Chole Bhature

Chole Bhature is a north Indian dish but is pretty popular everywhere in India as a form of street food and also a proper meal. Chole means chick peas or garbanzo beans and bhatura is a form of fried bread. When you want to prepare chole bhature, do remember to start the prep one day in advance. You can soak the chole the previous night so that it absorbs all the water the next morning and becomes softer. Similarly, the bhatura dough must be left to rise overnight, so it must be kneaded at least 12-16 hours before you fry them.

I made chole bhature during Diwali this time. At one point this was a favourite comfort food. I remember feeling lazy in my Delhi home and taking the phone and ordering chole bhature countless number of times. Or working late in office, coming home and studying for my Master’s, forgetting to eat, going for my exams in the morning, and then gorging on the chole bhature while coming home, even though I was half-sleepy. Another memory is sneaking out of office for our Sunday dinners. Kid Uncle and I would zoom through empty Delhi roads on his bike during the break between ‘upcountry’ and ‘city’ editions (no, I won’t say first and second editions). Every time we would think of ordering something else but ended up ordering chole bhature and faluda kulfi again and again. It was fast and filling. We probably had the most important conversations of our lives eating chole bhature in that noisy restaurant. So ya, there are some dishes which mean more than just food to me because of the memories associated with it. And there are some which I make for the first time now and perhaps create some new memories.

Prep time: 12 hours + 30 minutes (to soak+boil) Cooking time: 30 minutes Serves: 4

Chopped onions: 2 medium

Diced tomatoes: 1 large

Green chillies: 4, slit

Chopped garlic: 1 tbsp

Chopped ginger: 1 tsp

Lemon juice: 1 tbsp

Coriander leaves: 1 small bunch

Whole spices: Cinnamon stick (1 small), cloves (3), bay leaf (1), dry chilly (1), cumin seeds (1 tbsp), (black peppercorns 1/2 tsp)

Powdered spices: Turmeric (1 tsp), cumin (2 tsp), red chilly (1-1/2 tsp), coriander (1 tsp), amchoor/dried green mango powder (1 tsp), garam masala (2 tsp)

Mustard oil: 4 tbsp

Water: 1 cup

Salt to taste

1) Soak chole overnight and then boil them in a pressure cooker with a pinch of salt till at least 6 whistles. Or boil them in a covered saucepan till the chole becomes soft and can be mashed with your fingers.

2) Heat oil and add the whole spices. When they release the aroma, add garlic, ginger, onions and chillies and fry till the onions start getting brown.

3) Add the powdered spices except garam masala and amchoor and stir the masala for 3 minutes, after which you can put in the tomatoes and fry them for another 3 minutes.

4) Add the boiled chole, some salt, amchoor and garam masala and fry for 5 minutes till the chole is coated with the spices.

5) Squeeze fresh lemon juice and sprinkle finely chopped dhaniya leaves. Pour water and let it simmer on low heat for 7 minutes in a covered pan.

6) Remove cover and keep stirring for another 2 minutes till the water almost dries up.

7) Serve with bhature, chopped onions, pickle, and lemon. 

Prep time: 12-16 hours (to rise) Cooking time: 10 minutes Serves: 4

Maida/All-purpose flour: 3 cups

Melted ghee: 1 tbsp

Curd: ½ cup

Baking powder: ½ tsp

Salt: 1 tsp

Yeast (optional): ½ tsp

Warm water: About ½ cup

Oil for frying

1) Mix all the dry ingredients in a big bowl and make a hole in the middle. Pour the ghee, curd and water into it and make a dough. You don’t have to knead it too much as it will be very soft because of the curd.

2) Cover with a wet cloth and leave it overnight to rise to almost double the original size.

3) Apply some oil on your palms and make balls from the dough. Roll them into round or oval shapes and deep fry in medium high until they puff up and become golden brown.

4) Serve with chole or any other dry sabzi.