Whole Wheat Stuffed Kulche

What is the difference between Aloo Kulcha and Aloo Paratha? Kulcha is roasted on a griddle or baked in a hot oven or tandoor unlike paratha which is pan fried in ghee or oil. Although we love aloo parathas with chilled yogurt, my husband enjoys hot baked kulcha with chole too. When the recipe to make is easy and fuss-free, making delicious food at home is fun and healthy.

Three years back I published a post on my experience and recipe on Amritsari Kulcha which was loved by lot of people. I had experienced an overwhelming response on the recipe and comments and kulcha pictures filled my Facebook page. Thank you all for your likes, pictures, and pinning the recipe on Pinterest. It was my attempt to create tandoori kulcha in my convection oven, and I feel happy to have succeeded in my experiment. :)

I know many of you have written to me and asked me if you could use whole wheat flour in kulcha instead of all-purpose flour. I would say yes, totally, and here are the pictures.

Check out my recipe of Amritsari Kulche 

I used the same recipe substituting all purpose flour for organic whole-wheat flour.

Ingredients:
To make 6 Kulchas:
2 cups organic whole wheat flour (I use 24 Mantra organic flour)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ghee
1/2 cup plain yogurt/ dahi

For the filling
2 large potatoes (boiled)
salt to taste
lime juice
Chopped green chilies (to your spice level)
1 tsp. garam masala powder
1 tsp. grated ginger 

To garnish kulcha
2 tbsp. coarsely ground coriander seeds
Chopped cilantro
Red chilli powder

• Mix 2 cups flour with 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. ghee and 1/2 cup plain yogurt/ dahi. Use some water (if needed) to make a soft dough. (You could substitute wheat flour for all purpose flour too.) 
• Remove the dough on a clean, flat surface. Knead the dough well. If the dough feel sticky, do not worry. As you work the dough, it tends to get less sticky. You could also divide the dough into 2 parts and knead each part separately. Make a soft ball of a well kneaded dough and set it aside covered for 20-25 minutes.  
• Boil 2 large potatoes. Cool and peel them. Add 1 tsp. salt, lime juice, chopped green chillies (to taste), 1 tsp. garam masala powder, and 1 tsp. grated ginger. Mix well and keep the filling aside 
• Divide your well rested kulcha dough into 6 equal parts.
• Grease the dough with some ghee or oil and flatten it. You could use a rolling pin to roll the dough to 3-4 inch diameter.
• Place 1 part of potato filling on the dough. Bring the sides together. Press them well to fuse it well. Make a smooth ball. Use your fingers to flatten it gently. You could also use a rolling pin the roll the stuffed dough. Roll the dough to form a even 6-7 inch flat bread/kulcha.  
• Sprinkle some ground coriander seeds and press them in well. Sprinkle some cilantro and chilli powder too.
• Preheat the oven to 500F temperature or the highest temperature on your convection oven. I also like to use baking stone/pizza stone to bake them evenly. You could use regular baking sheet too. Always preheat baking stone for 15 minutes.
• Gently place each kulcha on the hot baking stone. Bake kulchas for 5-6 minutes (or till they turn golden brown) on 500F temperature. The key is to create Tandoor like temperature and to cook them on high heat. This will make the kulchas cook evenly but yet remain soft. Slow baking will make the kulchas hard and crisp.
• Remove when done and apply some butter or ghee. 
• Serve with sliced onions and hot, spicy Chole or your favorite curry or just chilled yogurt.

 Here are few pictures of Whole wheat Kulchas.

Check out my Chole recipe

Enjoy Whole Wheat Healthy Kulche!

Potato Wafer

Everyone is familiar with potato chips, and most of us like those too. But these chips here are not regular potato chips. These are potato slices/chips that have been blanched and dehydrated under hot sun, and then freshly fried before serving. Every summer mummy would make these dehydrated snacks to  store for the entire year. But, do you think this would last the whole year? Never... They are so delicious that they would not even last for 6 months :) These were the best tasting potato chips ever. Look at the various dehydrated recipes mummy would make: Potato and Sabudana Chakli,  Potato Sev, Sabudana Papad. And we enjoyed helping her too: waking up early morning with the sunrise and helping peel potatoes, spreading the cloth or dupatta on the terrace and securing the corners of the cloth with heavy stones or bricks, and then running around to shoo away the birds while the chips would be drying out  :) Yes, we grew up with all that fun during summer break, and were rewarded with yummy snacks. :) Those are the best childhood memories.

California summers can also be hot. When my parents visited us three years back, they felt this heat, and papa immediately suggested we could make potato wafers, papads, and dehydrated veggies. And we did! With a huge bag of potatoes from Costco, we started off making variety of dehydrated snacks to store them... just like the ant in the story stores seasonal food for later. :) The lattice designed chips were made by mummy in our Mumbai house, and the plain ones were made in California. Below is the video of how to make lattice or jali design using a crinkle blade slicer. It is really simple and worth a try.

Ingredients:
2 lbs. firm, raw potatoes.
2-3 liters water to blanch potato chips
2 tbsp. Salt
1 tsp. of alum

• Peel, and wash potatoes in potatoes in cold water.
• Slice them and place them in a container with water to prevent it from browning and sticking to each other.
• Boil water in a large container. Add salt and alum to water.
• Drain sliced potatoes and remove all the water.
• Keep another container with cold water ready on the side.
• Put few sliced potatoes in the boiling water and boil for 45 seconds to a minute.
• Remove and shock them in cold water. This will prevent it from overcooking.
• Separate each potato chip and pace on a clean cloth under hot sun heat. Dry it in hot dry temperature for 6-8 hours.
• Remove each chip from the cloth and place in a large plate.
• Place it again in hot sun heat for a day or two more till they dehydrate and get crisp.
• Any traces of moisture will lead to fungus growth and spoil the chips.

To use:
Fry in hot oil or spray some oil and microwave on high for a minute.
Sprinkle red chili powder if you like it a bit spicy.

Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:

Peel, and wash potatoes in potatoes in cold water.

Slice them and place them in a container with water to prevent it from browning and sticking to each other.

Here is my video to show how you can make jali or netted potato chips or jali wafers.

Boil water in a large container. Add salt and alum to water.

Put few sliced potatoes in the boiling water and boil for 45 seconds to a minute.

Remove and shock them in cold water. This will prevent it from overcooking.

Separate each potato chip and pace on a clean cloth under hot sun heat. Dry it in hot dry temperature for 6-8 hours.

Fry in hot oil or spray some oil and microwave on high for a minute.
Sprinkle red chili powder if you like it a bit spicy.

Enjoy Snacking!!