Amritsari Kulchaਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤਸਰੀ ਕੁਲਚਾ
⏱ Prep 120m🍳 Cook 20m🍽 Serves 6🌿 Vegetarian
Video: Your Food Lab (YouTube)
Amritsari Kulcha is the most famous stuffed flatbread in Punjabi cooking — a spiced potato-filled leavened bread cooked on a tawa until charred and blistered, then slathered with butter and served with white chickpea chole and sliced onion. The original is made in a tandoor, but this tawa method, developed by home cooks across Punjab, delivers the same pull and crunch without any special equipment. The carom seeds (ajwain) in the filling are non-negotiable.
📍 Make it in Plano
This recipe is the same everywhere — but where you buy the ingredients and eat the dish is local to you.
Finding Desi spots near Plano…
Ingredients
- For the kulcha dough
- ▪all-purpose flour (maida)3 cups
- ▪active dry yeast1 tsp
- ▪warm milk½ cup
- ▪plain yogurt / curd3 tbsp
- ▪sugar1 tsp
- ▪salt1 tsp
- ▪butter or ghee2 tbsp
- For the stuffing
- ▪potatoes, boiled and mashed (lump-free)3 large
- ▪onion, very finely chopped1 medium
- ▪fresh green chili, minced2
- ▪fresh coriander, finely chopped3 tbsp
- ▪carom seeds (ajwain)½ tsp
- ▪red chili powder½ tsp
- ▪anardana (dried pomegranate seeds), coarsely ground1 tsp
- ▪saltto taste
- For cooking & topping
- ▪butter, for brushing on top3 tbsp
- ▪nigella seeds (kalonji)½ tsp
- ▪white sesame seeds½ tsp
🌍 Cooking abroad? Substitutions
- Ajwain (carom seeds) are available at virtually every Indian grocery store and many specialty spice shops. They look like tiny cumin seeds but have a strong thyme-like, slightly medicinal aroma — a tiny amount goes a long way. If truly unavailable, a small pinch of dried thyme approximates the herbal note but does not replicate ajwain's flavour exactly.
- Anardana (dried pomegranate seeds) adds the tart, fruity punch that cuts through the potato richness. Amchur (dried mango powder) is the standard substitute — use 1 tsp in its place. Both are sold at Indian grocery stores. Fresh pomegranate seeds can be used as a garnish instead, scattered on top after cooking.
- For a tandoor-like blister at home: preheat a heavy cast-iron skillet in your oven at its highest temperature for 20 minutes. Place the kulcha directly on the hot skillet and return to the oven for 4-5 minutes until blistered on top. Alternatively, the flipped-tawa method — placing the kucha on the inverted hot base of a kadai held over the flame — gives an excellent char on the top surface.
Method
- 1Dissolve yeast in warm milk with the sugar; let sit 10 minutes until frothy. Mix flour and salt in a large bowl; add yogurt, the yeast mixture, and butter. Knead for 8 minutes into a soft, smooth dough. Cover and rest in a warm spot for 1½ hours until doubled.
- 2Make the stuffing: combine mashed potato, chopped onion, green chili, coriander, ajwain, red chili powder, anardana, and salt. Taste and adjust — the filling should be well-seasoned.
- 3Divide the risen dough into 6-8 equal portions. Flatten each into a 4-inch disc, cupping the edges slightly.
- 4Place 2 heaped tablespoons of stuffing in the centre; bring the dough edges up and over the filling, pinch firmly to seal, then press the ball flat gently.
- 5On a lightly floured surface, roll the stuffed ball into an oval or round about 6-7 inches across and ¼ inch thick. Scatter nigella and sesame seeds on the surface and press lightly with the rolling pin.
- 6Heat a cast-iron tawa or heavy pan until very hot — a drop of water should evaporate instantly. Place the kulcha seed-side up.
- 7Cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes until dark brown spots appear on the bottom; flip carefully. Cook the other side 2 minutes until blistered and cooked through.
- 8Remove from the pan and brush generously with butter while piping hot. Serve immediately with chole, sliced raw onion, and a wedge of lemon.
A Desi.Net original recipe · part of our Indian Cuisine library. Confirm details and adjust to taste.