Kulcha- is it a naan Or is it a bhatura? Well a mix of both.
The table below can explain how similar and how different all these three are
from each other.
Naan
|
Bhatura
|
Kulcha
|
Yeasted bread
|
With or without Yeast
|
No yeast
|
Triangular in shape
|
Triangular or round
|
Triangular or round
|
Made in oven/tandoor
|
Deep fried
|
On tawa/griddle or deep fried
|
Refine flour/whole wheat
|
Mostly refined flour
|
Refine flour/whole wheat
|
Remember the stuffed mutter kulcha recipe that I posted
before, those kulchas were round in shape, prepared using whole wheat flour and
yeast and finally roasting them over the tava- a healthy option. The Punjabi Kulcha recipe
I am sharing today is without yeast, deep fried and simply salted in taste.
No yeast bread be it Indian or not are always what I look
for. Yeast makes the recipe complicated and elaborated. Thats why when I had
these kulchas for the first time at my friend’s place I was so happy to know
that they are yeast free.
Good old yogurt (dahi) is used as rising agent or to give
that authentic tangy touch to the kulcha. The recipe also calls for semolina (suji/rawa)- it gives nice crunch to the dough. So all you need to do is mix
the flour with simple basic spices and let it rest for 2-3 hours, then roll the
dough to desire shape and either deep fry it or roast on tava.
Now it depends, on a regular day I would go and use the
healthy variation and use tava method. But this was made on Diwali so it had to
be deep fried-period! Kadai chole, channa massala, aloo chole, kala channa massala are the best accompaniment for this kulcha. Enjoy it even more-have it
with raw onions and green chillies with dash of lemon juice.
Ingredients:
2 and ½ cups all purpose flour/maida
5 tablespoon yogurt/dahi
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoon oil+ more for deep frying
1 teaspoon carom seeds/ajwain
Salt to taste
Warm water as needed for kneading
Method:
- Sieve and mix all dry ingredients together.
- Now make a well in the center and add yogurt, carom seeds and oil. Mix.
- Slowly add warm water little at a time and begin to knead the dough.
- You will need soft and smooth dough. Keep kneading till dough becomes shiny.
- Cover the dough with wet towel and leave aside in a warm place for 2-3 hours.
- Pinch out the dough and form a ball. On a dusted surface roll out the dough in the desired shape. Prick some holes with the fork. You don'twant kulcha to puff up like bhatura.
- Heat the oil in kadai/wok for deep frying. When oil is hot, carefully put the rolled out kulcha and fry till both the sides are golden in colour.
- Thats it, serve hot.
Notes:
You can use whole wheat flour also in the recipe.
To prepare on the tava, just use the same method like you
would do for parathas.
Serving suggestions:
Goes well with any spicy Indian side dish. To make the
platter serve with subji, raita, chutney and onion rings.
This combo is always welcome by everyone. Looks very tempting
ReplyDeleteLooks too tempting dear.. Beautiful pics as always.
ReplyDeleteLove this kulcha.I never knew it can be deep fried .
ReplyDeleteyou're making me hungry,early in the morning dear...looks superb n a must try too :)
ReplyDeletelike the explanation of the difference between naan, kulchas and bhatura. Yummy kulchas and good photos.
ReplyDeleteI am hosting and event. Please link your mushroom recipes.http://mayurisjikoni.blogspot.com/2014/11/event-nov-2014-mushrooms.html
looks super!
ReplyDeleteI remember these Kulchas from Delhi thela wallahs shweta. soo tasty they are. And with Chhole,, yummy!
ReplyDeletethe texture has come out really well.
Although I'm a big fan of yeast in breads too, it's always nice to have a flavorful option without yeast. This looks excellent! Terrific recipe, love the pictures. Thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteLooks so good,lovely
ReplyDeleteAwesome kulcha....................looks super tempting.
ReplyDeletewww.tastentips.blogpsot.in
Well explained and a nice recipe
ReplyDeletevery yummy reciepe..
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the recipe and i will try this at home..
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