Hare Pyaaz ke Kulche | Flatbread with a Spring Onion Stuffing

Last week my brother asked me if I had a good recipe for naan!! Of course I did!! But then he asked me if it would be without yeast - some dear friends had requested him for a recipe of naan that could be made without yeast. That got me thinking, and I remembered the great kulchas we got in our school canteen in Delhi!! Chole and kulche was a staple on the menu.

Kulchas are a great substitute for naan as well as for bhaturas. They taste wonderful and are great for mopping up any spicy curry. This is a recipe for kulchas I found in my old recipe notebook. I added the onion stuffing just to give it a nice kick!! You can use this dough to make plain kulchas. Just leave out the parts of the recipe that call for the filling. Now, these can be made in your oven too. Just stick 3-4 on a large oven proof cookie pan on the broiler setting  - 2 minutes each side. Remove, pour on the ghee on each kulcha, and serve hot. I usually use the stove top for all flatbreads (including naan and pita) as I find that that works just as well.

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
Salt to taste
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp Ghee + ghee for pouring on the kulchas
Water, as needed

For the Filling:
8 spring onions, chopped fine
1 green chili, sliced fine
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp ajwain (oregano seeds)
1 tsp ginger, grated
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Sift all the dry in gredients for the dough together. Add the oil and the yogurt and blend in. 
2. Next use water as needed to make a soft dough. Add the ghee to the dough, knead for a couple of minutes. 
3. Place the dough in a well oiled bowl, and set aside for a couple of hours.
4. To make the filling, mix all ingredients, and set aside.
5. To make the kulcha, take a large lime sized ball of the dough. Roll into a ball with your palms.
6. The using a rolling pin, roll it out into a small disc. Take a teaspoonful of the filling, place in the middle of the disc.
7. Using your fingers, seal the edges of the disc to make a ball of stuffed dough.
8. Roll this dough out again to make a thickish disc. Place on a floured plate. Repeat with remaining dough.
9. Heat a non-stick pan, reduce to medium heat. Place a kulcha, allow to cook for 2-3 minutes on one side, taking care not to burn. The kulcha will puff up. When brown spots begin to appear on the side touching the surface of the pan, turn the kulcha over and cook other side. 
10. Apply a little ghee over the kulcha, remove from heat, and place on a plate lined with wax paper. Cover with a tea cloth.
11. Repeat for all the kulchas. 
12. Serve hot with curry of choice!!

 Vegan Substitutes: Try some non-dairy butter as a substitute for ghee (clarified butter).

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