Aloo Kulcha

Aloo Kulcha

September 14, 2023
Prep Time : 40 mins
Cook Time  : 30 mins
Dough Resting Time : 2 hrs
Total Time  : 3 hrs 10 mins
 

Ingredients

For dough

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour – 120 grams
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour – 125 grams
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 3 teaspoons oil or ghee (clarified butter) – I used oil
  • 2 tablespoons Curd (yogurt) – vegan yogurts like cashewnut or almond yogurt can be used as substitutes
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ¾ to 1 teaspoon salt or add as required
  • ½ to ⅔ cup water for kneading or add as required
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons sesame seeds (black or white) or nigella seeds (kalonji)

For stuffing

  • 3 large potatoes – 300 to 350 grams or 4 to 5 medium potatoes
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped green chilies or 1 to 2 green chilies
  • ½ teaspoon red chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon dried mango powder (amchur powder) or add as required
  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon Garam Masala
  • 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)

More Ingredients

  • oil or ghee for roasting as required
 

Instructions

Making dough

  • In a mixing bowl take whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, 1 teaspoon sugar and ¾ to 1 teaspoon salt or as required.
  • Add curd (yogurt) and oil.
  • Lightly mix everything with a spoon or with your hands.
  • Add water. I added ⅔ cup of water in parts. The amount of water to be added depends on the quality of the flours. So, add accordingly.
  • Mix and then begin to knead.
  • Knead to a smooth, pliable and soft dough. Cover the dough and keep aside for 2 hours.

Making potato stuffing

  • Meanwhile, steam or boil the potatoes until they are cooked through completely. You can cook the potatoes in a steamer or pressure cooker or in the instant pot.
  • Peel and mash the potatoes with a potato masher. You can also use a fork to mash the potatoes or grate them first and mash later.
  • Add the chopped green chilies, red chili powder, dried mango powder, garam masala powder and coriander leaves. 
  • Mix the spices and herbs in the mashed potatoes very well. Check the taste and add more of the salt, green chilies and dried mango powder if required.

Assembling and rolling aloo kulcha

  • After two hours lightly knead the dough again.
  • Make medium sized balls from the kulcha dough.
  • Sprinkle some whole wheat flour on the rolling board and on the dough ball.
  • With a rolling pin, roll it into a disc or circle of 5 to 6 inches diameter.
  • Place some potato stuffing in the center, keep 1 inch space all over the circumference.
  • Bring the edges together and pinch to join them at the center.
  • Press the joined edges and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top. Press the sesame seeds with your fingers or very lightly with the rolling pin so that they stick to the dough.
  • Sprinkle some flour. Adding sesame seeds is optional. You can skip them.
  • Gently roll to a large disc of about 7 to 8 inches in diameter.

Cooking aloo kulcha

  • On a hot tawa or skillet, gently place the stuffed kulcha. Keep heat to medium-high or high.
  • Flip over when one side is partially cooked. You will light golden spots on this side. Also, spread some ghee or oil on this side.
  • The amount of ghee or oil to be added, depends on you. You can either add less or more or skip it too.
  • Flip again and now spread some ghee or oil on the second side. The second side will be slightly more cooked than the first side.
  • Press the kulcha edges with a spatula to ensure that they are cooked well with crispy golden spots on both the sides.
  • Flip once or twice to ensure even roasting and cooking.
  • Place the kulcha in a roti basket.
  • Add ½ to 1 teaspoon of softened butter and spread it with a butter knife or spoon. Prepare all the aloo kulchas with the above method and stack them up in the roti basket.
  • After making each aloo kulcha, wipe the tawa with a cotton kitchen towel to get rid of the browned or burnt flour particles.
  • You can also serve kulcha straightaway from the skillet to the plate. Serve these hot or warm with butter, curd, mango pickle, grean peas curry or chana masala.

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