Thursday, July 9, 2009

paneer kulche in whole wheat



kulcha is a flat bread made in the north of India especially in Punjab and i have seen that is made in parts of Pakistan and even in the middle eastern countries where the form and names are slightly changed..........

plain kulche is normally accompanied with chhole or a rich gravy curry , but when they are made stuffed with potatoes or paneer they can be good with plain curds or a raita with green salads on thr side........sometimes i make it stuffed with beets...see the recipe here..........and this time it is a simple paneer stuffed one.........


to make the kulacha base ..........you need 2 cups of whole wheat flour ( to make about 10 kulchas)...2 tbsp of fresh yeast or a pack of dry active yeast, 2 tbsp of sugar, 1 tsp of salt, a cup of whole milk or soy milk ( i use soy milk)

to proceed dissolve yeast into half a cup of warm water with sugar and leave it in a warm place.............like in a preheated warm oven or on the side of gas stove where something else is cooking.........when the mixture becomes frothy which takes about 15 minutes, mix with flour, salt and enough milk to make a smooth pliable dough.........at this step any flavoring spice or herb can be added to the flour like black pepper powder, cumin seeds, coriander leaves or fenugreek leaves......,,keep the dough covered in a warm place again and let it rise to double it's volume...takes about half an hour.........now punch the dough and make portions like you make to prepare stuffed parathas......stuff the paneer mixture generously inside each flattened portion and keep covered for 10 -15 minutes....this will allow the balls to increase in size again.

now roll each ball with a rolling pin to make the kulchas and roast on a flat bottomed griddle
( tawa) , on low flame to allow better cooking and no spotting of the kulcha.......cook both sides till lightly pink in color........butter or ghee has to be smeared after it is done...
alternatively, the kulchas can be grilled in an oven at 180 degree C for about 5-6 minutes each....it is convenient to make it on tawa when making large numbers of kulchas.


to make the paneer stuffing..........you need 400 gm paneer, one boiled potato, a cup of chopped onions, chopped green chillies to taste and salt and pepper to taste.........

mash the paneer and mix with all the other ingredients to make a stuffing...this is a low fat preparation and no frying is done either in the stuffing or in the kulcha base ...so you can enjoy it without guilt........

the pictures do not do justice to the recipe i know ...but they taste yummy and my husband can have them for breakfast, lunch or dinner......even as snacks........

13 comments:

  1. this is great like an Indian Enchilada!

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  2. Sounds wonderful Sangeeta! :-) Just wondering ... what is the difference between a stuffed paratha and a kulcha? I have always wnated to know.

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  3. hey sangeeta,
    the kulchas look yummy I love paneer ...this seems to be a very healthy atta kulcha with paneer filling, I'll bookmark this recipe, thanks.
    TC

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  4. thanks for such a wonderful recipe .....i just cant wait to try this ...

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  5. thanks all of you...
    chow n chatter ..yeah ot's like an enchillada only..
    sharmila..the parathas are made with fresh dough and are made on tawa and are shallow fried in ghee n served hot....but the kulchas are made with fermented dough with yeast, roasted traditionally in a tandoor ...now a days in ovens,but i do it on tawa too esp. when many kulchas are to be made...also the kulchas are not smeared with ghee or butter while cookin...it's done after the cooking n can be served without butter...hot or cold.

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  6. thanks suparna...these can be made in bulk and keep well in the fridge for a week...just microwave and serve with required accompaniment.

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  7. yeah sunita ...it was for you dahling...you'll get it when you come here.

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  8. yum yum yum goonna try this weekend

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  9. The stuffed paneer kulche looks so good! I love paneer stuffed breads :)

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  10. that's some thick filling in there girl :D nice!

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  11. thanks Shilpa, Pooja n Nags this is a hearty meal bit the photos are just crap...read it functional..he he..

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  12. Sangeeta - i am moving those articles to my original blog: www.cookingandme.com, just FYI :)

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  13. wow..yummo!..I love paneer so much..!

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