Onion Kulcha

Ain’t no life like the onion kulcha life.

Kulchas and especially an onion kulcha are one of the most authentic Punjabi dishes you could ever eat. People often associate kulchas with just Amritsar and call them Amritsari kulchas, but rest assured, they exist in all things Punjab. Imagine the scene. Fresh piping hot kulchas, fresh keema, and a cup of ginger tea or lassi. Man that’s what heaven will look like, except there will be more ghee and less heart disease.

Let’s get some hard facts out of the way. Indian food is more than naan and curry. Curry means gravy, and that is all. Naan is fancy restaurant flatbread. Why? Because no one has a goddamned clay oven at home Karen. Also, your shitty oven baked versions suck.

India is a diverse and beautiful nation. With it’s woes comes immeasurable beauty and a culture that has written records dating nearly 6,000 years ago. With that culture comes fabulous food. Punjabi food is rich, hearty, and satiating. The flatbreads are pillowy soft, chewy, and just so much goodness. The sabjis are savory and flavorful. And the meat, oh the meat! I could write an ode to the meat! And to socks. But that’s just because I have a strange and unnatural love for socks.

Kulchas are one of the few “restaurant” breads that you can recreate at home quite successfully. The fact that they’re also easy to make is just amazingly convenient. This kulcha recipe is fast, easy, and incredibly yummy. There’s no yeast in kulchas as you’ll see, so I really do suggest finding a nice warm spot, but not out in the sun, to let it rest. If you find yourself in the dead of winter making these suckers, just leave the dough to rise in your oven with the light on (no need to turn it on). Also, as far as fillings go. You can use damn near anything. Chili peppers, daal, sabji, potatoes, keema, see – anything.

I highly urge you to try this authentic Punjabi recipe and dish, along with authentic cuisine from around the subcontinent. You’ll soon realize the naan and curry obsession is lame.

Ain’t no day like a heavy carb day. Try these:

Onion Kulcha

Course: Bread, BrunchCuisine: PunjabiDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Resting Time

3

minutes

Total time

35

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• Kulchas:

• 2.5 cups all purpose flour

• 2 tsp sugar

• 3/4 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp baking soda

• 4 tbsp whole milk yogurt

• 3/4 cup water

• 2 1/2 tbsp ghee

• Ghee for frying

• All purpose flour for dusting

• Filling:

• 1 onion, chopped finely

• 1 cup cilantro, minced

• 3 chilies, minced

• 2 tsp salt

Directions

• Kulcha Dough:
• In your stand mixer bowl, add flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda.
• Add in yogurt, ghee, and water.
• Mix on low speed for 2 minutes.
• Increase to medium speed and mix for 7 minutes. Or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
• Cover the bowl with a towel and let it rest for 3 hours in a warm spot.
• Filling:
• In a small bowl, mix all of the ingredients together and set aside.
• Rolling and Cooking:
• Heat cast iron pan or griddle.
• Divide the dough into 8 equal parts and roll into balls.
• For each ball of dough: With the palm of your hand flatten the ball and then roll it our to approximately 1/8 inch thick. Dust with flour if needed.
• Place 2-3 tablespoons of the onion mix in the middle of the rolled dough and fold the dough over to completely cover the onion mixture. Make sure to pinch as you go to completely seal in the mixture.
• Re-roll the dough to approximately 1/8 inch thick. Dust with flour if needed.
• Place the kulcha on your griddle and cook each side for one minute.
• Lightly brush the top side of the kulcha with ghee and turn over. Cook for 10 seconds.
• Repeat with other side.
• Follow steps 4-8 for remaining kulcha dough.
• Serve immediately.

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