Tofu stuffed whole wheat kulcha

This virtual world where I can write what I please, where I can interact with people whom I have come to know and like is my sanctuary. I would like to begin my first post of this year with a heartfelt wish for all my virtual friends.

May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness.
I hope you read some fine books, kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, 
and don't forget to make some art - write or draw or sing or live as only you can.
And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.

I begin this year with a post for the Blogging Marathon, brain child of Srivalli and well loved by a group of marathoners who've journeyed together through several marathons. The theme I have chosen for this week is stuffed breads and today, I have for you a healthy tofu stuffed whole wheat kulcha.
 
What you need:
For the kulcha:
Whole wheat flour - 3 cups
Salt - 3/4 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Yeast - 1.5 tsp
Warm water

If you are using active dry yeast, proof it  by dissolving it in 1/4 glass of tepid water to which a tsp of sugar has been added and leave covered until frothy. I used fresh yeast. When using fresh yeast, you need to take it in a bowl, add half a teaspoon of sugar to it and rub it with the back of a spoon until it dissolves and turns into a liquid.
Take the flour, salt and yeast in a mixing bowl. Add water little by little and knead to form a smooth pliable dough. Coat with oil, cover and set aside in a warm place until it doubles in volume.

For the filling:
Tofu - 1 cup, crumbled
Onion - 1 medium, chopped very fine
Oil - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Garam masala - 1 tsp, heaped
Corriander - 1/2 cup, finely chopped
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Heat oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds. When they start to sizzle, add the onions and saute on a low flame until pink and translucent. Stir in the turmeric powder, garam masala, salt, crumbled tofu and chopped corriander leaves. Mix well and heat till moisture evaporates.

To make kulchas:
Pinch out a large, lemon sized ball of dough. Roll into a small, thick circle. Place a heaped tablespoon of filling in it and close to form a ball again.
 
Dust with flour and roll this out into a thick, large circle. Cook on a hot tawa, drizzling oil/ghee over it, flipping over once or twice until both sides are evenly cooked with brown spots on them.

 

Serve hot with any curry of your choice, pickle and raita.
Do check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#24

The making of an Onion Kulcha

Flat breads in the form of rotis and parathas make an appearance in my home quite often. However,making naan is something I have shied away from after a disastrous trial a few years back. So whenever the craving for naan or any of its variants hits me, I take the easy way out and either eat out or get take-away...
A few days back, though,I decided to try my hand at making onion kulchas.....the results were encouraging enough to make me want to try out other versions of this very adaptable bread.

What you need:

For the dough:
All purpose flour/maida - 1 cup
Whole wheat flour - 1 cup
Active dry yeast - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Warm water - enough to knead the flour into a smooth dough

To make dough:
Soak yeast in 1/4 cup of warm water for 10 minutes or until it is completely dissolved. Mix the flours and salt together. Add the yeast mixture to this and then add warm water a little at a time and knead into a smooth pliable dough. Cover and let it stand for a few hours. The volume of the dough will double in about 4-6 hours. Punch it well and knead again and set aside until you are ready to make kulchas.

For the filling :
Large red onions - 2, chopped very fine
Tomato sauce - 1tsp
Chilli sauce - 1 tsp
Salt - a little
Oil - 3 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/4 tsp

To make filling:
Heat oil. Add onions and saute until brown. Stir in all the other ingredients...stir well and remove from heat. Set aside.

To make kulchas:
Take a medium sized ball of dough. Using a rolling pin, flatten it into a small circle. Spoon some of the filling into this circle and close it and shape into a ball again with your hands. Roll out into a thick circle. Fold this in half so you get a semi-circle and spread it slightly with the rolling pin. Now fold it into a triangle and spread again with the rolling pin to make a thick kulcha.
Heat a tawa/griddle. Transfer the rolled out kulcha onto that. Cook until you see a few bubbles form on the top of the kulcha. By this time, the bottom should have turned golden brown. Turn over and cook for a minute or two.
Serve hot with any curry of your choice.

Kulcha with baby potatoes - Njoy!!!

This is my entry to Srivalli's Roti Mela.