Chole-Bhature (Chole - Chickpeas prepared in spicy Onion-Tomato gravy; Bhatoore - Fried bread made with Maida)

Chole Bhature

One of our all-time favourite north Indian dishes to be ordered while eating out is Chole-Bhature. This is a typical North Indian (Punjab, Delhi) dish  usually taken for breakfast!!

We recently had this @ the Sree Mithai restaurants here in Chennai and that taste made me to try this out @ home. I was confident about the chole part but not about the Bhatoora since its size is big (unlike the regular poori that we make out of whole wheat flour/atta) and it needs to puff up completely. If the bhatoora doesnot become fluffy/puffed up completely, it would have been a disaster :)
Fortunately everything came out well!!

The chole is made of Chickpeas prepared in thick and spicy tomato-onion gravy and Bhatoora is made of maida. 

Chole Bhature - Ingredients

For chole

Chickpeas - 100 gms
Coriander Powder - 1 tbsp
Red Chilly Powder - 1/4 tspn
Green Chilly - 1 no.
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tspn
Chole Masala / Garam Masala - 1tbsn (we used Everest Chole Masala)
Asafoetida - a pinch
Salt as needed

Spices for Masala:

Cumin seeds- 1 tspn
Bay leaf- 1 large
Cinnamon- 2 inch
Cloves-2-3nos
Green Cardamom - 2 nos

For Ground paste:

Onion chopped - 5 nos
Tomato chopped - 4 nos
Ginger -Garlic Paste - 1 tbsn
Green chilly Chopped - 1no

Process

Soak the chick peas in water over night  for 7-8 hours. Drain the water and cook the chole in cooker with water and add salt in it. Keep the chole aside. 

Chop the onions and tomatoes.

Take a frying pan and pour oil and saute the chopped onions. When the onions become trancluscent, then add the chopped tomatoes. Saute it for sometime.


Make a fine paste of these sauted onions and tomatoes and green chilly in a mixie. No need to add water while making the paste as the juice of tomatoes will help in making the paste.

Keep the paste aside.

Heat oil in a pan and fry the spices mentioned above till the oil became fragrant. Fry the spices in low flame so that the spices don't get burnt.

Then add the ground paste and saute till the oil starts to leave the paste.

Keep stirring lightly so that the paste don't stick to the pan.


Add the spices   - turmeric powder, red chilly powder, coriander powder. Stir and saute for a minute.

Then add the cooked  chole into this mix. 
Pour water, add salt, if required, and stir. Allow to simmer on a low for 5 minutes till the curry thickens. Don't cover the pan.

Add a slit green chilly and chole masala into this and stir for sometime. 

Check for consistency and also if any spices or salt have to be needed. Garnish with coriander leaves

Bhature

Ingredients:

Maida (wheat flour) - 200 gms
Sour Curd/Yogurt - 3 tablespoons
Oil - to fry - around 300 ml
Water - around 200 ml
Salt as needed

Process

Take maida, add salt, add the yogurt and mix well. Add small quantities of water in between and knead to a soft and smooth dough. Cover the dough for around 2 hours.

Make medium sized balls form the dough.



Apply oil while rolling into round, oval or an enlogated shape. 

Heat the oil in a frying pan. 
Drop the rolled bhatura in the oil. Press it gentle with a spatula for it to start puffing. After a minute, turn over and fry other side. When light brown color, remove the bhatura.

Bhature is ready to be served with Chole.

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