Recipe: Chole Bhature

Chole bhature is a Punjabi delicacy of spicy curried chole and puffy fried bhature, most often eaten together for breakfast.

Hebbars Kitchen

For amritsari chole

1. Wash 250 gms white chickpeas / kabuli chana and soak it in fresh water for 5 hours or overnight.

2. Drain the excess water and wash thoroughly with fresh water.

3. Boil 2 tbsp black tea powder in 250 ml water. keep aside.

4. Set a cooker on a medium heat add the soaked chickpeas, 6-7 garlic cloves, whole spices namely 1 inch cinnamon, 1-2 black cardamom, 1-2 green cardamom, 3-4 cloves, 5-6 black peppercorns, 2-3 bay leaves, 1 tsp carom seeds / ajwain, strained black concoction to darken the chickpeas, salt to taste and water so it is 2 inches above the chickpeas. mix well and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles on medium heat.

5. Switch off the flame and let the cooker depressurize naturally to open the lid. give it a nice stir.

6. Check whether the chickpea is cooked or not by mashing it with a fork or spoon. if not, give 1 or 2 whistles more to cook completely.

7. Set a deep pan or wok on medium heat, add 3 tbsp oil, onion paste of 2 medium size onions and cook until golden brown. add a splash of water if the onions stick to the pan.

8. Add 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste and sauté for 1-2 minutes.

9. Add tomato puree of 3-4 medium sized tomatoes and salt to taste, cook until the oil is released.

10. Add 1 inch julienned ginger, 1-2 chopped green chillies and powdered spices namely 1 tbsp coriander powder, 1 tbsp red chilli powder, 1 tbsp cumin / jeera powder, 2 tbsp anardana powder. cook for 2-3 minutes, then add 100 ml water, mix and cook for a minute.

11. Add the cooked chole along with its water and mix well. add water to adjust the consistency of the curry. you can reduce or increase the amount of water depending on how thick or thin you want your chole to be, make sure you add hot water and bring it to a boil.

12. Add 1 tsp garam masala powder, 1 tsp kasuri methi / dry fenugreek leaves and freshly chopped coriander leaves, mix and cook further for 2-3 minutes.

13. Your flavourful amritsari chole is ready to be served. serve hot with freshly prepared bhaturas or kulcha, accompanied with pickle and onion rings on side.

For bhatura

14. In a mixing bowl add 2 cups refined flour / maida, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, salt to taste and 1 tsp sugar. mix and add 2 tbsp ghee, 1/2 cup curd. give it a good stir and incorporate the curd and ghee in the flour.

15. Add water to knead a soft and stretchy dough, apply oil on the dough surface to prevent it from drying. cover it with a damp cloth and rest it for 1 hour.

16. Divide the dough balls into small equal dough balls.

17. Flatten it with hands and further roll in into a little thick chapati, apply oil if it sticks to the surface.

18. Set a wok or deep pan filled with oil on medium high heat, deep fry the bhatura in hot oil on both the sides until golden brown in colour. push the bhatura with the frying spoon downwards while frying to fluff up nicely.

19. Your hot bhaturas are ready to be eaten along with hot chole.