kalpana’s la cucina..... spice 4 all seasons: TAWA KULCHA

_________________I am Mrs. Kalpana Mhaske, a Home-Maker, from the city of 52-Gates, one of the famous heritage- destination of the world- Ajanta - Ellora Caves, Bibi-Ka- Maqbara (The Taj of Deccan) and Deogiri Fort. i.e. AURANGABAD. I admire cooking - tryout and innovate different cuisines. Basically, both of my gorgeous daughters are foodie, they have always encouraged me in the kitchen and forced to carve a Food Blog, that’s why, I am happy to share the makings with you. I am an artist too. Painting – especially, Canvas-Painting is my one more hobby. In total - Ours is an ART-FAMILY, my husband is an Architect. In the end, I keep the same belief with Louise Fresco - “ Food, in the end, in our own tradition, is something holy. It's not about nutrients and calories. It's about sharing. It’s about honesty. it’s about identity ”

Wednesday 13 April 2022

TAWA KULCHA

Today, I am sharing Kulcha recipe on a stove top. Amritsari Kulcha is a delicious flatbread that is crispy on the outside with melt in mouth texture from the inside and topped with few aromatic Indian spices. Amritsari Kulcha with Chole or Dal Makhani is an authentic Punjabi meal of Amritsar. It is a heavenly delight on the palate and plate. My younger daughter love Stuffed Kulcha a lot. She enjoy it as it is or with some garlic chutney. I have never been to Amritsar and never tried Kulcha from Amritsar, but few years back my daughter visited Amritsar and there she had Kulcha outside Golden Temple and from that time she is a very big fan of stuffed/ plain kulcha. So I googled for the recipe and tried Chef Kunal Kapoor's recipe. It's very easy and simple recipe. There are many varieties of Kulcha bread like Onion Kulcha, Paneer Kulcha, Cheese Kulcha, Masala Kulcha, Kashmiri Kulcha, Butter Kulcha etc. But her most favourite is onion kulcha as well as plain kulcha. Kulchas are actually pretty easy to make at home and only need a few ingredients. Here for this recipe, I have used curd, baking powder, baking soda which keeps the dough soft and really light. It is a perfect Indian bread recipe for breakfast, Lunch or dinner. I used All purpose flour / Maida, but you can use half whole wheat flour or only whole wheat flour. Use the right amount of spice combination for the topping. Brush it finally with butter mixture to enhance the taste. More the butter, more better the taste. I've broken this recipe down into multiple steps so that it's easy for you to make kulchas at home. It's so easy make homemade kulchas with my recipe. So do try it and share your suggestions and feedbacks.

[ 6 medium KULCHA ]

INGREDIENTS :

For making the Dough -

2 Cup Maida

4 tablespoon Curd

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Salt

4 tablespoon Butter (melted)

Water , as needed

2 tablespoon Chopped Coriander

For Smearing the Kulcha -

1 teaspoon Onion Seeds / Kalonji (see notes )

1 teaspoon Coriander Seeds / Sukha Dhaniya

1 teaspoon Dried Pomegranate Seeds / Sukha Anardana

1/4 teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder

1/4 teaspoon Chaat Masala ( see notes )

1 teaspoon roughly crushed Garlic

More Butter , to smear

METHOD :

For making the Dough -

STEP 1 - In a mixing bowl, add maida, curd, baking powder, baking soda, salt, melted butter and mix it well.

STEP 2 - Start adding water and mix it well till it starts to come together. Knead the dough for 5 to 7 minutes. Dough should be smooth and soft.

STEP 3 - Brush the bowl with oil. Transfer the dough in it and cover it with damp kitchen towel. Keep it in a warm place for at least an hour.

STEP 4 - Divide the dough in small dough balls and again cover and rest them for half an hour.

Prepare the butter - spice mixture -

STEP 1 - In mortar pestle, add coriander seeds and pomegranate seeds and crush them roughly.

STEP 2 - In a small bowl, mix this seeds mixture in melted butter with some crushed garlic, chopped coriander and 1/4 teaspoon kashmiri chilli powder, chaat masala. Give it a nice mix and keep it aside.

For making Kulcha -

STEP 1 - Take a dough ball and roll the dough out to make a 4-5" disc. ( see notes )

STEP 2 - Now brush the top with plain water and sprinkle some onion seeds and chopped coriander on it and press it down gently so it sticks to the dough.

STEP 3 - Now transfer the kulcha on your palm (look at the picture below ) topping side down and apply water on the other side using a brush.

STEP 4 - Heat an iron tawa / griddle on medium high flame. ( see notes) Place the rolled kulcha on tawa. Plain water side should be down on a griddle which helps the kulcha to stick on to the griddle.

STEP 5 - Cover it with a lid and let it cook for 1-2 minutes. You will see bubbles on the surface and also the brown spots appear at bottom.

STEP 6 - Flip the tawa over so that the kulcha touches the flame and grill the top of the kulcha directly on the flame till it chars on top from all sides and the center.