This onion kulcha recipe is one of the best homemade Indian bread recipes for dinner you'll ever eat! It's soft, fluffy, and delicious, stuffed with chopped onion and spices.
But how about kulcha? Have you heard this term before? If not, you have missed an important, delightful dish so far. Kulcha is already the mesmerizing word for around half of the Indian population.
Why You'll Love This Recipe?
- Easy prepping work and tastes delicious!
- Made with Indian staple ingredients: Easy to find, too!
- A fabulous breakfast or dinner recipe
What Is Kulcha?
Kulcha is a kind of Indian flatbread that originated in the Western state of India, Punjab, and later became popular throughout the country.
Generally, kulcha is made in two ways: stuffed and unstuffed. This onion kulcha recipe is with a tasty filling. It is generally served for breakfast and is excellent for dinner.
Ingredients
- Whole wheat flour. This is wholesome and becomes softer after resting time. You can also substitute with multi-grain flour.
- All-purpose flour. We are adding half the all-purpose flour and half the whole wheat flour for a perfect chewy texture.
- Baking powder and Baking soda. These are leavening agents that help the dough become light & fluffy.
- Curd/yogurt. Another softening agent in this onion kulcha recipe helps the dough taste rich and unique. You can use either homemade curd or store-bought yogurt.
- Onion: Chop the onions as fine as possible, which helps to roll the kulcha thinner without any huge chunks.
- Cumin seeds. I call this a flavor enhancer.
- Ajwain. I would recommend using it not only for its flavor but also for its unique Indian flavors.
- Cilantro/coriander leaves are the secret behind the refreshing kick in the onion kulcha recipe. You can also combine them with fresh mint leaves.
- Onion Seeds. These seeds are used for decoration, and they are optional.
How To Make Onion Kulcha?
This homemade kulcha recipe is easier than you could have thought.
Prepare the dough. The prep work is simple. All we wanted was to plan. The dough requires at least 4 hours of rest, so plan accordingly.
The dough must be made a few hours before cooking to make it fluffy and soft in this onion kulcha recipe. Curd-it takes longer than usual as we use a natural leavening agent.
But it is not a difficult task; if you are planning for dinner, you can knead the dough in the morning, or if you are planning for breakfast, make it before the night.
In a big mixing bowl, combine whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and curd. Rub them until all the ingredients are mixed. Now, add a little water to make a pliable, soft dough.
Add a teaspoon of cooking oil and spread around the dough. Cover it with a lid or a cloth. Allow it to rest for a minimum of 4 hours.
Prepare the stuffing. For the inner filling, chop the onion and coriander leaves finely.
In a small mixing bowl, add the chopped onion, coriander leaves, cumin seeds, carom seeds, and red chili powder.
No need to add salt here. As the salt moisturizes the onion, rolling the onion kulcha will not be perfect.
Roll. Divide the dough into small-sized balls that fit in your fist.
Dust the board and the rolling pin with flour.
Place this ball and pat it slightly.
Keep a tablespoon full of stuffing in the inner circle.
Bring all the edges together to form a big ball. Sprinkle onion seeds on the top.
Dust again, and using the rolling pin, make a big circle.
Heat a pan and cook it on both sides until black spots are seen.
Transfer to a plate and serve hot
Storage & Reheating
- Refrigerator: Transfer the leftover onion kulcha to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for about four days.
- Freezer: You can wrap each kulcha in aluminum foil(convenient portionings) and place them in a resealable freezer bag. This will last about two months.
- The best method for reheating is the stovetop. Heat a pan over medium heat, place the kulcha, and heat it for one to two minutes until it's warm enough on each side. The microwave method makes the kulcha slightly soggy.
FAQ
Yes, although the yogurt softens the flavor and the texture, you can substitute it with buttermilk or skip it.
Yes, that is a great option. You can freeze the uncooked onion kulcha but separate them with parchment paper so they don't stick together. Place them in a freezer-safe bag or container, and you can cook them whenever you need.
Yes, absolutely! Using this onion kulcha recipe as a guideline, you can create your masterpiece by adding potatoes and vegetables like cauliflower, carrots, cabbage, etc.
Serve with curry like Madras Lentils and Indian-style yogurt-based condiments.
📖 Recipe
Onion Kulcha
Ingredients
For making the dough
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup All-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup yogurt /curd
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup water or as needed for kneading.
For onion masala
- ½ cup onion finely copped
- ¼ cup cilantro finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon carom seeds
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ¼ tsp salt
For making kulcha
- 8 teaspoon vegetable oil for drizzling
Instructions
Making the dough
- In a mixing bowl, combine wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, yogurt, salt.
- Rub until all the ingredient combines well.
- Add water little at a time to make a smooth, soft dough.
- Sprinkle vegetable oil and spread all around the dough.
- Cover it with a lid.
- Set aside for four hours.
Making the onion masala
- In a mixing bowl, add chopped onion, chopped cilantro, cumin seeds, carom seeds, red chili powder, and salt.
- Combine them well.
Prepping the kulcha
- After ther resting time, dough turns soft than before.
- Now divide the dough into 10 equal sized balls. Set aside.
- Dust the board with the flour.
- Keep a dough ball and using the rolling pin spread it like a thick and small circle.
- Place a tablespoon of onion masala at the center.
- Grab the edges together to the center and press gently to make a bigger ball now.
- Again carefully roll to a smooth ball by keeping the filling intact.
Cooking the kulcha
- Heat a pan in medium heat, place this flat kulcha.
- Brush ½ teaspoon of cooking oil and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Flip to the other side, and brush ¼ teaspoon of vegetable oil and cook for 1-2 minutes or until black spots seen.
- Remove from the pan and transfer to a plate.
- Repeat the same procedure for the remaining dough balls.
- And serve hot with raita.
Notes
- Rolling with the stuffing inside is tricky, and to achieve them perfectly, roll gently by applying pressure evenly.
- I have used onion seeds/kalonji as a topping for kulcha. This step is optional. You can use it or skip it depending on the availability of this ingredient.
Suja Manoj says
Love it,looks so yummy
Sujatha Muralidhar says
Thank you Suja Manoj!