Chhole Bhatura Chick Peas with Puffed Bread is a rural delicacy of North India, with taste of this recipe changing every 100 km or so! It is the most commonly available food on the road side while travelling. In fact some towns specialize in this, with this dish carrying the Prefix of Amritsar Chhole or Rawal pindi Chhole. The one I am referring here is more like the Amritsar Chhole with Gravy. Rawal Pindi Chhole recipe, which is more dry, I will share it at a later point. I often alternate this two styles of making chhole. This is also the most commonly found in most Indian Restaurants and highly appreciated by all, including Non-Indians. Every house hold, has their version of making chhole, and I have finally been able to replicate the mouthwatering Chhole Bhature that we had in Edison, NJ.
There are variations of making Bhatura puffed bread, some people use potatoes, as leavening agent, some use baking soda, or yogurt. I have opted for baking soda over here. The litmus test here is, the softer and fluffier, the better !!
In Chhole Bhatura, the spicy gravy in the chickpeas chhole with the soft bread or bhatura is the quintessential north Indian delicacy treat right in front of you, that you cannot resist to dig in!! We cannot beat the taste of this awesome food that is available in street Dhabas(roadside restaurants) in Delhi or North India, but hope this is one more recipe of getting it right and brings you closer to the dhaba style experience of India.
Recipe Makes for 3 people
Cooking time: 40 min
Preparation time: 15 min
Soaking time 5 hours
Ingredients:
For the Chhole
- 1 1/3 cup kabuli chana chole (chickpeas/garbanzo beans)
- pinch of baking soda
- 1/3 cup oil
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp pomegranate powder
- 1 1/2 tsp chana masala powder(MDH brand)
- 1 big bayleaf
- 1 1/3 cup onions diced
- 4 pods of garlic mashed
- 3 green chillies finely chopped
- 1 cubic inch ginger mashed
- 1 tbsp coriander to garnish
- 1/4 tsp asofoetida
- salt to taste
- one diced onion (optional for garnish)
- slices of lemon ( optional for garnish)
For the Bhatura dough
- 1 cup all purpose or maida flour
- salt to taste
- 1 1/2 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp yogurt
- pinch of baking soda
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup of water
Method
- Wash thrice and rinse out the water each time.
- Soak the chana in about 3 cups of water for 5-6 hours.
- Add salt to taste to the quantity of chana and boil in a pressure cooker for upto 4-5 whistles.
- Let the pressure cooker cool down.
- In a broad pan, heat the oil.
- Add asofoetida, then add the bay leaf.
- As the bayleaf turns brown, add ginger and saute for 2 min.
- Add diced onions and let it simmer on slow flame for 15 min.
- Add green chillies and ginger and saute for 5 min.
- Add 1 1/2 cup water, turmeric, salt, chana masala powder, chilli powder, pomegranate powder and simmer for 10 min on medium flame.
- Blend the ingredients together with a hand blender.
- Add the cooked chana along with its water to the gravy.
- Simmer together for 12 min.
- Garnish with coriander and 10-12 drops of lemon and serve hot. Alternatively you can serve this with a slice of lemon and some chopped onions on the side.
For the Bhatura dough
- In a broad flat pan, mix the dough, salt, baking soda and oil.
- Whisk the dough thoroughly with hand.
- Add 1/3rd of half cup of water and mix into the flour.
- Add additional 1/3rd of half cup of water and bind the flour together.
- If the water amount is correct, the dough will bind perfectly, leaving no flour residue in your hand and the pan clean of any flour.
- If the heat temperature is high, you may need more water or if your hands are too dry.
- Cover it with a wet paper towel, napkin for 10 min.
- Divide the dough into 7 equal round balls.
- Roll the dough into a round circle about 3 inches round.
- Roll this round circle into the dusting flour
- Extend the circle to about 6 inches round.
- Heat about 3 cups of oil in a frying pan.
- Heat to high.
- When the oil starts smoking, insert the flat dough circle into the oil.
- Wait for it to rise like a ball with golden spots, and then flip it over using a large strainer.
- Once you see the brown spots on the back side too, drain the excess oil and serve hot as an accompaniment to Chhole Chick Peas
TIps
Soaking can be done overnight for readily available to cook the next day.
If the chhole or chick peas have become too soft, you can cook only for half the time in the gravy or for 10 min max for it soak in the gravy.
Rolling perfect round circle comes with practice. For people new to rolling, I would use big round cookie cutters, and make circles from a big rectangle flat rolled dough.
Frying is ideally done in an open fryer with a frying slotted spoon with flat base, used to flip and strain
If you do not want to make Bhatura, this is equally enjoyed with ready to eat Kawan Parathas, easily available in Indian Grocery Stores.
Instinct Factor
Frying the Bhature requires some practice in flipping over, but when you see it rising in a big round ball, it makes you happy! The art lies in sliding in the oil. the side of bhatura that you worked on, face down, and then putting some pressure on the center, with the frying spatula. Advised to wear an apron while frying. Gauging if the bhatura is cooked needs you to rely on the instinct. Even if it becomes too brown, it will just become a bit crispier.
Feel Factor
An all time food that promises to bring sunny smiles every time! Eat it as a brunch, lunch, dinner or even super late night meal. I have fans of this in my family who prefer to eat one day over, as the taste just matures the next day. There is something about a big round ball of golden brown spot bread and chick peas, that warms the hearts of everyone Enjoyed best in the chilly cold weather days.with the spicy chickpeas and soft warm puffed up bread. There are simply so many versions of this, but this is our family favorite, based on the taste inspired from a famous restaurant Khasiyat, in Edison, NJ. And the name says it all, the Khasiyat( speciality) of Chhole Bhatura or Chick Peas with Puffed Bread is unparalleled in taste and texture!
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