Garlic Cheese Kulcha

If you’ve always wondered how your local restaurant produces the most amazingly soft stuffed kulchas, I’m here to demystify things! So that you can get the same results at home and know exactly what goes into them.

These are just like Amritsari Kulchas which are usually served with chana or chhole, dahi or raita and a big glass of lassi! Kulchas are actually pretty easy to make at home and only need a few ingredients. We all love stuffed kulchas and my favourite combination is hands down garlic and cheese. There’s something about garlic in every bite and melty, stretchy cheese oozing out of soft bread – YUM!

Ingredients for Garlic Cheese Kulcha

Here’s what you’ll need to make the dough for kulchas

This recipe doesn’t require yeast and we don’t want the dough to be bready. Instead its mildly leavened with baking soda and curd which keeps the dough soft and really light.

Here’s what you’ll need for the kulcha stuffing

• I’ve used shredded mozzarella for the kulcha stuffing but you can also use Amul processed cheese or a combination of cheddar and mozzarella. Mozzarella melts and gives you that cheese pull which won’t happen if you use regular Amul Cheese.
• Chaat Masala adds an amazing tanginess that’s hard to beat. We call the flavour ‘chatpata’ in Hindi. If you can source chaat masala, please do. If you can’t, you can also switch things up with some taco seasoning, or cajun spice mix – it’ll be a different flavour but still so good.

Step by Step Kulcha Recipe

I’ve broken this recipe down into multiple steps so that it’s easy for you to make kulchas at home

1 Add maida, salt, baking soda to a bowl and give it a mix

2-3 Add oil and curd and mix it well till it starts to come together. Knead the dough for a few minutes till it comes together as a ball. You shouldn’t need any extra liquid for this. The dough should feel a little tacky and soft. If you feel its too dry, then just add a teaspoon or two of warm water

4. Once you’ve kneaded the dough for 4-5 minutes and it comes together into a ball, cover it with a damp cloth and let it rest for 2 hours

5-6 Add shredded mozzarella, chopped garlic, chaat masala, green chillies and coriander to a bowl and mix it well. Do this just before you are ready to make the kulchas. If making ahead, refrigerate the stuffing till ready to use

7 After resting for two hours, the dough would have expanded somewhat (but not doubled in size like an yeasted dough)

8 Take a golf ball sized piece of dough and dust it on both sides with flour. Roll it out into a 4 inch diameter circle

9 Place a tablespoon and a half of filling in the center

10 Pleat the edges together while moving the dough in a circular motion so the filling is complete sealed

11 Once the kulcha is stuffed roll it out again to a 4 inch diameter circle. Don’t roll it too thin or the stuffing will start coming out

12 Brush the top with water

13 Sprinkle cheese, garlic and coriander on top and press it down gently so it sticks to the dough

14 Flip it over and brush the other side with water

15 Place the side brushed with water down on a hot tawa (don’t use a non stick tawa – iron tava or steel tawa works well)

16 Cover it immediately and let it cook for 30-40 seconds on high flame

17 Flip the tawa over so that the kulcha touches the flame and grill the top of the kulcha directly on the flame till it chars on top from all sides and the center

18 Remove it on a plate and brush the top immediately with butter

Richa’s Expert Tips To Make The Best Stuffed Kulcha

• Flour: I recommend using only maida or all purpose flour for this recipe. If you wish to use atta or whole wheat flour, don’t increase the amount by more than 50%
• Yeast: If you would like to use yeast in this recipe, replace the baking soda with a teaspoon of yeast. The dough should double in size before you use it to make kulchas
• Vegan Kulchas: You can make these kulchas vegan by replacing curd with a vegan curd and a teaspoon of vinegar
• Tawa: The method that I’ve shared to cook the kulchas will only work if you use an iron tawa or a steel tawa so that the dough sticks to the surface. That won’t happen if you use a non stick tawa. If you only have a non stick tawa, flip the kulcha after 45 seconds and cook it for another minute on the other side while pressing it gently.
• Stuffing: You can switch up the stuffing by adding aloo or paneer or other herbs or seasoning to it

FAQs

And there you have it. It’s so easy make homemade kulchas with my recipe. Every one of them will be soft and amazingly fluffy. You can make different variations with this recipe by changing up the stuffing – aloo kulcha, paneer kulcha, cheese kulcha, pudina kulcha or skip the stuffing and make a plain kulcha.

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