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

Punjab · Dinner

Chole Bhature (Dinner)

Jet-black spiced chickpeas — stained with tea and tamarind, tempered with whole spices — served with pillowy deep-fried bhature. Punjab's most celebratory and indulgent dinner.

🧺 Ingredients

• Kabuli chana (white chickpeas): 300g (soaked overnight)
• Tea bags: 2 (for colour)
• Onion, finely chopped: 300g
• Tomatoes, puréed: 250g
• Ginger-garlic paste: 2 tbsp
• Anardana (dried pomegranate seeds): 1 tbsp
• Chole masala: 2 tbsp
• Black cardamom: 2
• Bay leaves: 2
• Cloves: 4
• Cinnamon: 1 inch
• Tamarind paste: 1 tbsp
• Desi ghee: 4 tbsp
• Salt: to taste
• Maida (all-purpose flour): 300g
• Semolina: 30g
• Yoghurt: 100g
• Baking soda: 0.5 tsp
• Salt: 1 tsp
• Oil: for frying
• Bhature dough must rest at least 1 hour for the gluten to relax and bhature to puff properly.
• Serve with pickled onions, green chutney, and sliced ginger.

👩‍🍳 How to make Chole Bhature

1. Pressure cook chana with tea bags, black cardamom, bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, and salt for 6–8 whistles.
2. Remove tea bags.
3. Chana should be fully tender.
4. Heat ghee; add onions; cook until very dark brown, 15 min.
5. Add ginger-garlic paste; cook 3 min.
6. Add tomatoes; cook until oil surfaces.
7. Add chole masala, anardana, tamarind; cook 5 min.
8. Add cooked chana with liquid.
9. Simmer until gravy thickens and stains deep mahogany.
10. Mash a few chickpeas to thicken.
11. Knead maida, semolina, yoghurt, baking soda, and salt into a soft dough.
12. Rest 1 hour.
13. Roll into ovals 3mm thick.
14. Fry in hot oil; press with ladle as they puff.
15. Golden, puffed bhature take 90 seconds each side.

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