Paneer Dhaniya Kulcha / Paneer & Cilantro stuffed flatbread

ulcha is a soft leavened Indian bread with delicious fillings that can be paired with just about any curry or eaten by itself. So if you haven't heard about them or have not tasted them, do not feel bad. I personally think that they are a little bit underrated and overshadowed by their more popular but very close cousin, the Naan. But if you have never had a Kulcha, I do encourage you to give one a try and you will realize for yourself that the difference is worth the special mention. The bread is exceptionally soft and tender when you break it between your fingers and as you take a bite, the savory goodness of the filling together with the softness of the bread, well.. makes you happy :)
So what is the difference between the Kulcha and Naan - here's what I think - Naan uses yeast in its dough while Kulcha uses only baking powder and baking soda. Naans are usually oblong in shape while Kulchas are round. Both are traditionally made in a Tandoor (earthen clay oven) but kulchas can be made on the stove top too. Both can be made in a conventional oven as well. I make my kulchas in the oven as well as on the stove top. It is popular all over India and in different parts of the world. They are generally stuffed with nuts, paneer, potato, khoya etc however the variety of filling one can stuff inside these Indian flatbreads is only limited by your imagination. Creativity is the name of the game – almost anything and everything goes for filling up these.

If you already like kulcha, good for you, or if you are like me you might have just found your new favorite bread.

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Lemon Cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting

If you have been a regular visitor to my blog you must have known by now that I have a clear obsession with chocolate and also most of my baked goodies are either chocolate based or consist of nutella. Every time I think of dessert, I think chocolate. Even when I am online looking for ideas, I type chocolate based search words... even when I am blog hopping, the category I check is chocolate baked goodies. You get the idea.

This time around when I was in the mood to bake some cupcakes I was again drawn towards making some black forest cupcakes or nutella cupcakes (God help me :)). But this time I struggled hard and overcame my obsession. It was mainly because of my not-much-of-a-chocolate-fan hubby (how can you!). Baked a lemon cupcake instead. I loved the results so much that from now on you will be seeing lots and lots of citrus in my baked goodies lol :) These cupcakes are so fresh, light and flavorful that even a no dessert and only chocolate person like me ate one whole cupcake with all the frosting (much to my hubby's surprise) ha ha!!

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Garlic Naan

ince the beginning of time, countries have invaded other countries. India has been no different. What sets India apart however is that most invaders ended up making it their home. This mixing of cultures has given India its rich diversity. With cultures comes their food and hence the rich diversity of Indian cuisine. Now I am no historian but from what little knowledge I have, I believe the modern 'Naan' bread evolved from a combination of middle eastern and local Indian cuisine. It is basically a round or oval shaped leavened flat bread made with wheat flour, salt, yeast culture and yogurt. Traditionally it is cooked in a clay oven or 'tandoor' and it is found in many avatars in central and south asia. Earlier it was mainly found in northern India being synonymous with Punjabi cuisine but now it is found in most parts of the country. I have posted the plain version of this bread before so I will not go into the details of how I got around to learning to make it. Lets just say this is the best bread I like and within its different kinds, I like the Garlic Naan the best. Soft yet toasty bread soaked in butter.. then dipped in curry of your choice.. ahhh.. out of this world :) just yum!!
Here's my version of the classic.

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Ras Malai - My 50th post :)

 can’t believe its my 50th post already.. and it’s been loads of fun all the way. USMasala is not even two months old and I am very very proud of this milestone :) I have been totally addicted to the world of blogging... my hubby can vouch for that :D as am ignoring everything else. Your encouraging comments is always the first thing I read in the morning and they always make my day. I have made so many friends and have discovered so many wonderful blogs it feels awesome!! I am thankful to all my readers especially my fellow bloggers who welcomed me with an open heart in the blogsphere with their encouraging words. Guys your love and support is the reason I have become 100 times more passionate about cooking, experimenting, taking beautiful pics... ok now the big confession all the pics of USMasala which I always get compliments for is taken by my dear hubby... so I thank him too for making my blog wonderful and so colorful... Thanks sweetheart!
So to all you wonderful people out there, a big THANKYOU and watch out for more from USMasala. LOVE you all!!
For my 50th I have chosen my hubs all time favorite Indian sweet Ras-malai. Hope you guys like it.Ras-Malai, soft spongy and delicate cheese balls in a creamy thick sweetened milk sauce with a hint of saffron, nuts and green cardamom, is a delectable and one of the most popular of all Indian desserts.

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