Raksha Bandhan Feast: How About Matar Kulcha For Dinner?

The best thing about Indian culture is its festivals. Rakshabandhan is a festival of love and family. Siblings express their love for each other and families visit each other. Rakhi gatherings are all about food. So much variety is served during the day that you don't feel like eating anything heavy at dinner. But this remains the constant problem about what to serve at the Rakhi dinner. Matar Kulcha is the perfect option! One of Delhi's most well-known street foods is matar kulcha. a traditional vegetarian dish comprises spiced dried white peas (matar), white flatbread (kulcha), and other ingredients. "Safed matar" or "vatana" are two names for the dried white peas. They are used to prepare the Aloo Tikki Chaat and the ragda pattice, both renowned street foods in Mumbai. The white peas (matar), which are smaller and precisely rounded than chickpeas (chana), have a similar appearance.

Here's how you can make matar Kulcha at home-

1. White peas , soaked for 7-8 hours, drained, pressure cooked w 1 1/2 cups

2. Kulchas to serve

3. Fresh mint leaves 1 cup

4. Cumin seeds 1 1/2 teaspoons

5. Black peppercorns 1 teaspoon

6. Fennel seeds (saunf) 1 teaspoon

7. Black cardamom 1

8. Dried red chillies , broken 2

9. Asafoetida (hing) 1/2 teaspoon

10. Dried mango powder (amchur) 1 teaspoon

11. Black salt (kala namak) to taste

12. Tamarind pulp 1 teaspoon

13. Oil 1 teaspoon

14. Red chilli powder 1 teaspoon

15. Chaat masala 1 teaspoon + for sprinkling

16. Coriander powder 1 teaspoon

17. Roasted cumin powder 1 teaspoon

18. Salt to taste

19. Chopped onion for garnish

20. Chopped tomato for garnish

21. Chopped fresh coriander leaves for garnish

22. Thin ginger strips for garnish

23. Slit green chilli for garnish

24. Lemon wedges for garnish

matar kulcha/ pinterest.com

1. Mint leaves should be placed in a grinder jar together with 1 teaspoon each of cumin, black pepper, fennel, black cardamom, dried red chillies, asafoetida, dried mango powder, black salt, tamarind pulp, and enough water to create a smooth mixture.

2. Add roasted cumin powder, red chilli powder, chaat masala, coriander powder, and a half teaspoon of cumin seeds to heated oil in a non-stick pan. Stir well and saute for one minute.

3. Mix in the cooked white pea mixture. Add salt, then stir. Add a cup of water, stir, and mash the mixture. For 1-2 minutes, cook.

4. Mix and mash the ground mint leaves before adding them. Cook the mixture for 2 minutes, or until it slightly thickens.

5. Pour the white pea mixture into a serving dish. Add some tomato and onion to the top.

6. Add some coriander leaves, ginger slices, and split green chilies as garnish.

7. Place a lemon wedge on the top and sprinkle some chaat masala. 

8. Serve hot with kulcha.