Paneer kulcha is a popular variation of the amritsar kulcha naan recipe. It is mainly prepared with paneer-based stuffing and maida (all-purpose flour). For a gluten-free recipe, it can be prepared with atta or whole meal wheat flour.
Kulcha recipes mostly hail from punjabi cuisine. Hence, it is referred to as amritsari kulcha naan. There are several variations of the kulcha recipe and they mostly just differ when it comes to stuffing. Kulcha’s are mostly served during breakfast or lunch as a flat bread. It’s up to you which punjabi curry you choose to partner it with.
The combination of channa masala or spicy chole masala (chickpea curry) and kulcha is extremely popular in North India. If you want to make yourself some of this wonderfully tasty dish, just follow these easy steps.
Recipe:
Dough
- Put in two cups of maida, ¼ cup of curd, one teaspoon of baking powder, ¼ teaspoon of baking soda, one teaspoon of sugar, ½ teaspoon of salt, and two teaspoons of oil in a large mixing bowl.
- Mix it well.
- Add ½ cup of lukewarm water and then knead the dough for ten minutes.
- Add more water if required and knead until the dough is all smooth and soft.
- Grease the dough with oil and then cover it. Let it rest for two hours in a warm place.
Stuffing
- Pour two cups of grated Shuddh paneer (cottage cheese) in a mixing bowl.
- Add one green chili, one teaspoon of ginger paste, ½ teaspoon of chili powder, ½ teaspoon of garam masala powder, one teaspoon of aamchur, ½ teaspoon of ajwain, two teaspoons of coriander, and ½ teaspoon of salt.
- Combine all the ingredients well and then set it aside.
Paneer Kulcha
- Once two hours have passed, knead the dough you set aside earlier to remove the air.
- Pinch a ball-shaped portion and dust it with
- Roll the portion and then flatten it into a five-inch circular disk.
- Place a ball-shaped paneer stuffing in the center of the dough disk.
- Bring the edges towards the center and start pleating securely.
- Reverse the ball and sprinkle a pinch of black sesame seeds and coriander leaves on it.
- Then, flip it over, and make sure that the coriander leaves and sesame seeds are not visible anymore.
- Gently roll the ball into an oval shape using a rolling pin. Make sure it isn’t larger than your tawa.
- Brush some water all over the kulcha to keep it from sticking on the tawa.
- Then, slowly flip the kulcha over and put it on the hot tawa.
- After a minute, flip the tawa upside down and cook the kulcha directly above the flame until it turns golden brown and puffs up.
- Scrape and remove the kulcha gently from the tawa. Brush the product gently with butter.
- Finally, serve your paneer kulcha with some of your favorite curry and enjoy!
Sure, making paneer kulcha isn’t quick. Afterall, you can’t do it in five minutes. However, since the steps are relatively easy, it wouldn’t take all day to make yourself this some wonderfully tasty paneer kulcha. Toss in some curry and you should be good to go!