By Aditi Saraswat
May 5, 2026
Matar kulcha is not just a recipe, but it is a Delhi street food ritual, in which tangy, spicy white peas are paired with soft kulchas to make a quick, filling plate that is full of bold, spicy flavours.
1 cup dried white peas (soaked overnight) 2 kulchas (store-bought or homemade) 1 medium onion, finely chopped 1 tomato, chopped 1 green chilli, chopped 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste 1 tsp chaat masala ½ tsp cumin powder ½ tsp red chilli powder ½ tsp turmeric powder Salt to taste 1 tbsp oil or butter 1 tbsp lemon juice Fresh coriander, chopped
Pressure cook the soaked white peas or matar with some salt and turmeric until it turns soft but not mushy.
In a pan, heat oil and add ginger-garlic paste and the chopped green chilli. Sauté it for a while until it turns fragrant, then add sliced onions and cook until it turns lighly golden.
To this, now add tomatoes, red chilli powder, cumin powder and salt to taste. Cook until the base turns soft and releases oil.
Add the boiled matar and a little cooking water. Mash it slightly while blending so that the gravy turns thick and covers the peas nicely.
In the end, sprinkle chaat masala, some lemon juice, and fresh coriander on top.
Warm the kulchas on a tawa with a little butter until it turns a bit crisp on the outside and soft from within. Serve hot with matar, chopped onions and some extra lemon wedges by the side.