Chole bhature is the breakfast of Punjabi weekends and the street food of Delhi, where stalls in Paharganj and Kamla Nagar have served it for generations. The combination travelled with Punjabi families after 1947 and quickly became a staple of North Indian food culture, sold from dawn by vendors who fry bhature to order.
The chole are dark brown, sour and spicy, cooked with a bag of tea leaves or dried amla for colour and spiced with roasted anardana, amchur and a generous hand of chole masala. The bhature are large, puffed and chewy-soft inside, slightly tangy from yogurt-fermented dough, with crisp edges that tear apart easily.
It is heavy food meant for a lazy late morning or a festive lunch. A plate usually comes with sliced onions, pickled green chillies, a wedge of lemon and often a glass of sweet or salted lassi, after which most people need a nap. At home the dough is usually set the night before, so the whole family can sit down to hot bhature by late morning.
At a glance
| Region | Punjab |
|---|---|
| Cuisine | Punjabi |
| Diet | Vegetarian |
| Course | Main course |
| Prep time | 30 minutes |
| Cook time | 60 minutes |
| Total time | 90 minutes |
| Serves | 4 |
| Spice level | Medium |
| Difficulty | Medium |
| Gluten-free | No |
| Key ingredients | chickpeas / maida / yogurt / onion / tomato |
Ingredients
For the chole
- 1 1/2 cups kabuli chana, soaked overnight
- 2 black tea bags or 1 tbsp loose tea tied in muslin
- 2 dried amla pieces (optional)
- 1 bay leaf, 2 black cardamom
- 3 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 2 green chillies, slit
- 2 tomatoes, pureed
- 2 tbsp chole masala
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tsp anardana powder
- 1/2 tsp amchur
- Salt to taste
- 1 inch ginger, julienned, and coriander to garnish
For the bhature
- 2 cups maida
- 2 tbsp fine sooji (semolina)
- 1/2 cup sour curd
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp oil, plus oil for deep frying
- Warm water as needed
Method
- Make the bhatura dough first: mix maida, sooji, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Add curd and 2 tbsp oil and rub in, then knead with warm water to a soft, slightly sticky dough. Coat with oil, cover and rest 2 to 3 hours in a warm place.
- Drain the chana and pressure cook with 4 cups water, salt, tea bags, amla, bay leaf and black cardamom for 1 whistle on high, then 15 minutes on low. The chana should be very soft and dark. Discard the tea bags.
- Heat oil in a kadai on medium, add cumin, then onions. Fry 10 to 12 minutes, stirring, until deep brown – this colour drives the look of the chole.
- Add ginger-garlic paste and green chillies for a minute, then the tomato puree, chole masala, chilli powder and anardana. Cook 8 to 10 minutes until oil separates.
- Add the chana with its cooking water, mash a few chickpeas, and simmer uncovered on low for 15 to 20 minutes until the gravy is thick and clings to the chana. Stir in amchur and garnish with ginger julienne and coriander.
- For the bhature, heat oil in a deep kadai to about 190 C – a pinch of dough should rise immediately with vigorous bubbles.
- Divide the dough into 8 balls. Oil the rolling surface and roll each into an oval about 5 mm thick; avoid flour, which burns in the oil.
- Slide one bhatura into the oil and gently press it down with a slotted spoon so it puffs fully, about 20 seconds. Flip and fry until light golden on both sides. Drain and serve immediately.
Tips
- If the oil is not hot enough, bhature absorb oil and stay flat; if too hot, they brown before puffing.
- Rested dough should look slightly risen with a few bubbles; overnight in the fridge also works.
- The chole improve after resting for an hour, so cook them first.
Serve with
Sliced onions, pickled green chillies, lemon wedges and a tall glass of lassi.