Aloo Kulcha

Aloo Kulcha is a leavened Indian flatbread with a soft and crispy texture, stuffed with spiced mashed potatoes. Aloo Kulcha recipe is from the Punjabi cuisine and very popular in Delhi as well as some parts of North India. Traditionally, Aloo Kulcha is cooked in a tandoor or clay oven. But you can easily cook it on a skillet (tawa). While cooking, it is often brushed with ghee or butter and finally savored with robust Indian curries. Chole or spicy chickpea curry with Kulcha is the quintessential combination in the Indian food scene.

What is Aloo Kulcha

In Hindi, the term Aloo stands for potatoes and Kulcha is an leavened flatbread made from all-purpose flour. Simply put together the words Aloo Kulcha mean a leavened soft flatbread stuffed with a savory and spiced mashed potato filling.

Since the day I tried the fab aloo kulcha served at a nearby Punjabi dhaba (roadside eatery), I’ve been a fan of it. One bite and I got so inspired that I wanted to try the Aloo Kulcha recipe at home.

This recipe is thus a result of that. The base kulcha and potato stuffing recipes in this have been adapted from my family recipe of Aloo Paratha.

Do note that both Aloo Kulcha and Aloo Paratha are different recipes. Aloo Kulcha is made with leavened all-purpose flour dough and Aloo Paratha is made with unleavened whole wheat flour dough. So the taste and texture is different and not the same.

There are many variations to the original plain Kulcha recipe as well. Here, you can find some variations like:

1. Paneer Kulcha
2. Matar Kulcha

Generally, the restaurant and dhabas have an Aloo Kulcha recipe which has refined or all-purpose flour (maida). But I have added both whole wheat flour (atta) and all-purpose flour in equal quantities.

If you plan to use only whole wheat flour, then you’ll end up having a texture and taste similar to that of an aloo paratha. The spice in the potato stuffing can be adjusted according to your taste. You can add some green chilies for a spicier version of this Aloo Kulcha recipe.

How to make Aloo Kulcha

Make Dough

1. In a mixing bowl take the following listed ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ¾ to 1 teaspoon salt or as required

2. Add 2 tablespoons fresh yogurt (curd) and 3 teaspoons of oil. Use any neutral and flavorless oil.

3. Lightly mix everything with a spoon or with your hands.

4. Add water. I added ⅔ cup water in parts, you can add from ½ to ⅔ cup water.

Keep in mind that the quantity of water you need to add will depend on the quality and texture of the flours. So, add as needed to make a soft and pliable dough.

5. Mix and then begin to knead.

6. Knead to a smooth, pliable and soft dough.

7. Cover the dough and keep aside for 2 hours ( I kept for 1 hour and 48 minutes).

Make Potato Stuffing

8. Meanwhile, steam or boil 4 to 5 potatoes (about 300 to 350 grams) till they are cooked through completely.

You can boil the potatoes adding water as needed in a pan on the stove-top, instant pot or a stove-top pressure cooker. You can also peel and dice the potatoes and steam them in a steamer pan.

9. Peel and mash the potatoes with a potato masher.

10. Add the following spices and herbs:

• 1 teaspoon chopped green chilies
• ½ teaspoon red chili powder
• ½ teaspoon dried mango powder (amchur powder)
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
• 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)

11. Mix the spices and herbs in the mashed potatoes very well. Check the taste and add more of the salt, green chilies and dried mango powder if required.

12. After resting the dough for 2 hours, lightly knead the dough again.

Assemble and Stuff Aloo Kulcha

13. Make medium sized balls from the dough.

14. Sprinkle some whole wheat flour on the rolling board and on the dough ball.

15. With a rolling pin, roll it into a disc or circle of 5 to 6 inches diameter.

16. Place some potato stuffing in the center, keep 1 to 1.5 inches space all over the circumference.

17. Bring the edges together and pinch them to join at the center.

18. Press the joined edges and sprinkle some sesame seeds on it. Press the sesame seeds with your fingers or very lightly with the rolling pin so that they stick to the dough.

Adding sesame seeds is optional. I made the aloo kulcha, both with and without sesame seeds.

19. Sprinkle some flour.

20. Turn over and sprinkle some sesame seeds here too. Sprinkle a bit of flour again. This is an optional step.

21. Gently roll out to a large disc of about 7 to 8 inches in diameter dusting with flour as needed.

Cook Aloo Kulcha on Tawa

22. On a hot tawa or skillet, gently place the stuffed kulcha. Keep the heat to medium-high or high.

23. Flip the aloo kulcha with a spatula when one side is partially cooked. You will see faint golden spots on this lightly cooked side.

24. Spread some ghee (clarified butter) or oil on this side. The amount of ghee or oil to be added, depends upon you. You can either add less or more or skip it as well.

25. Flip again.

26. Now spread some ghee or oil on this side too.

27. Flip again and you will see both the sides with brown or golden spots.

28. Press the edges with a spatula to ensure that they are cooked.

29. Flip once or twice to ensure even roasting and cooking.

30. Here is a cooked Aloo Kulcha without sesame seeds.

31. Place the aloo kulcha in a roti basket.

32. Add ½ to 1 teaspoon of butter and spread it with a butter knife or spoon. Prepare all the kulcha and stack them up this way. I assemble, roll the kulcha and roast them simultaneously.

33. After making each kulcha, wipe the tawa with a cotton kitchen towel to get rid of the browned or burnt flour particles.

34. You can also serve Aloo Kulcha straightaway from the skillet or pan to the plate. Serve these hot or warm with butter, curd, mango pickle, green peas curry or chana masala.

How to serve Aloo Kulcha

For serving, I chose to pair my Aloo Kulcha with fresh homemade yogurt (curd). Other accompaniments that really go well with this kulcha are obviously Peshawari Chole, Dal Makhani, Dal Bukhara or just mango pickle.

But don’t be surprised if you find your loved ones having this Aloo Kulcha all by itself. It is so tasty that you don’t really need anything with it! This soft Aloo Kulcha is also perfect for your kid’s tiffin box. You’ll know this when they will return with empty boxes!

Expert Tips

1. While making the dough, the amount of water to be added depends on the quality of the flours. So, add accordingly. You need to make a smooth, soft and pliable dough.
2. To prepare the potatoes for stuffing, you can cook the potatoes in a steamer or pressure cooker or instant pot. To mash the peeled potatoes, you can use a fork too. Make sure to mash the potatoes really well.
3. You can opt to substitute baking soda in the recipe by swapping it with ¼ to ½ teaspoon baking powder.
4. In the potato stuffing, substitutes for dried mango powder (amchur powder) are dried pomegranate seeds powder (anardana powder), lime juice or chaat masala. You can add about ½ to 1 teaspoon of dried pomegranate seeds powder or ½ teaspoon chaat masala powder. Lime juice can be added as per your taste. There should be just a faint sour taste or tang in the stuffing.
5. Make sure to wipe the tawa with a cotton kitchen towel after making each kulcha. This helps getting rid of burnt flour particles.
6. This is a vegetarian recipe. But you can even make it vegan by skipping the yogurt or using a plant-based yogurts like almond or cashew yogurt, and roasting the kulcha in oil instead of ghee.

FAQs

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Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.

This aloo kulcha post from the blog archives first published in January 2015 has been republished and updated on 15 February 2022.