How To Make Perfect Chole Bhature At Home? Follow These Tips and Tricks

A piece of hot and crispy bhatura with flavourful chole with salad on the side, what more can you ask for?

Yes, we are talking about one of the most popular, tempting, and flavourful dishes from the Punjabi Cuisine - Chole Bhature.

To those who don’t know, the combination of ‘Fried Indian Flatbreads’ and ‘White Chickpea Curry’ is called Chole Bhature. No doubt, this dish is one of the most preferred breakfast or snack in the Northern parts of the country. However, you can serve this at any time - even as lunch or dinner.

We know that ordering this dish from outside is certainly a daunting task in this COVID-era, so we thought of bringing you a quick guide to making delectable chole bhature at home.

So, make a glass of lassi and read on!

How To Make Bhatura?

Preparing The Bhatura Dough

Ingredients

• 2 cups of maida
• 1/4 cup of curd
• 2 tablespoons of rava (semolina)
• 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 2 tablespoons of cooking oil
• Water as required (for kneading)

Instructions

• First, sieve 2 cups of maida (all-purpose flour), 1 teaspoon of sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda in a large mixing bowl.
• Then, add 2 tablespoons of rava (semolina) and 1 teaspoon of sugar to the sifted ingredients.
• Next, add 1/4 cup of curd to the bowl and mix well. Make sure that everything is well combined.
• Further, add water in parts and at intervals, first, mix the ingredients well and then start kneading.
• Knead to a smooth and soft dough and don’t put a lot of pressure.
• Grease the dough with cooking oil and cover it with a wet cotton napkin. Keep it aside for at least 2 hours.
• After resting the dough for 2 hours, knead it slightly.

Frying The Bhatura

Ingredients

• Prepared Bhatura Dough
• Oil as required (for deep frying)

Instructions

• Pinch medium-sized balls from the prepared dough and make sure that there are no cracks.
• Keep the dough ball on your work surface and roll it slightly thick into an oval or elongated shape.
• Next, in a kadhai add some cooking oil for deep frying and then put it on medium-high flame.
• Then, drop the flattened dough in hot oil and slightly press it until the bhatura puffs up. Simultaneously, carefully splash oil so that it puffs up completely.
• When you notice that the sizzling of the oil has stopped, turn over the bhatura and fry the other side.
• After that, flip the bhatura once or twice so that it cooks evenly.
• Once it turns golden brown, take it out from the kadhai and drain on paper towels to remove the excess oil.
• Finally, your bhatura is ready to enjoy with chole masala.

Tips To Make Crispy, Soft, And Fluffy Bhatura

• You can add rava (semolina) to make the bhatura crispy and tasty.
• Baking soda can also be added to give a nice texture to the bhatura.
• You can add potatoes to make the bhatura soft.
• You can also add milk while kneading the bhatura to make it soft.
• The addition of sugar gives great color to the bhatura.
• While frying the bhatura, press its center lightly with a slotted spoon. This will help the bhatura to puff up.

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How To Make Delicious Chole For Your Bhature?

Pressure Cook The Chickpeas (Chole)

Ingredients

• 1 cup of chana (white chickpea)
• 2 tea bags
• 3 cups of water
• 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of salt

Instructions

• Start by rinsing 1 cup of white chickpeas at least 4-5 times under running water. Then, soak them in enough water for 7-8 hours.
• After resting the chickpeas overnight, drain the water and add them to a pressure cooker.
• Then, add 3 cups of water, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda, and 2 tea bags.
• Cover the pressure cooker and cook for 8-10 whistles or for about 15 minutes.
• Once the pressure releases, open the lid and check if the chickpeas are cooked well or not.
• If they are done, then, drain all the water and discard the tea bags. Keep the chickpeas aside.

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Preparing The Masala Gravy

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of oil
• 1 medium-sized onion (finely chopped)
• 1 and 1/2 cups of tomato puree
• 1 teaspoon of ginger-garlic paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 pod cardamom
• 1 black cardamom
• 1-inch cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of kasuri methi
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric
• 1 teaspoon of chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon of coriander powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala
• 1 teaspoon of aamchur
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 2 tablespoons of coriander (finely chopped)

Instructions

• For making the chickpea gravy, take a large kadhai and heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in it.
• Once the oil starts to heat, add 1 bay leaf, 2 pod cardamom, 1 black cardamom, 1-inch of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of cumin (jeera), and 1/2 teaspoon of kasuri methi.
• Saute the spices on low flame until they turn aromatic.
• Next, add finely chopped onion, and 1 teaspoon of ginger-garlic paste. Saute them until onions turn golden brown and the raw smell reduces.
• Further, add the spices - 1 teaspoon of chilli powder, 1/2 teaspoon of cumin powder, 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric, 1 teaspoon of coriander powder, 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala, 1 teaspoon of aamchur, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
• Saute the spices on low heat till they are fragrant but don’t burn them.
• Then, add 1 and 1/2 cup of tomato puree and fry it until the oil separates.
• Now, add the boiled chickpeas that we prepared earlier. Combine them well with other ingredients.
• Pour 1-1.5 cups of water or add as required. It basically depends on the consistency that you want.
• Cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until the chickpeas absorb all the flavour of the masala gravy.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and slit green chillies.
• Serve your delicious chole with onion slices along with your crispy bhatura. Enjoy!

We hope you enjoyed this detailed chole bhature recipe. Do share your thoughts with us on our Facebook page. For more such stories, stay tuned to HerZindagi!