Kulcha Recipe | Indian Bread Recipes

Kulcha is popular North Indian flat bread originated from Punjab, you can say it's from the popular Naan family.  Kulcha can be made in oven or in stove top and today's method I am showing here is stove top ie tawa.  First time I had kulcha in Delhi and I loved it instantly whenever I go to Delhi or even a stop over at Delhi airport Kulcha in menu is must for me and if lucky flights from Delhi serves hot kulcha chole some time too.  

Like paratha Kulcha too made with stuffing of various kind and the popular one being paneer, aloo, onion etc the most popular side dish with kulcha is chole beatable combo but one can have it with any paneer dish if having plain kulcha.  Kulcha recipe is very simple it's just required the time to ferment and longer we ferment dough the better it is,  I have fermented for 2 hours but if you can do it for more time or better prepare the dough at night and make kulcha next day morning and it will be very soft and spongy.  If you preparing this for Iftar then make the dough in morning and prepare kulcha at evening it will be just perfect.

I like to add nigella seeds (kalonji) in kulcha as it's done in few dhaba but if you don't like or eat nigella seeds then you can skip it the kulcha still taste delicious as it suppose to be and enjoy the hot kulcha with chole or pindi chole. And before moving over to recipe warm Ramadan Kareem to readers celebrating Holy Month.

Kulcha Recipe

Author: Priti | Category: Main Course | Cuisine: Punjabi - North Indian
Prep Time: 2 hours 15 Mins | Cook Time: 20 Mins | Total Time: 2 hours 35 Mins

Yields: 5-6 Kulcha

Ingredients:

Plain Flour/Maida - 2 Cups + For dusting
Soda-bi-Carb - 1/4 tsp
Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp or to taste
Sugar - 2 tsp
Oil or Ghee - 2 tsp
Yogurt/Curd - 1/4 Cup
Warm Milk - 1/2 Cup or as requied
Carom Seeds/Ajwain - 1/2 tsp [optional]
Kalonji/Nigella Seeds - 1 tsp [optional]
Oil or Ghee or Butter - For frying

Method:

1. Sieve flour, baking powder, soda, salt in a bowl.  Add 2 tsp oil, carom seeds (if using), sugar, curd and mix well.

2. Add milk in small quantity, knead and make smooth dough. 

3. Apply little oil over dough, cover with a damp clean cloth and keep aside for dough to ferment 2 hours or more (5 to 6 hours or even over night).
4. After 2 hours knead dough again for 2-3 minutes and divide in to equal portions and make smooth balls, we can let the balls again sit for 10 minutes.

4. Dust with flour, flatten flour and roll in medium size kulcha.

5. Sprinkle little nigella seeds/kalonji and roll again for the seeds to stick with kulcha, cover the kulcha again with dump cloth until we roll remaining kulchas. Repeat the same for rest of dough.
7. Heat a tava or griddle, brush rolled kulcha nigella sides with water and place water brushed side facing tava. Keep the tava in medium to high flame.

8. Let it cook for a minute or until bubbles starts to appear. Flip the kulcha and apply oil/ghee and let it cook for another minute.
9. Flip the kulcha again and apply oil or ghee on another side and cook for a minute again or until both sides its fully cooked & nice brown patches appears.  Do the same for remaining kulcha.

Serve kulcha warm with chana masala, chole or paneer butter masala and a salad on side, curd, pickle.

Have a nice day.