Matar Kulcha/ Chole Kulche/ Matar Chaat
If there was to be a poll on Delhi’s favorite snack or favorite street food, the hands-down winner would be Matar Kulcha.
Matar Kulcha is a popular North Indian street food dish comprising curried dried white peas and fermented flat bread, Kulcha. I am a BIG Matar Kulcha fan, side effects of being a Delhiite;)
You can find thelas or Cart in every nook and corner of Delhi serving this delicious treat. The whole process of making a yummy plate of Matar Kulcha is quite interesting. Vendors carry cooked Matar or white peas in a large brass vessel or matki. All the dry powders, chopped onions and tomatoes and chutneys are neatly arranged on one side of the cart. There’s a small stove on the cart on which the vendor will place the tawa or griddle to make the kulchas hot.
You can tell him your taste and he will prepare your plate accordingly. Ahaaa! This is taking me down memory lane.
Matar in hindi means Peas. For making matar dried white peas are used. They are easily available at any Indian supermarket or grocery store.
Kulchas are pillowy soft and fluffy Indian bread which are generally paired with Matar. Kulchas are cooked over a griddle or tawa which is generally available in each household. If you don’t have an Indian tawa, you can make it on any non stick pan too.
If you are in a hurry and don’t want to make kulchas then you can use readymade kulchas, which are easily available in many super markets.
You can make kulchas in advance and store them in the fridge. They remain soft even when they become cold. Just reheat them on tawa before serving.
You can have this Matar Chaat on it’s own too. I love making this Matar chaat because it’s very delicious and nutritious and above all it has zero oil.
Let’s see How to make MATAR CHAAT—
Serves- 4
INGREDIENTS:
Dried White peas/ Matra- 1 cup
Salt- 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder- 1 teaspoon
Onions- 2, medium
Tomatoes- 2, medium
Green chilies- 4-5
Ginger- 1” piece
Tamarind pulp- ¼th cup
Mint coriander Chutney- 2 tablespoon
Lemon juice- 1 tablespoon
Chat masala powder- 1 teaspoon
Red chili powder- 1 teaspoon
Roasted cumin seed powder- 1 teaspoon
Salt- ½ teaspoon (adjust according to taste)
DIRECTIONS:
Take the white matar or white peas in a big bowl.
Discard any discolored, shriveled or unappealing peas.
Rinse well with water and soak them in ample water for 6-8 hours or overnight.
The next morning, matar or white peas will have absorbed enough water and nearly doubled in size.
Drain the peas from their soaking water. Rinse the matar or dried white peas gently under tap water.
Transfer the matar to a pressure cooker. Pour in 4 cups of water.
Add salt and turmeric powder. Stir well to combine.
Close the lid and pressure cook the matar for 4-5 whistles or until the matar are fully cooked
After that, switch off the heat.
Allow the steam to release naturally. Open the lid and check matar. It should be soft and slightly mushy.
If you see that they are slightly watery, don’t worry. They will absorb water while cooling down.
Allow the cooked matar to rest while we assemble the rest of the ingredients.
Soak the Tamarind in ½ cup of hot water.
After some time squeeze out the pulp and strain it. Discard the seeds and the remaining pulp.
Chop onions, tomatoes and green chilies finely.
Chop ginger into fine juliennes.
After that, transfer the cooked matar to a large mixing bowl.
Add Tamarind pulp, green Chutney, lemon juice.
Add in chopped onions and tomatoes into the matar.
Reserve some chopped onions and tomatoes for garnishing.
Add chopped green chilies ginger juliennes.
Add in chaat masala, roasted cumin seeds, red chili powder and salt to the matar.
Finally add chopped coriander leaves.
Gently mix everything well.
Serve hot garnished with some more julienned slivers of ginger, chopped onions, diced tomatoes, and lemon juice.
Enjoy it as a chaat on it’s own or serve with kulchas!
Yields- 7-8 Kulchas
INGREDIENTS:
All purpose flour/ Maida- 2 cups
Salt- ¼th teaspoon
Yogurt- ½ cup
Baking powder-1 teaspoon
Baking soda- 1 teaspoon
White vinegar- 1 teaspoon
Oil- 1 tablespoon
Warm water- ¼th cup (To knead the dough)
Coriander leaves- 2 tablespoons, chopped
Ghee or Oil for brushing
DIRECTIONS:
To make Kulcha mix together yogurt, baking soda, baking powder and vinegar.
The mixture will become frothy.
Add in 2 tablespoons flour with this bubbly and frothy mixture. Mix well.
Set aside for 10 mins.
Add salt to the maida.
After that add curd mixture to the remaining flour.
Start adding warm water little by little and knead it into a soft dough.
Put oil over the dough ball and roll it in the oil so that it gets fully smeared with oil.
Cover and set aside for 2 hours.
After that give the dough a quick knead.
