature and then bake for 4-5 minutes or till it turns golden brown. also immediately remove and place it on a rack so that the bottom surface does not turn moist.

      Happy Cooking! :)

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  7. Can I make this with 100% whole wheat flour? Will it turn out soft.

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    Replies
    1. You can surely use whole wheat flour, but it might not taste the same. You can try one if it remains soft. If not, make it like aloo paratha. :)

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  8. Hi I Tried this stuffing and topping on a normal roti dough and baked it in conventional oven as suggested. It was of ok taste.. I liked it for my lunch.. Thanks for the idea. let me try your original version one day :)

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    1. Thanks for the feedback. Yes wheat flour will not give the same effect as maida. :) Do try it again and let me know how it turns out.

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  9. Hello Shital,
    Finally made these yesterday.Turned out very good.Your recipe and pictures were very helpful.The only caveat was that the base turned out a little hard becasue i made them on the grill pan since i didnt have any pizza stone.But must say your blog is awesome.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Pallavi! :) If using a regular metal pan, spread a sheet of parchment paper to reduce the contact with heat.

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  10. your blog is awesome ... I am going to try this soon. Could you please share where did you buy the pizza stone in the oven ???

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    1. Thank you! I bought this from target. there are many different ones available. You can buy any.

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  11. Hi sheetal .. Can we make these on tava? Will they turn out the same ?

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    1. Rajashri, you can make this on tawa but it will not give the same effect. By putting in very hot oven, I tried to create tandoor like effect and making the entire kulcha cook at the same time. On tawa you will have to cook each side but that is okay. You can cover the tawa with a dome shaped lid so that the hot air is trapped in to cook the kulcha. but flip it and cook on both side and then transfer it onto the open flame to give taste and texture.

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  12. Sheetal i have been thinking to try this so tempting...i do not have baking soda but have eno salt ...can it b used otherwise i have to wait for the weekend to try ;)

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    Replies
    1. Deepa, eno will not work. You can use baking powder if you have.

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  13. Lovely recipe the chole turned out very good.
    The Kulchas were not as soft but plain ones came out soft. What can I do diff to make the stuffed ones soft too?

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    Replies
    1. Bake them at the highest temperature for a short time to make it soft. Also keep the dough a bit more soft by adding some more water to it.

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  14. Thanks Shital these kulchas turned out awesome. Itbwa as perfect brunch. I also had a question. Can I make pudina parathas same way.since your other recipe requires yeast.
    Thanks

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    1. Thank u so much. Yes, you can make pudina kulcha the same way like Amritsari kulcha.

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  15. These kulchas n Chole were a hit for my family gathering last week. Thanks so much. I however could feel the taste of baking soda . should I reduce the qty? Or should it be cooked.more? Pls suggest.. Thanks

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  16. Thanks for the recipe, everything was perfect. This is what my husband said -While eating vishal was " har nivale pe subhan allah kehne ka dil karta hai, ab har peer k din hum apki rasoi se aisa hi khana kha ayenge" thanks thanks again

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  17. thank you shital for wonderful recipe.. i just randomly came across this on web! :) wonderfully explained with pictures. I have to ask you whether oven has to be kept on ' top ' mode or on 'both ' mode.

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  18. Thank you Shital for a wonderful and detailed recipe. I tried it and it was an absolute hit !

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  19. I dont have pizza stone...You said we can use parchment paper but I read somewhere that it will burn on 500 degrees..Is it true??

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  20. I don't have oven
    Org I have, can we cook kulcha in OTG
    or tava?

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  21. Hi Shital, should we flip sides of the kulcha in the oven?
    Love your recipes. Thanks!

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  22. I hardly comment anymore on blogs. But had to put a comment here! Mouthwatering kulchas! Trying them tomorrow itself!!!

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