Paneer Kulcha without oven

Stuffed Indian Bread

This is a flat bread from Punjab, a state in North India. Traditionally it is made in a tandoor, a clay oven. Earlier, it was common to have a communal tandoor in all the villages of Punjab. Even now these are found in some villages. But with modernization, now people prefer electric or gas tandoors in their homes. Kulchas can be made in grill oven, tandoor, or even on a tava (griddle). Here I will tell hoe to make paneer kulcha without oven, but I will also give tips to use an oven.

Kulcha is a popular leavened bread. In this recipe, paneer (curd cheese) is stuffed in this bread. It can be prepared very easily, and can be taken in any meal- lunch or dinner, or even as brunch, as it is very filling.

Check: 

Lemon and coriander soup

Spinach and corn curry

Rice Kheer

Prep  time: 2 hours   Cooking time: 10 minutes    Servings: 4 (10 pieces)

Ingredients

For dough:

All purpose flour (maida) – 2 and 1/2 cups

Salt — 1/2 teaspoon

Sugar — 1 teaspoon

Soda bicarbonate — 1/2 teaspoon

Yogurt — 1/2 cup

Milk, lukewarm — 1/2 cup

Red chilli powder — 1 teaspoon

For stuffing:

Paneer (curd cheese), grated — 200 gm

Coriander leaves (cilantro), finely chopped — 1 tablespoon

Green chili, finely chopped — 1 (optional)

Chaat masala — 1 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Paneer Kulcha without oven

Method

1. Take flour in a large bowl. Add salt and sugar and mix properly. Make a well at the center, and pour yogurt in it. Add soda bicarb to this yogurt. Wait for a minute. Small bubbles will start forming in the yogurt. Now mix all the contents properly, and knead the mixture into a soft dough using lukewarm milk.
2. Cover the dough with a damp cloth, and rest for at least an hour, and ideally for three to four hours in a warm place.
3.  Take paneer (curd cheese) in a bowl. Add  all ingredients for the stuffing, and mix well.
4. Take the dough and knead it for about one minute. Divide dough into 10 equal parts. Make balls and allow them to rest (covered) for another 10 minutes.
5. Roll the ball into a small round, and place a portion of filling on it. collect the sides of the rolled dough and once again make a ball out of it. Now roll it carefully into a round flat bread of about six inch diameter.
6. Rub little water on top surface and sprinkle some red chili powder on it. If you do not want it spicy, you can avoid this step.
7. Here we will cook paneer kulcha without oven. For that, place the kulcha (bread) on a heated tava (girdle), and adjust the heat to medium. After a minute flip it and cook from the other side. Small brown spots will be formed on the surface, indicating that the kulcha is ready.
8. Apply some butter on it, and serve hot.

Tips:

• Sprinkle some dry flour on the surface while rolling out the balls, if the dough sticks to the surface.
• If you want to use oven, preheat it to 400 F (200 C), and bake for approx 5 minutes, or until done. Flip it, and once again bake for 3 minutes or until done.
• You can cook it in a gas tandoor or clay tandoor also.

Serving ideas:  Kulcha bread is traditionally eaten with Punjabi chhole (chickpea curry). It goes well with any curry. It is also eaten with yogurt and pickle, or can be savored without accompaniments as a one dish meal.

Step by step demonstration of how I made paneer kulcha without oven: