Chole Bhature

Chole Bhature is a very popular Punjabi style chole also known as chickpea curry served with the deeply fried bhature or flour bread. It is the heart and soul of every North Indian food lover.

What is Chole Bhature?

Chole bhature is Punjabi special chickpea curry served with deep-fried puffed bread bhature and the combination is absolutely amazing and lip-smacking delicious. In Delhi, the popular restaurants serve a plate of chole bhature along with green chutney, salad, and pickled chili. Chole Bhature is always a hit at every party and celebration or gets together.

This chole bhature recipe is like we get in the local hotels. Whenever I make the chole bhature plate my daughter would jump with joy as this is one of her favorite dishes. The recipe is from my mother in law, I learned the dish from her but I still feel I don’t make it as tasty as she would do.

Here is the recipe for how to make Punjabi style chole bhature. Hope you will also try it at home and believe me after trying once you won’t go out to eat this again.You are so gonna make it yourself.

Ingredients needed for Chole Bhature

For the detailed list of ingredients with exact measurements please check the printable recipe card below.

• Chickpea/Garbanzo beans: Dry and overnight soaked chickpea are perfect to make chole but if you don’t have the dry ones you can use canned chickpeas too.
• Spices: A combination of spices are needed to make this spicy chole.
• All-purpose flour: To make the bhature you will need APF/maida, I have never tried with whole wheat flour.
• Oil: For deep frying the bhaturas.

How to make chole bhature?

For the detailed instructions to make this recipe please check the printable recipe card below.

The process starts with soaking chickpeas a night before the day you would make the dish. Skip this part if you are using canned chickpeas. Next put on the chickpea to pressure cook meanwhile make the bhature dough and put it aside to rise.

Now start making the tadka for the chickpea and keep the wok of oil to get heated up. While tadka is cooking, start rolling the bhatura bread one by one and deep fry until golden from both sides.

Pour the tempering over the cooked chickpea, cook a bit more and serve warm with bhatura, salad and chutney.

Serving Suggestions

Serve the chole with bhature, mint chutney, salad and chilli pickle. Sometimes I prefer adding deep fried potato cubes on top of chole as they’d serve in restaurants in India.

Pro Tips/FAQs

What if I forget to soak the dry chickpeas, is there any shortcut?

If you have forgotten to soak the dry chickpeas and still want to make the chole, simply wash the chickpeas and add them to a pressure cooker with enough water. Throw in some tea bags and a pinch of salt. Finally, add in half a teaspoon of baking soda and cook for 5-6 whistles.

Any other alternatives for black color other than tea?

You can use dry gooseberry tied in a cloth and put it in the pressure cooker while cooking the chickpeas.

Can we used canned chickpeas, if yes how to change the color and make them black?

Yes, of course, you can use canned chickpeas. To make them black once you add the tadka (tomato onion gravy base ) to the chickpeas, add some tea water instead of regular water and cook them on low heat for at least 45 minutes.

Is there any shortcut to make Bhatura?

Well, the recipe down below is the way my mother-in-law makes them. They always turn out just like from halwais. If you are looking for some quick ways which don’t need a long waiting time for fermentation you can use either of the ways below.

• First, a quick way is to use yeast. Add some sugar and yeast in lukewarm water as required to knead the dough. Keep it aside to proof for 10 minutes. Use this dough water to knead the dough and keep it a warm place for up to 2 hours to ferment.
• The second method is to knead the all-purpose flour adding a tablespoon of baking powder, a teaspoon of baking soda, half a cup of yogurt, a tablespoon of ghee, and a quarter cup of fine semolina. Use some warm water to knead the dough and keep it aside at a warm place for leavening for 2 hours.

Like chole bhature, try these recipes…

• Peshawari Chole
• Chole Masala|Punjabi Chana Masala
• Tava Chole
• Amritsari Chole
• Mah Chole Di Dal

Looking for more such drink recipes to get some ideas for your snacking? Do not miss my Peshwari Chole, Tawa Chole, Amritsari Chole, and the best ones’ Chole Masala

*If you ever try this recipe don’t forget to share your photos with me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter or tag me on Instagram @cookingwithsapana using the hashtag #cookingwithsapana and stay connected* I would love to see your creations from my space!!

Recipe Card

Chole Bhature

Sapana Behl

Chole Bhature is a very popular Punjabi style chole aka chickpea curry served with the deep fried bhature or flour bread.

5 from 13 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 50 minutes mins

Resting Time 8 hours hrs

Total Time 10 hours hrs

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Indian, North Indian

Servings 4 People

Equipment

• Pressure Cooker
• Mixing Bowl
• Wok
• Pan

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For chole

• 250 gm white chickpea/kabuli chana/garbanzo beans
• 2 tablespoon black chickpea
• 2 tablespoon black tea
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 potato cut into cubes
• 2 ” ginger piece thin slices
• 4 green chillies slits
• 1/2 cup cottage cheese optional
• 2 potatoes cubed, optional
• water as needed

Spices

• 2 cinnamon stick
• 1 black cardamom
• 4 cloves
• 2 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 2 tablespoon dried pomegranate seeds powder/anardana
• 1 tablespoon amchur powder/dried mango powder
• 2 tablespoon chole or chana masala
• 2 teaspoon coriander powder
• 2 teaspoon red chilly powder
• salt to taste

For garnish

• 1 cup thin rounds of onion
• 1 cup thin rounds of tomato
• 1/4 cup coriander leaves chopped
• 2 teaspoon garam masala
• lemon wedges
• few ginger strips
• 2-3 green chilli cut in slits

For Bhature

• 250 g all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 2 teaspoon carom and fennel seeds optional
• 1 1/2 cups water or as required
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• oil for frying

Instructions

 

For Chole

• Wash and soak white and black chickpea in water(app 1 litre) overnight or for 6-8 hours.
• In a pressure cooker, add these soaked chickpeas along with water, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp oil.
• Boil 2 cup water in another pan with tea leaves, strain and add to pressure cooker (you can use tea bags also).Cover the lid and cook for three to four whistles. Keep aside
• Heat oil in a big kadhai or pan and fry potatoes and cottage cheese. Drain and keep aside. Now fry green chilly, and ginger, drain and keep aside.
• Now to this oil(keep flame low) add cinnamon stick, cardamom, cloves and dried fenugreek leaves, fried ginger and green chillies and all spices one by one along with salt.Add the boiled chickpeas with remaining water(if water isn’t enough to add 2 cups boiled water).
• Let it cook on low flame till water mix with chickpeas and forms a thick spicy gravy.
• Add fried potatoes and cottage cheese.
• Garnish with tomato and onion rounds, green chilli slits, ginger strips, fried potato and paneer and chopped coriander and garam masala. Drizzle lemon juice and enjoy.

For Bhature

• Boil water in a pan with carom and fennel seeds. Strain and let the water cool a little.
• Mix flour, baking powder, sugar, yoghurt in a bowl and knead a soft dough with the water we made.
• Keep this overnight or 8-10 hours for fermentation.
• Now heat oil in a big pan or wok.Make slightly big balls from dough (8-10 ).
• Take one ball and apply some oil on your flat board and roll one ball from centre to upward to make an even sized oval shaped bhatura. Repeat the same procedure for all bhaturas.
• Fry the bhatura in oil from both sides. Drain on your flat board(so no need of applying oil again).
• Serve hot bhature with chole ,chutney, onions and pickle.

Notes

What if I forget to soak the dry chickpeas, is there any shortcut?

If you have forgotten to soak the dry chickpeas and still want to make the chole, simply wash the chickpeas and add them to a pressure cooker with enough water. Throw in some tea bags and a pinch of salt. Finally, add in half a teaspoon of baking soda and cook for 5-6 whistles.

Ay other alternatives for a black color other than tea?

You can use dry gooseberry tied in a cloth and put it in the pressure cooker while cooking the chickpeas.

Can we use canned chickpeas, if yes how to change the color and make them black?

Yes, of course, you can use canned chickpeas. To make them black once you add the tadka (tomato onion gravy base ) to the chickpeas, add some tea water instead of regular water and cook them on low heat for at least 45 minutes.

Is there any shortcut to make Bhatura?

Well, the recipe down below is the way my mother-in-law makes them. They always turn out just like from halwais. If you are looking for some quick ways which don’t need a long waiting time for fermentation you can use either of the ways below.

• First, a quick way is to use yeast. Add some sugar and yeast in lukewarm water as required to knead the dough. Keep it aside to proof for 10 minutes. Use this dough water to knead the dough and keep it a warm place for up to 2 hours to ferment.
• The second method is to knead the all-purpose flour adding a tablespoon of baking powder, a teaspoon of baking soda, half a cup of yogurt, a tablespoon of ghee, and a quarter cup of fine semolina. Use some warm water to knead the dough and keep it aside at a warm place for leavening for 2 hours.

Keyword chole bhature, chole bhature recipe, delhi chole bhature, easy chole bhature recipe, how to make chole bhature, punjabi chole bhature, street food of delhi

Tried this recipe?Mention @Behlsapana or tag #cookingwithsapana!

This post was originally posted in 2013, since then I have updated the pictures and content for better engagement.

Always let me know how this recipe turned out in the comments below. I will be so excited to hear how you enjoyed your chole bhature and please do share your tips and tricks with me.

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Best Regards,
Sapana Behl