Matar Kulcha is a north Indian vegetarian dish. It is also called chhole kulche, it is trendy street food in the state of Punjab and Delhi NCR, but it is not limited to only these two places. It is a popular dish in northern regions like Jammu & Kashmir. It is also eaten in Pakistan. Kulcha is a fluffy flatbread that is mildly flavored with some spices.
There are various variants of Kulcha like onion kulcha, paneer kulcha, etc. It is mainly eaten with matar, made from boiled white matar or chana that look similar to chickpeas but are smaller and perfectly round. White matar is readily available at grocery stores. Matar Kulcha is usually eaten as breakfast, brunch, or supper.
People primarily go for outings to taste and eat this delicacy. Kulcha is made mainly of flour. Matar Kulcha Recipe is not too difficult. One can easily prepare it at home with ease. One will, of course, need certain ingredients, and you can prepare the matar kulcha recipe at home.
Matar Kulcha Recipe and Ingredients
Matar and Kulcha are prepared separately.
The following are the ingredients required to make matar for the matar kulcha recipe:
- A little more than one cup of white peas
- One tablespoon oil
- Half teaspoon cumin (jeera) seeds
- Half teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- Half teaspoon dried mango powder
- Chopped green chilies
- One teaspoon chaat masala
- One-fourth teaspoon garam masala
- One-fourth teaspoon of red chili powder
- Chopped onion (for topping)
- Chopped tomatoes (for topping)
- Chopped green chilies (for topping)
- One lemon
- Few coriander leaves
Make jalgeera chutney and tamarind chutney to accompany with matar kulcha.
Recipe to Make the Matar:
Soak the matar overnight. In the morning, pressure cook the soaked white peas on low flame for two to three whistles with three to four cups of water.
After the above step:
- Mash the peas using a wooden spoon.
- Mash it enough to make it look mushy.
- Do not make a puree of it.
Separately in a pan, heat one tablespoon of oil and add cumin seeds. Once the cumin seeds are brown, please turn off the flame and add the rest of the spice powders mentioned in the ingredients list, stir them, add the cooked matar to this mix of spices, mix everything well, and put the pan back on the stove on a medium flame.
Add the jaljeera chutney and mix well (before adding jaljeera chutney, let the matar cook for three to four minutes). If the consistency of the matar looks dry, add water to it, the texture should be medium. Add salt or black salt according to your preference. Before removing the matar from the stove, taste and add more spices if you find any flavors missing.
Your matar is ready. Keep it aside while you prepare the Kulcha.
Before serving the matar, add chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, chopped green chilies, and squeeze a few drops of lemon juice on top of the matar. Finally, add a few coriander leaves and tamarind chutney. This has to be done right before consuming the matar.
Ingredients required for making Kulcha
- Two and a half cups of all-purpose flour
- Four tablespoons yogurt
- Water for kneading
- Half a teaspoon of baking powder
- Half a teaspoon of baking soda
- Three-fourth teaspoon salt
- Two teaspoons of sugar
- Two to two and a half tablespoons of oil
- Few nigella seeds (kalongi ke dane)
Method to prepare Kulcha
- Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar to a kneading vessel.
- Make a hole in the center of this mixture and add curd, oil, and water to it.
- Mix everything and knead a smooth dough. Cover this dough with a wet kitchen napkin or wet cloth. Keep it aside for at least two hours to leaven (rise).
- After two hours, lightly knead the leavened dough again.
- Pinch a ball from the dough and roll it in a medium-sized kulcha.
- Add a few nigella seeds to the rolled Kulcha. You can add the nigella seeds to the ball before rolling it if you want.
- Put a Tava on the stove and let it heat up. The tava should be hot when you put the Kulcha to roast over it. Now place the Kulcha on the hot Tava, and once it is one-fourth cooked, flip it to the other side, apply ghee or oil while cooking, and cook the kulchas till they are half cooked and golden brown.
- You will be able to see the light brown spots on the Kulcha, which means it is cooked.
Make all the Kulchas this way.
Serve the kulchas with the matar that you prepared. Heat the matar if needed.
Your matar kulcha is ready to be served. Delight yourself with this flavorful and spice-rich delicious dish.
This Matar Kulcha recipe is one of the easiest to try at home.
Follow this matar kulcha recipe and make matar Kulcha at home for family and friends.
