Photo: Gannu03 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Punjab · Breakfast

Chole Bhature

Traditional 18. Chole Bhature recipe

🧺 Ingredients

• 1 cup (250g) dried white chickpeas
• 3 cups water
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1-2 pinches baking soda (optional)
• 2-3 tbsp oil/ghee
• 1 medium onion (100g), chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes (200g), chopped
• 1 inch ginger, chopped
• 4-5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 green chilli, chopped
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tej patta (bay leaf)
• 2 inch cinnamon stick
• 2-3 cloves
• 2 green cardamom
• 2-3 black peppercorns
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ¼ tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• ½-1 tsp amchur (dry mango)
• 1-1.5 cups water
• 1 tsp garam masala
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves for garnish
• 1½ cups maida (all-purpose flour)
• ⅓ cup semolina (sooji)
• 2 tbsp oil/ghee
• 1 tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ½ cup yogurt/curd
• 2-3 tbsp water (as needed)
• Oil for deep frying

👩‍🍳 How to make Chole Bhature

1. Rinse and soak (overnight, cold water): Rinse chickpeas, soak in 3 cups water 7-8 hours or overnight.
2. Pressure cook (10-12 whistles, high heat): Drain, add fresh 3 cups water and salt, pressure cook 10-12 whistles until very tender.
3. Blend paste (2 mins, room temp): Blend chopped onion, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, green chilli into fine paste using food processor or mortar-pestle.
4. Temper spices (1 min, medium heat): Heat oil, add bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, peppercorns, allow to sizzle and release aromatics (30 secs).
5. Sauté paste (8-10 mins, medium heat): Add ground paste to tempered spices, sauté 8-10 minutes until oil separates from paste sides and mixture browns slightly.
6. Add dry spices (1-2 mins, medium heat): Mix in turmeric, red chilli, coriander powder, cook briefly.
7. Add chickpeas (1 min, medium heat): Add cooked chickpeas, stir well to coat with spice mixture.
8. Add water (1 min, medium heat): Pour 1-1.5 cups water and reserved cooking liquid, add salt.
9. Simmer (12-15 mins, low-medium heat): Simmer 12-15 minutes until gravy thickens to desired consistency (semi-thick, not watery).
10. Mash some (2 mins, low heat): Mash some chickpeas gently with back of spoon to thicken further if needed.
11. Finish (1 min, low heat): Add slit green chilli, garam masala, cook 1-2 minutes more.
12. Mix dry ingredients (1 min, room temp): Sift maida, salt, baking soda, add semolina and sugar.
13. Add wet ingredients (2 mins, room temp): Rub in 2 tbsp oil, add yogurt, knead into soft dough with 2-3 tbsp water as needed.
14. Rest dough (30-45 mins, room temp): Oil dough surface, cover with moist cloth, rest minimum 30 minutes (up to 2 hours for better rise).
15. Divide and roll (5 mins, room temp): Pinch medium-sized balls, roll into oval/circular shapes, oil both sides.
16. Fry in oil (3-4 mins per bhature, medium-high heat): Heat oil until medium-hot, slide bhature into oil, press gently with spoon until it begins to puff.
17. Splash oil (1 min, medium-high heat): Splash oil over surface continuously until fully puffed and golden.
18. Flip and fry (1-2 mins, medium-high heat): Flip once or twice for even cooking until light to golden brown on both sides.
19. Drain (1 min, room temp): Remove to paper towels, serve immediately while hot and puffed.

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