Name: Matar Kulcha or Chola Kulcha
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1/2 tsp instant or active dry yeast; 1 tsp sugar; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1 cup water; All of the Khameer / Pre-ferment; 1/2 tsp instant or active dry yeast (I used 1/4 tsp instant yeast); 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 cup AP & 1/2 cup whole grain Einkorn flour); 2 tbsp plain yogurt; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 1/2 tbsp ghee (or soft unsalted butter); More water, if needed for a soft dough; Nigella seeds or black sesame seeds (I used poppy seeds & camellina seeds); Dried Fenugreek leaves (Kasuri methi) or chopped fresh coriander leaves/ cilantro (I used a little bit of fresh parsley from my garden); Ghee or unsalted butter for cooking the Kulchas; 2 cups white peas or chickpeas, soaked overnight; Enough water to cook the peas or chickpeas; A pinch of baking soda; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 2 fresh Green chillies, finely chopped (to taste) (I omitted the green chillies, but added a touch of chili powder); 1 large tomato finely chopped; 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh coriander leaves/ cilantro (I used a little bit of parsley); 2 tbsp finely sliced ginger batons; 1 tsp cumin powder; Salt to taste; (Makes 1 medium jar); 1 cup tamarind pulp thick; 3/4 – 1 cup powdered jaggery; 1/2 cup dates loosely seedless , finely chopped packed; 2 tbsp golden raisins, chopped; 1 1/2 tsp chilli powder (or to taste)

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Matar kulcha or chola kulcha is a combination of two dishes – a fluffy yeasted flatbread and a spicy salad made with white peas or a cooked curry.

Kulcha, an Indian flatbread, is the September bake for the Bread Baking Babes. Kulcha is a soft and fluffy leavened flat bread cooked on a cast iron griddle or thick bottom pan on the stovetop.

Aparna, of My Diverse Kitchen, the host kitchen this month, inspired us to make Matar or Chola Kulcha. Matar is the Hindi word for peas and Chole/ Chola is chickpeas. According to Aparna, Matar or Chola Kulcha is a much-loved street food across parts of North India, especially in the by-lanes of Old Delhi.

Background info from Aparna:

Matar Kulcha is also sometimes called Chola Kulcha and almost always made with white peas though you can also use chickpeas. Typically, the white peas are soaked overnight and cooked with salt until soft and falling apart. The mixture is mashed so it breaks up but is still a little chunky.

This is mixed with finely chopped raw onions, tomatoes, chopped green chilies, and fresh coriander into a salsa of sorts. Then topped with a spicy coriander-minty green chutney, a sweet and sour tamarind chutney, and a sprinkling of cumin powder and eaten with the flatbread. You’ll find different variations on the ingredients that go into the salsa. The white peas are cooked into a spicy curry that is served with flatbread.

The Kulcha is a flatbread somewhat like the Naan but a bit different. A Kulcha is typically leavened with baking powder and baking soda while Naan is made with yeast. This particular Kulcha recipe, adapted from an Indian chef Ranveer Brar’s recipe, deviates from this rule as it is made with a khameer or pre-ferment which gives the Kulcha a slight tang. Khameer is an Urdu word meaning yeast.

Naans tend to be chewier while Kulchas are soft and spongier. Naans tend to be oblong while Kulchas are usually round but this is more of a preference than a rule. Naanas tend to be cooked in a Tandoor while Kulchas are usually cooked on the stovetop, but this isn’t a hard and fast rule either.

There are different types of Kulchas, though all are flatbreads. One is this type that is soft and spongy. Then there is the Bread Kulcha which has the texture of bread. The Amritsari Kulcha is a flatbread stuffed with a spiced potato filling.

This particular Kulcha is made from a slightly looser dough than usual for flatbreads, and it tends to be a bit sticky. You can lightly dust your working surface and palms with flour to make handling the dough easier. The Kulchas are usually topped with Nigella seeds (Kalonji; you can use black sesame seeds also) and dried fenugreek leaves (Kasuri methi) or chopped fresh coriander/ cilantro leaves before cooking.

Dried white peas (actually slightly yellow) are typically used to make the accompanying salsa-like dish or curry. If you cannot find this, use chickpeas. Canned chickpeas are fine, but using dry chickpeas soaked overnight is an even better option.

If you are cooking your peas or chickpeas, be sure to add a pinch (not more) of baking soda to the water you’re cooking it in. This not only helps cook the peas or chickpeas really soft but also deals with phytates present in dried beans and legumes. Drain the water the peas are cooked in and discard.

You can make the chutneys ahead and refrigerate. You can also cook the white peas or chickpeas, mash, and refrigerate a day ahead.

If you are not serving the Kulcha as soon as you make it, you can cook it partially, up to the point before it is cooked in ghee or butter. When you are ready to serve the Kulcha, cook it in ghee or butter

Cathy’s notes:

I opted to use what I had on hand, meaning, I used what was in my pantry and my garden.

I made the flatbreads with a blend of regular all-purpose and whole grain einkorn flour. I didn’t have any Nigella or black sesame seeds so I added some poppy seeds and camellina seeds to a couple of the flatbreads. The seeds kept falling off so I made the rest without any seeds at all.

I didn’t grow any cilantro in my herb garden this year, but I had plenty of parsley so that is what I used, sparingly, and mostly for garnish.

I had canned chickpeas so I made the white pea salsa (without the chiles and coriander leaves). I omitted the chutney altogether.

I followed the instructions for the preferment, meaning I used 1/2 teaspoon of yeast, but due to my schedule, I think it was too much yeast. I think 1/4 teaspoon would be enough especially if you plan to give it a longer preferment (which I did). I did reduce the amount of yeast in the final dough to about 1/4 teaspoon so that it could ferment a little longer.

I started the preferment Saturday evening and served the chola kulcha for a late lunch Sunday afternoon.

This dish is best eaten on the day it is made, however, I think it warms up pretty well. I made all six of the flatbreads on the same day and enjoyed some for lunch for several days after that.

I want to thank Aparna for choosing this dish. It was really tasty and filling in a good way!