Chhole Kulcha

Chhole kulcha is popular street food in India. The tasty chole curry served with soft and fluffy

plain kulcha combo is loved by all kinds of age groups..

History

The chickpea is a key ingredient in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines, used in hummus, and, when soaked and coarsely ground with herbs and spices then made into patties and fried, falafel. As an important part of Indian cuisine, it is used in salads, soups and stews, and curry, in chana masala, and in other food products that contain channa (chickpeas)

The earliest well-preserved archaeobotanical evidence of chickpea outside of its wild progenitor’s natural distribution area comes from the site of Tell el-Kerkh, in modern Syria, dating back to the early Pre-Pottery Neolithic period around (c.8400BCE).

The term kulcha is Persian and describes a disc-shaped loaf of bread, bun or even biscuit.However, in India this term came to be associated with round breads popularized during the British colonial period. In some parts of India, naan or tandoori parantha is often confused with kulcha.

Summarised Preparation

Soaked kabuli chana in hot water overnight or a minimum of 8 hours so that they almost double in their size.

Tea leaves and dry spices give a nice flavour and color to chana.

The consistency of the chole curry has to be somewhat between thick to semi-thick.

Do not forget to add the ghee tempering on top of the prepared chana curry. This is for the fact that it helps to reduce the spice heat and balance the flavour.

Soaking and pressure cook chana

• Wash the dried chana and Soak them in enough water for at least 8 hours or overnight.

• After soaking time, they will get doubled in size. Discard the soaking water.

• Now in a cotton cloth, add tea leaves, cinnamon, black cardamom, green cardamom, and cloves. Combine the edges of the cloth and make a potli of it.

• Then in a pressure cooker, add soaked chana, black salt, dry spices potli, and water.

• Cover the cooker with a lid and pressure cook it for 6-7 whistle on medium flame.

• Let the pressure go down by itself then open the lid.

• Discard the tea bags and whole spices. now separate boiled chana and water. Keep it aside.

Making chole curry recipe

• Firstly, in a mixing bowl, add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, amchur powder, chole masala, and garam masala. mix well. Masala mix is ready.

• Now heat the oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, bay leaf, and kasuri methi. Sauté for a minute.

• Now add chopped onions and sauté till it gets light brown in color. Also, add ginger-garlic paste and green chilli slits. Sauté for a minute.

• Then add masala mix and sauté till oil separate from its sides.

• Add tomato puree and salt. Cover and cook gravy till oil release from its sides.

• Then add boiled chana and mix well. Mash some chana with a bowl and mix well.

• Now add boiled chana water and mix well.

• Bring it to a simmer and let simmer on low-medium heat for 10-15 minutes.

• After simmering, the water gravy will get thicker, and also chana has absorbed lots of flavours.

• Heat ghee in a pan, add ginger slits, green chilli slits, and sauté. Switch off the gas, add red chilli powder and add tadka on chole curry. Mix well.

• Lastly, sprinkle chopped coriander leaves. chole curry is ready.

Making instant plain kulcha

• In a mixing bowl, add maida, sugar, salt, milk powder, oil, and curd. Mix well.

• Add Eno packet and some water. mix well and knead soft dough.

• cover and rest for 30 minutes or more.

• Pinch a ball-sized dough and flatten it.

• sprinkle some black sesame seeds and coriander leaves.

• gently roll to a round or oval shape using a rolling pin.

• Heat tawa, add kulcha on it, sprinkle some water on its sides. Cover and cook kulcha for 5 minutes on medium flame.

• Flip the side, apply some ghee and cook kulcha from both sides.

• finally, serve plain kulcha hot with chole curry.

Ingredients

For pressure cooking chana

• 1 cup dried white chickpeas Kabuli chana

• 2 tsp tea leaves

• 1 black cardamom

• 2 green cardamoms

• 1 inch cinnamon

• 3 cloves

• ¼ tsp black salt

• 3 cup water

For masala mix

• 1 tbsp red chilli powder

• ¼ tsp turmeric powder

• 1 tsp coriander powder

• 1 tsp cumin powder

• 1 tsp amchur powder

• 1 tsp chole masala

• ½ tsp garam masala

For chole curry

• 3 tbsp oil

• 1 tsp cumin seeds

• 1 bay leaf

• ½ tsp kasuri methi

• ½ cup chopped onion

• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

• 2 green chilli slits

• Masala mix

• ¾ cup or 2 medium size tomato puree

• Salt to taste

• Boiled chana

• 1 cup chana water

• some coriander leaves

For chana curry tadka

• 2 tbsp ghee

• 1 inch ginger slits

• 2 green chilli slits

• ¼ tsp red chilli powder

For instant plain kulcha

• 1.5 cup maida

• 1 tbsp sugar

• Salt to taste

• 2 tbsp milk powder

• 2 tbsp oil

• 2 tbsp oil

• ½ cup curd

• 1 packet eno

• Water as required