Chole Bhature/छोले - भटूरे

Chole

Add caption

My first child, my daughter was born after a difficult pregnancy, so the real celebrations were done only when she was one year old. Along with home made cake, gulab jamun, samosas, Chole Bhature were also made by me. From then chole bhature became an integral part of B'day parties in my house. I wonder that the taste and wonderful aroma that my daughter got as a one year old got her hooked to Chole Bhature made by me. Since then whenever not only her's but my son's school friends, college friends, and colleagues come to my house, they demand Chole bhature.

Preparation Time:30 min. Excluding the soaking time for chole and fermenting time bhature batter.
Cooking Time :
50 6- min. For Chole
40 - 45 min. for bhature.
Servings : 6 large serving of chole.
12 medium size Bhature

Ingredients required for Chole:

• 1/2Kg. Chole (Chick peas)
• 500 ml.Water
• 2-3 Black Cardamom.
• 2 Onions
• 6 Cloves of garlic
•  2 Inches piece of Ginger
• 10-15gm.Coriander (dhaniya) powder(3 tea spoons approximately)
• 2-3 Bay leaves
• 2-3 cloves
• Pinch of nut meg
• 2-3 Pieces of Javitri
• 1 Inch piece of Cinnamon

Spices for Chole

• 1 Tea spoon Garam Masala 
• Salt to taste
• Red chilly powder to taste
• Dry mango powder to taste
• Finely cut green coriander leaves for garnishing

Directions to prepare Chole:

• Take 1/2 kg of Chole ( Chick peas) soak them over night. 
•  Drain and wash the soaked Chole in the morning and put in the pressure cooker along with following:
  
• 1/2 liter of water
  
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 inch piece of cinnamon stick
  
• 4 cloves, 
• 1 black cardamon
  
• 1/4 tea spoon of turmeric powder
• Close the lid of cooker and put it on heat . Let the pressure in the cooker build. When the pressure builds put the flame on low and cook for 1/2 hour. 
• Allow it to cool by itself. 
• The boiled chole should be soft.

Soft boiled Chole

• Cut onions fine.
• Peel ginger and garlic and make fine paste of garlic and ginger.
•  Take 10 ml. oil in kadhai (wok) and heat . 
•  Heat on high flame, when hot add 2-3 bay leaves, cloves,javitri, nutmeg powder and cook for 1 min.

Bay leaves, cinnamon, javitri, nut meg being cooked in hot oil

• Add onion and cook till golden  brown in color.

Onion being cooked in spices for chole

Onion cooked and ready for garlic-ginger paste to be added

• Add garlic and ginger paste and cook till it leaves oil.

Garlic-ginger paste cooked and ready for tomatoes to be added

• Add coriander (dhaniya) powder and red chilly powder to it and cook for 5 minutes.

All spices added to cooked onions and garlic ginger paste

Spices ready for boiled chole to be added

• Add cooked Chole to it and cook for 10 minutes. 
• Add dry mango powder, salt, garam masala and cook for 10 minutes.

Boiled Chole added to the spices and being cooked

• Take out in serving bowl and garnish with coriander leaves/ onion ringlets / tomato rings as it pleases you.

Chole

Bhature

Ingredients required for Bhature:

• 1/2 kg maida (refined wheat flour)
• 1 cup curd
• 1/2 tea spoon salt
• Cooking oil 

Directions for  preparing dough for Bhature:

• Take maida in a bowl add oil and salt and mix nicely.

Refined flour with curd, salt and oil

• Add curd to the above mixture and knead, if water is required then add bit more water to the dough. 
• The dough should be soft not hard.

Dough for Bhature before fermentation

Texture of dough for Bhature before fermentation

• Keep aside for fermentation for 5-6hr.

Dough after fermentation

• The dough will get fermented and rises.

Texture of dough after fermentation

• Take 10-15 gm. of refined flour and add to the fermented dough and knead till it becomes pliable and easy to roll on rolling board.

Refined flour added to the fermented dough

Dough after kneading the fermented dough with refined flour

Direction for Making Bhature:

• Take 200 ml. oil in a thick bottom wok and heat on high flame.
• When the oil is smoking hot lower the flame.
• Make 10-12 small balls of dough.

Dough divided to 12 portions

• Oil the rolling board and place the dough ball on it.

Dough ball for Rolling

• Roll them to 6-7 cm. diameter round or oblong shape, sprinkle some dry flour while rolling so as to avoid its sticking to the rolling board.

Rolled Bhatura

Rolled to oblong shape

• Fry on both sides to golden brown color, turning it upside down once or twice. 

Bhatura being deep fried

Bhatura fried to golden brown color

• Do not allow to become too brown.
• Bhature taste best when fried pinkish white.

Chole Bhature

Enjoy chole bhature with ring lets on onions and pieces of lemon. :)

Tips :

• Throw away the water in which chole have been soaked and fresh water for boiling.
• If you want to make bhature for lunch then preferably make the dough in the night and if for dinner make the dough in the morning.

Suggested Variations :

• If you want to avoid oil in chole then add all ingredients in the soaked chole and then boil them, once nicely cooked mash the chole with a ladle and garnish.
• To make bhature softer add 1 -2 medium size boiled and nicely mashed potatoes to the flour mixture and then make the dough.
• If you have to make the bhature dough quickly, take  1/4 tea spoon of yeast and 1/2 tea spoon of sugar dissolve them in 2 tea spoons of water and use it along with water to make the dough, keep the dough aside for 30min. before making bhature.
• Paste of Anardana ( dry sour pomegranate seeds) /Tamarind paste can be added instead of amchur.
• Some tomato paste and kashmiri mirchi powder can be added to chole masala to give red color to chole.