Divide the dough into lemon sized balls.
From the 2 cups of flour I have taken I made 7 balls.
Using a rolling pin, roll out the balls into circles, around 4-5 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch in thickness.
Put some chopped coriander leaves on top.
Gently roll it again so that the coriander leaves stick to the kulcha’s top surface.
Carefully lift the rolled out kulcha from the surface and transfer it to a hot griddle. The side where you have stuck leaves should go on top.
Cover the pan with a lid.
After a few seconds you will see the rolled out disc will have bubbles over it.
Apply some ghee or oil on kulcha and flip it over and let it cook.
Cook evenly from both the sides till evenly brown.
Serve hot with Matar.
Enjoy!!
Recipe Card
Matar Kulcha/ Chole Kulche/ Matar Chaat
Matar Kulcha is a popular North Indian street food dish comprising curried dried white peas and fermented flat bread, Kulcha.
Let’s see How to make MATAR CHAAT—
Serves- 4
INGREDIENTS:
Dried White peas/ Matra- 1 cup
Salt- 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder- 1 teaspoon
Onions- 2, medium
Tomatoes- 2, medium
Green chilies- 4-5
Ginger- 1” piece
Tamarind pulp- ¼th cup
Mint coriander Chutney- 2 tablespoon
Lemon juice- 1 tablespoon
Chat masala powder- 1 teaspoon
Red chili powder- 1 teaspoon
Roasted cumin seed powder- 1 teaspoon
Salt- ½ teaspoon (adjust according to taste)
DIRECTIONS:
Take the white matar or white peas in a big bowl.
Discard any discolored, shriveled or unappealing peas.
Rinse well with water and soak them in ample water for 6-8 hours or overnight.
The next morning, matar or white peas will have absorbed enough water and nearly doubled in size.
Drain the peas from their soaking water. Rinse the matar or dried white peas gently under tap water.
Transfer the matar to a pressure cooker. Pour in 4 cups of water.
Add salt and turmeric powder. Stir well to combine.
Close the lid and pressure cook the matar for 4-5 whistles or until the matar are fully cooked
After that, switch off the heat.
Allow the steam to release naturally. Open the lid and check matar. It should be soft and slightly mushy.
If you see that they are slightly watery, don’t worry. They will absorb water while cooling down.
Allow the cooked matar to rest while we assemble the rest of the ingredients.
Soak the Tamarind in ½ cup of hot water.
After some time squeeze out the pulp and strain it. Discard the seeds and the remaining pulp.
Chop onions, tomatoes and green chilies finely.
Chop ginger into fine juliennes.
After that, transfer the cooked matar to a large mixing bowl.
Add Tamarind pulp, green Chutney, lemon juice.
Add in chopped onions and tomatoes into the matar.
Reserve some chopped onions and tomatoes for garnishing.
Add chopped green chilies ginger juliennes.
Add in chaat masala, roasted cumin seeds, red chili powder and salt to the matar.
Finally add chopped coriander leaves.
Gently mix everything well.
Serve hot garnished with some more julienned slivers of ginger, chopped onions, diced tomatoes, and lemon juice.
Enjoy it as a chaat on it’s own or serve with kulchas!!
How to make KULCHAS—
Yields- 7-8 Kulchas
INGREDIENTS:
All purpose flour/ Maida- 2 cups
Salt- ¼th teaspoon
Yogurt- ½ cup
Baking powder-1 teaspoon
Baking soda- 1 teaspoon
White vinegar- 1 teaspoon
Oil- 1 tablespoon
Warm water- ¼th cup (To knead the dough)
Coriander leaves- 2 tablespoons, chopped
Ghee or Oil for brushing
DIRECTIONS:
To make Kulcha mix together yogurt, baking soda, baking powder and vinegar.
The mixture will become frothy.
Add in 2 tablespoons flour with this bubbly and frothy mixture. Mix well.
Set aside for 10 mins.
Add salt to the maida.
After that add curd mixture to the remaining flour.
Start adding warm water little by little and knead it into a soft dough.
Put oil over the dough ball and roll it in the oil so that it gets fully smeared with oil.
Cover and set aside for 2 hours.
After that give the dough a quick knead.
Divide the dough into lemon sized balls.
From the 2 cups of flour I have taken I made 7 balls.
Using a rolling pin, roll out the balls into circles, around 4-5 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch in thickness.
Put some chopped coriander leaves on top.
Gently roll it again so that the coriander leaves stick to the kulcha’s top surface.
Carefully lift the rolled out kulcha from the surface and transfer it to a hot griddle. The side where you have stuck leaves should go on top.
Cover the pan with a lid.
After a few seconds you will see the rolled out disc will have bubbles over it.
Apply some ghee or oil on kulcha and flip it over and let it cook.
Cook evenly from both the sides till evenly brown..
Serve hot with Matar.
Enjoy!!