Amritsar, the Golden City is called the hub of street foods. Count on any flavours, savoury, sweet, tangy, chatpata, you can find varieties of recipes being sold and served at almost every nukkad and street of the city.
Kulcha is one such famous street food found on the narrow lanes of Amritsar. It is also one of the popular breakfasts there. Served along with pindi chhole or soya masala and chutneys and pickles, this dish can bring water to the mouth. Kulchas are made of varieties, and paneer and aloo kulchas are the most sold and loved ones. The soft texture makes it melt in the mouth and is perfectly paired with masaledaar chhole. It could easily be made at home and make you have the taste of Amritsar comfortably sitting at your home.
Maida flour, water, a dash of salt, and a leavening agent (old kulcha dough or yeast) are all combined by hand to form a very tight dough while making kulcha. This dough is covered with a damp cloth and allowed to stand in a warm location for about an hour. The outcome is a minimal amount of minor leavening of the dough. The flour is again hand-kneaded before being formed into a flat, oblong shape with a rolling pin. Tandoors are earthen clay ovens where food is baked till done. Although it is not required, it is frequently coated with butter or ghee before baking.
Ingredients:
Dough
- 2 cups Maida
- 1/4 cup Yoghurt/dahi
- 1 tsp powdered Sugar
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 1 tsp Carom seeds/ajwain
- Warm Water/Milk to knead
Stuffing
- 3-4 boiled mashed Potatoes
- 1/2 cup fresh Paneer
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp Red chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp Coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp Amchoor powder
- 1/4 tsp Garam masala
- 2 tsp Ginger Green chilli paste
- Some fresh Coriander
- Oil for brushing
Method
For The Dough
- In a mixing bowl, add warm water, warm milk, curd, sugar and ghee, mix well until the sugar dissolves.
- Further, use a sieve and sift the dry ingredients together, add them in the water milk mixture and combine well, once they all come together, transfer it over the kitchen platform or in a large vessel and knead well, knead it well for at least 12-15 minutes while stretching it
- Initially you’ll feel the dough is very sticky, but don’t worry as and when you knead it will smoothen and form like a proper dough
- Keep kneading until it's smooth, soft & stretchy. Shape in a big size dough ball by tucking inwards and to make a smooth surface, apply some ghee over the dough surface and cover it with a cling wrap or a lid
- Rest the dough in a warm place for at least an hour, after the rest, knead the dough once again and divide in equal size dough balls
- Apply some oil over the dough balls surface and rest them for at least ½ an hour, make sure to keep them covered with a damp cloth
- By the time they are resting you can make other components
For the Stuffing
- Set a pan on low flame, add jeera & coriander seeds, and dry roast them on low flame until they are fragrant, transfer them in a mortar pestle and cool down a little bit, further crush them coarsely and keep aside to be used in making the kulcha filling
- Prefer to grate the boiled potatoes instead of mashing them, as when you'll roll the kulchas the small potato chunks in the filling may come out
- For making the filling, add grated potatoes & all the remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl, along with the crushed cumin & coriander seeds, mix well
- Add onions to the mixture, but make sure to add them just before making the kulchas or else the raw onions may leave a smell in the entire filling, mix & combine well, the kulcha filling is ready to be used
This Amritsari Aloo Paneer Kulcha can make your day if served for the morning breakfast and can keep one full for longer.