Amritsari kulcha recipe
how to make Amritsari kulcha
What is kulcha ?
Kulcha is a leavened bread made from white flour aka maida. Generally curd, baking powder and salt are mixed with the maida to make dough for kulcha.
Basically kulcha are two types plain kulcha and stuffed kulcha.
Plain kulcha are made by topping with chopped coriander leaves and kalonji ( Nigella) on top of a rolled kulcha dough.
Whereas stuffed kulcha are made using different types of fillings inside the dough. Potato, paneer, onions are used to make different types of stuffed kulcha.
Using potato you can make amritsari kulcha or aloo kulcha. These kulcha are cooked in oval shaped charcoal tandoor till become crisp golden.
What is amritsari kulcha ?
Amritsari kulcha is a crisp stuffed flatbread made from all purpose flour (maida). Spiced potato fillings are stuffed inside a dough ball and then flatten and cooked in a clay oven tandoor till crisp golden.
These kulcha is originated from Amritsar, a popular city from Punjab. The most district feature of a amritsari kulcha is its crispiness and crunchiness. You can feel it in every bites of a amritsari kulcha.
This amritsari kulcha is also known as Chur Chur Naan.
In Chur Chur Naan you can stuff spiced paneer fillings as well but potato fillings will yeilds best result.
Chur Chur means smashed ( shattered). This Chur Chur Naan is so crunchy that it can smashed in your hand.
Its texture is like a papadum( papad) which you can smashed in your palm of hands and get a shattered sounds like Chur Chur.
Tips to make best amritsari kulcha ( Chur Chur Naan)
- Cook the kulcha on low flame heat either in tandoor or over stove top for crisp and crunchy kulcha.
- Don't use soda or Yeast in the dough.
- Fold the dough for 3 to 4 layers like puff sheet for best result.
- Otherwise use crushed pomegranate seeds in the filling for crispiness.
Steps to make amritsari kulcha
Dough making
Dough is perhaps the most important part of a perfect amritsari kulcha recipe. To achieve the perfect crisp and crunchy kulcha, we need to make a good traditional dough for it.
Take all purpose flour in a mixing bowl and add curd, salt, ghee and baking powder. Mix them nicely. Then start to knead by pouring water slowly. Make a semi stiff dough by kneading everything nicely.
Therefore grease the dough with some cooking oil and knead further for one more minute. Cover the dough and keep aside for ten minutes to set.
Aloo fillings
Take some boiled potatoes and mash them without any big chunks. Add chilli, roasted cumin powder, chat masala, salt, chopped coriander leaves. Start to mix everything nicely to make the fillings for stuffing.
You can even add some anardana (pomegranate) powder in the mixture to make the kulcha more flavourful.
Layering of the dough
Divide the dough into two to three equal parts. Take one dough part and dust with some flour.
Press it lightly with finger tips and then roll with a roller pin into a 6 to 8 inch diameter. Now apply some ghee over it nicely.
Next sprinkle some carom seeds ( ajwain) and flour over the rolled dough.
Then bring outer edge of one side at centre.
Again apply some ghee and flour over that part.
Similarly bring the other side of the rolled dough and place over the top of the first one.
Again apply ghee and flour over that part.
Now fold rest of the two side and give it a square shape.
Keep it aside for 5 minutes to set. Fold the remaining dough balls to set. Overall make them like puff sheet.
Stuffing the fillings
Take one of the square shape dough and dust with some flour on both sides.
Now with the help of finger tips press the dough from all sides to expand little bit.
With a sharp knife cut the dough into small square shape parts.
Take one small part and press lightly to expand. Place one tablespoon aloo fillings at the centre and seal the dough in round shape.
Similarly stuff the remaining square shape dough with the potato mixture.
Cooking the kulcha
Traditionally amritsari kulcha are cooked in a preheated charcoal tandoor. If you want to experience the best amritsari kulcha then you should go for a tandoori amritsari kulcha.
Stuffed dough balls are first dust with some flour and then pressed lightly with oil greased finger tips.
Then it is flatten between the palm of hands and later placed over a roti pad.
This kulcha is then placed inside the wall of a preheated tandoor with the help of the roti pad.
To cook a perfect crisp amritsari kulcha the temperature of the tandoor should be medium low. Cook the kulcha for 3 to 5 minutes or till become crisp golden.
Remove from the tandoor and apply some ghee or butter and serve hot.
You can even cook them over stove top on a tawa or pan. But you won't get such as crisp kulcha as from tandoor.
For stove top method, dust the stuffed dough ball with some flour and roll using a roller pin to a round shape circle.
Apply some water on one side of the rolled dough.
Then place over a medium hot tawa. Press lightly with finger tips and cook for one minute or till some small bubbles appears on the top.
Therefore flip the tawa and place the kulcha over the flame.
Keep the flame to medium and cook for 2 to 3 minutes from all sides. When the kulcha become crisp golden, flip the tawa again and place on the gas top. Cook for anther one minute. Then remove and serve hot
Similarly you can use a pan as well to cook the kulcha. But you can not flip the pan to cook over direct flame. Instead cook the kulcha like a regular chapati. You can make it crispy by cooking on low flame for 4 to 5 minutes. Apply some ghee or butter while cooking them on the pan.
