Hetti.be contributor Elyza goes on a culinary expedition to Surrey, British Columbia, Canada (aka little punjab) to search for authentic Amritsari Kulcha!
Joined by their old classmate from Miri Piri Academy. They search for the flavor that kept their spirits high when surviving the culty military-esque boarding school.
Hetti.be contributor Elyza goes on a culinary expedition to Surrey, British Columbia, Canada (aka little punjab) to search for authentic Amritsari Kulcha!
Amritsar
Amritsari Kulcha is a regional dish specific to Amritsar, Punjab, India. Amritsar is known for being the location of the Golden Temple. An important Sikh temple. Which was attacked in 1984 by the Indian government sparking a wave of anti-Sikh violence. An estimated 20,000 Sikhs were murdered on the streets and in their homes. Acid attacks were a common tactic of the violent mobs. Many activists from that time are still missing or unaccounted for. Sikh activists still advocate for justice from that time from abroad. That hasn't stopped the Indian government from sending assassins to foreign soil to silence these outspoken activists.
What makes a kulcha a kulcha
Amritsari Kulcha is a flatbread traditionally made in a tandoor (clay oven). If you've had naan bread then you've eaten bread from a tandoori oven. Naan typically is made with a simple wheat dough and has a soft pillowy texture. Kulcha on the other hand is a stuffed flatbread with more of a pastry-like dough. Often leavened with baking powder and yogurt. Ghee or butter is worked into the dough and folded over multiple times to create a flaky texture.
Fresh out of the tandoor the kulcha is stiff and crispy. You then have the option to perform a "kulcha crush" where you crush the hot kulcha with both hands. Breaking up those flaky layers for easy tearing into bite sized pieces. It's then served with a channa masala (seasoned and stewed chickpeas) with a deep brown color and a tangy onion chutney.
Why it's so hard to find
Now this regional dish is really hard to find authentically outside of Amritsar and Punjab. Many restaurants cut corners and will use a naan dough and basically make a stuffed naan. Which is good, but not Amritsari Kulcha. Even in "Little Punjab" (Surrey has a large population of South Asian and Punjabi Diaspora) it's hard to find truly authentic Amritsari Kulcha.
