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Onion Kulcha (Whole Wheat)

By Manali Singh

5 from 5 votes

Aug 23, 2014, Updated May 25, 2020

Onion Kulcha is whole wheat leavened Indian bread stuffed with onions.

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Kulcha is yet another popular bread from northern parts of India. This bread is similar to “naan” which is of course more popular in the western world. The difference between kulcha and naan is that kulcha is leavened with baking powder and soda whereas yeast is used in making naan. Also naans traditionally have an oval, like a tear-drop shape while kulchas are round. Both are made using all purpose flour and both can be stuffed with almost anything that you can think of!

During our visit to India this time, we went to Amritsar in Punjab. For those who do not know, Amritsar is famous for it’s kulcha and chole (chickpeas). In fact all over India you will find food stalls selling “kulchas from Amritsar”, they are that popular. However one strange thing that I noticed was that the kulchas in Amritsar were actually very different from my interpretation. Living in Delhi, we always ate these soft “Amritsari kulchas” but I actually ate very crispy and flaky kulchas in Amritsar and my friends who belongs to the city told me that this is actually how the REAL kulchas from Amritsar are supposed to be. Very interesting I thought! I will definitely give these flaky stuffed kulchas a try one day, for now this is the basic kulcha that we all grew up eating. The only difference? this is a healthier version! The texture might not be exactly like the one you ate in restaurants since it’s whole wheat but it’s soft, delicious and healthy!

This is not 100% whole wheat but out of the 1.5 cups of flour that is used in the recipe, 1.25 cups is whole wheat and only 0.25 cups is all purpose flour, so more than 80% of it is whole wheat which in my opinion is pretty healthy compared to the kulchas you get in restaurants.

To make these onion kulchas, you first prepare the dough my mixing together flour, sugar, yogurt, salt, baking soda, baking powder and oil. You then let the dough rest for 2-3 hours. While the dough is resting you can make the filling, I added minimal spices but you can go ahead and add whatever spices you like. You then roll them round like parathas, stuff them and cook them on a heated tawa/skillet. They are supposed to be made in tandoor, that’s how they are made in restaurants but since most of us don’t have tandoors at home, a pan or an oven is our next best option.

I do think I made them slightly thinner than they should have been. I should have made 4 kulchas out of this dough rather than 5!

Method

In a bowl sift together whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, salt, sugar, baking soda and baking powder.

Make a circle in the centre and add yogurt and oil. Mix till well incorporated.

Slowly start adding warm milk and knead to form a smooth and soft dough. Apply some oil on the dough from all sides, cover and keep in a warm place for 2 hours.

While the dough is resting, make the onion filling for the kulcha. Chop onions and set aside.

Add cumin seeds, ajwain seeds (carom seeds), red chilli powder, salt and anardana powder (pomegranate seeds powder) and mix till well combined.

Add the chopped coriander leaves and mix. The onion stuffing for the kulcha is now ready.

After 2 hours, give the dough a quick knead and then divide it in 5 equal size balls.

Take 1 ball and roll it like you roll a chapati/roti. Place around 1.5 tablespoons of filling in the center.

Gather all edges and pinch so that the filling is sealed inside.

Roll the kulcha again, do not roll it very thin or very thick.

Heat a tawa or a skillet on medium heat. When the tawa is hot place the rolled kulcha on top. With in a minute you will bubbles popping up on the surface, flip the kulcha and cook from the other side.

Flip again and cook. You have to cook till kulcha has brown spots all over on both sides and looks well cooked.

Remove the kulcha from the tawa and immediately brush it with some butter. Serve warm with some chole!

* Cook the kulchas on medium heat throughout.

* The kulchas can me also made in the oven. Set the setting of your oven to broiler and than place the rolled kulcha inside the oven. Cook till you have these brown spots on one side, 2-3 minutes and then flip to cook the other side as well.

* You can make this recipe using 100% whole wheat flour, I added a small amount of  all purpose flour to make the kulchas a little lighter.

* Like I mentioned before, don’t roll the kulchas too thin or too thick. I do think I rolled them a little on the thinner side.

Onion Kulcha (Whole Wheat)

5 from 5 votes

By Manali Singh

Servings: 5 onion kulcha

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Onion Kulcha is whole wheat leavened Indian bread stuffed with onions.

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1.25 cups whole wheat flour atta
• ▢ ¼ cup all purpose flour
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ⅛ th teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 2 tablespoons yogurt
• ▢ 1.5 tablespoons oil
• ▢ 1.5 teaspoon sugar
• ▢ ½ cup + 1 tablespoons milk warm

Filling

• ▢ 1 onion medium, finely chopped
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon carom seeds ajwain seeds
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon red chili powder or to taste
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon pomegranate seed powder anardana powder
• ▢ 1 tablespoon coriander leaves finely chopped
• ▢ salt to taste

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Instructions 

• In a bowl sift together whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, salt, sugar, baking soda and baking powder.
• Make a circle in the centre and add yogurt and oil. Mix till well incorporated.
• Slowly start adding warm milk and knead to form a smooth and soft dough. Apply some oil on the dough from all sides, cover and keep in a warm place for 2 hours.
• While the dough is resting, make the onion filling for the kulcha. Chop onions and set aside.
• Add cumin seeds, ajwain seeds (carom seeds), red chilli powder, salt and anardana powder (pomegranate seeds powder) and mix till well combined.
• Add the chopped coriander leaves and mix. The onion stuffing for the kulcha is now ready.
• After 2 hours, give the dough a quick knead and then divide it in 5 equal size balls.
• Take 1 ball and roll it like you roll a chapati/roti. Place around 1.5 tablespoons of filling in the center.
• Gather all edges and pinch so that the filling is sealed inside.
• Roll the kulcha again, do not roll it very thin or very thick.
• Heat a tawa or a skillet on medium heat. When the tawa is hot place the rolled kulcha on top. With in a minute you will bubbles popping up on the surface, flip the kulcha and cook from the other side.
• Flip again and cook. You have to cook till kulcha has brown spots all over on both sides and looks well cooked.
• Remove the kulcha from the tawa and immediately brush it with some butter. Serve warm with some chole!

Nutrition

Calories: 198kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 3mg, Sodium: 373mg, Potassium: 243mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 80IU, Vitamin C: 3.9mg, Calcium: 75mg, Iron: 1.7mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Cuisine: Indian

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