Chole with Whole Wheat Kulcha
Spicy, tangy and hearty: these chole kulche are made with my mom’s chole recipe and served with the cutest mini paneer stuffed whole wheat kulche ♡
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Chole kulche isn’t something usually made at my home, it’s always been chole bhature but this time, I wanted something just as flavourful without the deep frying and this was the perfect change.
The chole is made using my mom’s recipe, it’s spicy, aromatic and tangy and it’s what I’ve grown up eating. To go with it, I made yeast free whole wheat kulchas stuffed with paneer and they turned out so soft, so cute and when paired with the masaledar chole, it just turned out so, so good. On a gloomy, rainy day: this is nothing but pure comfort!
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Chole with Whole Wheat Kulcha
servings
4-5
prep time
30 min
cook time
60 min
Ingredients
To boil the chickpeas
- 2 cups chickpeas, soaked overnight
- water as needed to cover the chickpeas completely
- 2 tsp black tea
- 2 green cardamom
- 3 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp black salt (kala namak)
- 7 cloves garlic
Spiced tomato puree: base of the gravy
- 2 tbsp oil
- 7 cloves garlic
- 1 inch ginger, sliced
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 3 green chilli
- 3 tomato, sliced
Chole Gravy
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp hing
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp red chilli powder
- spiced tomato puree
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp mango powder (amchur), reduce if you you prefer less tang
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- salt to taste
- chickpeas, drained
- 1 + 1/2 cup boiled chickpea water
- 2 tbsp chola masala powder
- handful of fresh coriander, chopped
- 2 tbsp butter
Whole Wheat Kulcha
- 2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- salt to taste
- 3/4 -1 cup curd, as needed
- 1 tbsp ghee
Paneer Stuffing
- 200 g paneer, grated
- 3 green chillies
- 2 tbsp coriander, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Boil the chickpeas: Start by soaking dried chickpeas overnight. The next day, drain and add them to a pressure cooker with enough water to fully cover the chickpeas. For a dark, rich colour in chole, add black tea and whole spices. I pack the tea leaves, green cardamom, cloves and cinnamon in a metal mesh spice ball but you can also wrap them in a muslin cloth or even use regular black tea bags if that’s easier. Add this to the cooker along with a few garlic cloves, salt and black salt. Pressure cook for about 3 whistles on low heat or until the chickpeas are cooked through but still holding shape (you can cook it a little more if needed, check once to be sure it’s soft all the way)
- Make the spiced tomato puree: While the chickpeas are cooking, prepare the base for the gravy. In a pan, heat some oil and sauté garlic, ginger, red onion and green chillies until everything is fragrant and starting to brown. Add in the tomatoes and cook everything down till the tomatoes are completely soft and mushy. Let this mixture cool slightly before blending it into a smooth purée.
- Cook the chole: In a pan, heat some oil and add cumin seeds and a pinch of hing. Once they sizzle, quickly mix in turmeric and red chilli powder and immediately pour in the tomato purée, this step gives the gravy a deep, vibrant colour. Add coriander powder, cumin powder, amchur (mango powder) and salt and mix it all well. Cook the masala covered till the oil starts separating and you can’t smell any raw spices and then add in the drained chickpeas and some of the reserved chickpea cooking water. Mix really well and let everything cook down together so the flavours can come together. Towards the end, mix in about 2 tablespoons of chole masala powder, this is what deepens the colour and gives that distinct taste. Cook for another 5 minutes or so, stir in some butter, garnish with fresh coriander and your chole is ready!
- Make the kulcha dough: On a clean surface, mix whole wheat flour with baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add curd and knead until it comes together. Mix in a tablespoon of ghee and keep kneading for around 10 minutes or so till the dough becomes soft, smooth and supple. If you can, rest the dough for 30 minutes but honestly, it works even without resting since it’s an instant dough.
- Make the paneer stuffing: Grate paneer and mix it with chopped green chillies, coriander, salt and pepper. That’s it, super simple but really delicious.
- Stuff and cook the kulcha: Divide the dough into small balls. Roll each one out a little, place some paneer stuffing in the center, pinch and seal. Flatten it gently, dust with flour and roll it out again in a circle. Cook the kulcha on a hot cast iron skillet till both sides are golden and it starts to puff up. Then hold it over an open flame for a few seconds to get a beautiful char and brush generously with butter while it’s still hot.
- Serveee: Serve the hot, buttery kulche with your dark, rich chole and it’s such a satisfying, wholesome meal.
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