What to serve with amritsari kulcha?
The best combination to serve a amritsari kulcha is chole (chickpea curry). Amritsari chole goes well with it.
Dal makhani is another best choice to serve a kulcha with it. Some pickles and chutney can also be served with it.
Even a hot tea is a perfect choice for evening snacks with amritsari kulcha. It is my favourite, I love the crisp and crunchy kulcha with a hot tea at anytime of the day.
How many calories are in amritsari kulcha?
A regular serving size of one amritsari kulcha has approximately 210 calories. Proteins approximately 20, carbohydrate 145 and fats for 54 calories.
For daily requirment of 2000 calories for an adult, one potato kulcha can give you around 11% of that.
If you love the recipe of amritsari kulcha then I am sure you would love the recipe of Onion kulcha as well.
Read more popular paratha/roti recipes
- Paneer paratha
- Paneer kulcha
- Wheat parotta
- Bhature recipe
- Aloo paratha
- Gobi paratha
- Methi paratha
- Tandoori roti
- Rumali roti
- Missi roti
- Butter Naan Recipe
Amritsari kulcha recipe ( Chur Chur Naan recipe)
Amritsari kulcha is a popular stuffed flatbread made with spiced potato fillings. Crispy and crunchiness is its main features. This kulcha is cooked over low flame heat till crisp golden.
Pep time 15 min, cook time 10 min, serve 3
Author Mobasir hassan
Ingredients
- 200 gm all purpose flour (maida)
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 2 tablespoon ghee
- 1 tablespoon curd
- Water as required
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder (optional)
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 tablespoon carom seeds (ajwain)
- 3 - 4 medium size boiled potatoes
- 1/2 tablespoon red chilli powder
- 1/2 tablespoon cumin powder
- 1/3 tablespoon chat masala
- Anardana powder (optional)
- Salt as per taste
- Chopped coriander leaves
- Take the flour in a mixing bowl and add the curd, ghee, salt and baking powder. Mix everything nicely.
- Pour water slowly and start to knead. Make a soft palpable dough.
- Grease oil and knead again for one minute. Cover and keep aside to set for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Grate or mashed the boiled potatoes and mix with red chilli powder, cumin powder, chat masala, salt and some chopped coriander leaves.
- Make sure there is no big chunks of potato in the mixture. Keep the potato fillings aside to stuff later.
- Divide the dough into two equal round shape parts and set aside for 5 minutes to set.
- Thereafter take one dough part and dust with flour. With a roller pin roll into a 8 to 10 inch diameter round shaped.
- Apply 1/2 tablespoon ghee over the rolled round shaped dough. Grease nicely with the finger tips.
- Now sprinkle some carom seeds and flour over it.
- Bring one side of the outer edge of the dough at the centre. And apply some ghee and flour over it. Similarly bring the other part and place over it. Again apply some ghee and flour. Press lightly to set.
- Now bring the two ends of the dough and place over each other to give a square shape. Leave it for 5 to 6 minutes to set.
- Fold the rest of the dough like this and keep aside to set. These are like puff sheet which will help to make the kulcha more crispy.
- Take one square shape dough and dust with flour on both sides and press lightly with finger tips to expand from all sides.
- With a sharp knife cut it into small square shapes.
- Now take one small square dough and expand slightly. Place some potato fillings at the centre. Close and seal the dough and make a round shape.
- Stuff the rest of the fillings like this way.
- Amritsari kulcha are traditionally cooked in a preheated charcoal tandoor till crisp golden. For that take one stuffed dough ball and dust with some flour on Lower side. With oil greased finger tips lightly press the upper part to expand.
- Then take it between the palm of hands and expand more. Place this over a roti pad.
- Now place the kulcha inside the preheated tandoor wall with the roti pad. Cook the kulcha for 3 to 4 minutes or till crisp golden.
- Remove it with a shewer and apply some ghee or butter over the top and serve.
- You can use a tawa or pan to make amritsari kulcha at home over stove top. Heat a tawa ( griddle) over medium heat flame on stove top.
- Dust one stuffed dough with flour on both sides and roll with a roller pin into a round shape circle.
- Apply some water over the upper side of the rolled kulcha and place that side on the tawa.
- When some small bubbles start to appear flip the tawa and over the gas flame.
- Cook the kulcha from all sides on low gas flame till crisp golden.
- Now flip the tawa back on stove top and cook for another one minute.
- Remove and apply some ghee to serve hot.
- Using a non stick pan you can cook this amritsari kulcha as well. After rolling the stuffed ball, place on the preheated pan. Cook for one minute on low flame then flip to another side and cook further. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes by flipping one side to another on low heat flame till it become crisp. Remove and serve.
Amritsari kulcha recipe video
- Calorie : 210
- Fats : 5 g
- Protein : 5 g
- Carbohydrate : 37 g
- For crisp and crunchy texture try to use the folding method for amritsari kulcha.
- Anardana gives the crunchiness to the kulcha. If using folding method then you can skip to use it.
