Muttar-Kulcha or Peas and Flat Bread

Muttar Kulcha, takes me back to those sultry summer holidays, I used to spend at my sister’s house in Delhi.  She used to get these fresh soft kulchas and heat them with a generous amount of butter and serve them with zingy tangy muttar. Half the days I was there this would be a staple meal and in between would be all the street food Delhi has to offer. I like my south Indian Idly Dosa very much but sometimes like to indulge in some chatpata North Indian fare.

Muttar gravy can be served as a delicious, piquant snack or as a main dish with Kulcha. Muttar in Hindi means ‘Peas’  but these are not the fresh green peas but dried white peas.Kulchas are also served with Chickpeas. It is a matter of choice what you like to have with your kulcha.  Both taste almost the same but I prefer the dried peas as Chickpeas don’t suit my delicate tummy.

The other day I was hosting high tea at home and was hell bent on serving Muttar Kulcha.Now we do not get Kulchas here and I had them sent all the way from Hyderabad. My guests relished and welcomed the rare treat.

Recipe for Muttar-Kulcha or Peas and Flat Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup dried white peas

Salt to taste

Black salt

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tbsp cumin seed

1 tablespoon coriander

2 tablespoons ginger finely chopped

2 small green chillies finely chopped, (adjust to taste)

1 tbsp amchur

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tbsp oil

For Garnishing

Few slices of lemon

2 tablespoons ginger finely chopped

2 green chillies finely chopped

Lots of fresh coriander leaves

Method

Wash and soak the peas overnight.

Cook the peas in a pressure cooker with 2½ cups of water. When the pressure cooker starts to steam, turn the heat down to medium and cook for ten more minutes. The peas should be soft and mushy. Add a little water if they are dry, the gravy should be thick.

I like to grind fresh cumin and coriander as the aroma then wafts through the air. Dry roast the cumin seeds and coriander seeds separately, until they are brown. Cumin is easy to grind; just take a rolling pin and roll it over on the still warm cumin seeds and it gets powdered finely and easily. Grind the coriander seeds in the mixer and keep aside.

Heat the oil in a wok and ginger, and green chilli. Add the boiled peas, salt, and sugar, and cumin and coriander powder, amchur and let it boil till the gravy is nice and thick.

Once the gravy is done, serve hot after garnishing with ginger juliennes, onion rings, green chilli, coriander leaves and lemon.

You can eat it as it is or serve it with kulcha, puri, roti, parantha, naan.