Chole Bhature - Chana Bhatura

Chole Bhature is one of the tempting and flavorful dishes from Punjabi Cuisine. The union of Chickpea Curry and Fried Flatbreads is known as Chole Bhature.

Recipe Source Link:https://www.mygingergarlickitchen.com/punjabi-chole-bhature-chana-bhatura/

---

« Go back Print this recipe »

RECIPE INGREDIENTS

» For Chole/Chickpeas Curry:

• Chickpeas/kabuli chana, soaked overnight - 1 cup (you can this substitute with 3 cups canned chickpeas)
• Garlic cloves, sliced - 2 tablespoons
• Tea bags - 2 or 2 tablespoons tea tied in a muslin cloth
• Ginger, juliennes - 1 tablespoon + more for garnishing
• Green chili, sliced - 4-5 (add less if you are adding red chili powder)
• Red onion, chopped - 1 medium
• Dried mango powder/amchur - 1 teaspoon
• Salt to taste
• Pomegranate seeds/ananardana - 1 teaspoon
• Tomato puree - ¾ cup
• Turmeric powder/haldi powder- ¼ teaspoon
• Coriander powder/dhania powder - 1 tablespoon
• Chana masala powder - 2 tablespoon (I have used mdh chana masala)
• Oil - 2 tablespoon
• Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Bay leaf/tej patta - 1
• Cinnamon stick/dalchini - 1 stick
• Cloves/laung - 2-3
• Star anise/chakra phool - 1
• Black cardamom pods/badi elaichi - 2

» For The Bhature:

• All-purpose flour/maida (sifted) - 1½ cup
• Semolina/suji - ½ cup
• Baking powder - 1½ teaspoon
• Sugar - 2 teaspoon
• Salt to taste
• Oil - 2-3 tablespoon
• Natural yogurt - ½ cup
• Warm water as needed
• Oil for deep-frying

» For Serving:

• Onions
• Lemon wedges
• Fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves
• Pickle

RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS

» Making Chole/Chickpeas Curry:

1. Drain out the excess water from soaked chickpeas and rinse them again with fresh running water in the morning and set them aside. In a pressure cooker, add soaked and rinsed Kabuli chana along with the tea bags. enough water, salt, garlic cloves, and whole spices. At this point, you can also add a pinch of baking soda to speed up the cooking process.
2. Now cover with the lid and pressure cook for 4 whistles on high heat. After 4 whistles, turn the heat to medium-low and pressure cook for about 15 minutes or until they are soft. Let the pressure come off completely before opening the lid. Once cooled, open the lid and discard the spices, tea bags, and keep it aside.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the cumin seeds and turmeric powder. When the seeds start to crackle, add ginger and sauté for a minute.
4. After that, add chopped onions to the pan and sauté till the onion is golden brown. Now add amchur powder, and anardana and cook for 2 more minutes.
5. Next, add the tomato puree and mix everything well to combine. Cook for 5 minutes or until the raw smell of tomatoes is gone; keep stirring occasionally to prevent the mixture from sticking to the pan.
6. Once the tomatoes are cooked, add coriander powder, chana masala powder, and slit green chilies. Mix everything well again and cook for 5-6 minutes.
7. After that, add spicy tomato masala (sauce) to the cooked chickpeas (chana) and mix well until combined. At this point, check for consistency and add some water if needed. Cook over low heat for 7-8 minutes. Chole is ready. Now turn off the heat and set it aside.

» Making Bhature:

1. To a large mixing bowl, add sifted all-purpose flour (maida), semolina, and mix well to combine.
2. After that, add oil, salt, sugar, and baking powder and mix well using fingers.
3. Now add yogurt and mix again. Once mixed add enough warm water and knead into a firm dough.
4. Once the dough is ready, apply little oil to it. Then cover the bowl with a muslin cloth and set it aside to rise for 2-3 hours.
5. After resting, punch the dough and transfer it on the working surface and divide it into 6-8 equal portions.
6. Using a rolling pin, roll out into an oval shape. Repeat the same with all the dough balls.
7. Heat oil in a pan over high heat. Once the oil is hot, slide the rolled bhatura in hot oil. Press the center lightly with a large frying spoon, this would help bhatura to puff up. Deep fry till the bhaturas puff up and both sides are slightly golden brown in color. Drain the fried bhatura using a slotted spoon.

» For Serving:

1. Garnish chole with ginger slices, coriander, and onions. Serve bhature hot with the prepared chole, Laccha Onion, pickle, and lemon wedges.

RECIPE NOTES

1. If you forgot to soak chickpeas, or you don?t have raw chickpeas, then you can swap 1 cup raw chickpeas with 3 cups canned chickpeas. Do not boil canned chickpeas. Just discard the water and add them directly to the sauce.
2. If using canned chickpeas then keep in mind to increase the cooking time.
3. Adding semolina is highly recommended because they make bhaturas crispy and tasty.
4. Pomegranate seeds add a nice flavor to this chole recipe, so I would recommend using it.
5. Whole spices add a nice flavor to this chole, so adding all the whole spices is advisable.