Chole Bhature also known as Chana Bhatura is one of the most popular Punjabi dish liked almost all over India. Chole stands for a spiced tangy chickpea curry and Bhatura is a soft and fluffy fried leavened bread. Chola Bhatura always make for a delicious and filling meal. In this recipe post, I have included the step-by-step pictorial of making both the chana curry as well as a quick bhatura that is made without yeast.
About Chole Bhature
Chana Bhatura is a spicy, tasty and a filling dish. I have eaten this dish at many places in Punjab and Delhi. Each restaurants or dhaba (eateries on highways) have their own flavors and taste in the chickpea curry.
In some places the curry is very spicy, at other places it has tangy taste and the consistency of the curry also varies from slightly thick to semi-dry and dry.
This recipe has spicy flavors. This is my mom’s recipe and unlike other versions of chana curry recipes posted on the blog, this one has a comforting taste and flavor. It does not taste like the restaurant or dhaba versions but taste very good.
Even the bhature size and flavor varies from restaurants to restaurants. The bhature ideally should be less oily and should puff fully. They should also be eaten hot and fresh. If you parcel the bhature from a restaurant then you won’t get the real taste as they become limp and chewy.
I usually make the Bhatura Recipe that is already posted on the blog and it works for me every-time together with this quick bhatura vesion that I have shared below.
As a side with the dish serve sliced onions, green chilies and lemon wedges. This a very filling dish and you might feel like having a short nap after eating it. Ideal for weekends or holiday time.
The delicious chickpea curry can be also had with poori, Naan or Kulcha or Aloo Kulcha or Aloo Paratha. They taste equally good with bread or pav (dinner rolls).
The chickpeas have to be cooked really well. They should not be just cooked or al dente, the way they are served in many restaurants.
They should be soft when cooked and melt in your mouth. However, care should be taken that they should not be overcooked or become mushy.
How to make Chole Bhature
Soak and Pressure Cook Chickpeas
1. First rinse 1 cup white chickpeas a couple of times in water. Then soak them in enough water overnight or for 7 to 8 hours.
2. Next day they will double in size.
3. Then drain the water.
4. In a 3 litre pressure cooker add the chickpeas. Also add 3 cups water and ¼ teaspoon salt. I have used a pressure cooker but you can also use a pot or pan.
The chickpeas will take a lesser time to cook in the pressure cooker than cooking them in a pot.
You can also add a pinch or two of baking soda while cooking them. Addition of baking soda is optional.
5. Pressure cook chickpeas for 10 to 12 whistles or for about 15 to 20 minutes or till they are tender and cooked well.
Once the pressure settles down on its own then open the lid of pressure cooker and check if the chickpeas are cooked well or not. It is important to cook them till they are soft and have a melt in the mouth texture.
If cooking them in a pan then it can take about an hour or more. Just ensure they are well cooked. Timing to cook chickpeas will depend upon their quality and age.
6. Once done then drain all the water and keep the cooked chickpeas aside.
Make Onion Tomato Masala
7. chop 1 medium-sized onion, 2 medium-sized tomatoes, 1 green chili, 4 to 5 medium-sized garlic cloves and 1 inch ginger.
8. Add them to a blender jar.
9. Make a fine paste in a grinder or blender. No need to add water while making the paste as the juice of the tomatoes will help in making the paste. keep the jar aside.
Make Chana Curry
11. Measure and keep all the ingredients ready for making the gravy.
12. Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons oil in a pan or kadai/wok.
13. Add the following whole garam masala (spices):
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 large tej patta (Indian bay leaf)
- 2 inches cinnamon
- 2 to 3 cloves
- 2 green cardamoms
- 2 to 3 black peppercorns
14. On low heat fry the whole spices till they are fragrant but don’t burn them.
15. Next add the ground onion-tomato paste.
16. Mix well.
17. Keep stirring often. Sauté for 8 to 10 minutes or more till the oil starts to leave the sides of the masala paste. The paste will also thicken and become glossy.
18. Stir while sautéing so that the paste does not stick to the pan.
19. Then add all the dry spice powders listed below:
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- ½ or 1 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder)
20. Mix the spice powders very well and sauté for a minute or two.
21. Then add the cooked chickpeas.
22. Mix well.
23. Pour 1 to 1.5 cups water or add as required. Addition of water depends upon the consistency you want. But don’t add too much water as then the flavors will get diluted.
24. Add salt as required and stir again.
25. Simmer the gravy on a low to medium flame for 12 to 15 minutes or till the gravy thickens.
26. Don’t cover the pan. Stir occasionally. Mash some chickpeas with the back of a spoon. This helps in thickening the gravy.
27. Add 1 slit green chili and 1 teaspoon garam masala powder or chole masala powder.
28. Stir and simmer the gravy for a minute or two. You can keep the consistency from medium to slightly thick to semi dry or dry. If you want a dry consistency then simmer for some more time.
29. Check the seasoning and add more salt or spice powders if required. Garnish with coriander leaves. You can also garnish with some slit green chilies and ginger julienne.
30. Serve chickpea curry with onion slices, lemon wedges along with bhatura. Enjoy the curry with bhatura. You can also serve this delicious curry with naan or aloo paratha or plain paratha or kulcha or tandoori roti.
How to make Bhature
Ingredients You Need
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour (maida)
- ⅓ cup sooji (rava or fine semolina)
- ½ tablespoon oil or ghee
- ½ tablespoon granulated fine sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt or as required
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup curd (yogurt)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons water for kneading or add as needed
- oil for deep frying
Method
1. Sieve the all-purpose flour (maida), salt, baking soda and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Then add the semolina and sugar to the sifted ingredients.
2. Now add the curd (yogurt). With a spoon mix the yogurt with the sifted ingredients.
3. Adding 2 to 3 tablespoons water in parts and at intervals, first mix well and then start kneading. Knead to a smooth, supple and soft dough.
4. Cover the dough with a wet cotton napkin and keep aside to rest for 30 to 45 minutes or up-to 2 hours.
5. Later pinch medium sized balls from the dough. Roll each ball between your palms to a round shape.
Keep the dough ball on your work surface and flatten lightly with your fingers. Spread a bit of oil on both sides of the dough ball.
Using a rolling pin, roll into an oval or elongated shape. You can also make a round shape.
6. In a kadai or wok, keep oil for deep frying on medium-high flame. Drop the rolled dough in hot oil and it will start puffing within a minute.
7. When the sizzling of the oil stops, turn over and fry the other side. You can flip once or twice for even cooking.
8. When light golden or golden, remove the bhatura and drain on paper towels to remove excess oil. This way fry the bhatura in batches.
Serve the Bhatura hot with the chana curry.
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Chole Bhature | Chana Bhatura
Ingredients
For pressure cooking chickpeas
- 1 cup dried white chickpeas (3 cups of canned chickpeas can also be used)
- water – as required for soaking
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups water – for pressure cooking
- 1 to 2 pinches baking soda – optional
Other ingredients for the gravy
- 2 to 3 tablespoon oil or ghee
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing) – optional
- ½ or 1 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder)
- 1 to 1.5 cups water – to be added later
- salt as required
- 1 green chilli – slit
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala or chole masala
Whole spices
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 tej patta (Indian bay leaf), large-sized
- 2 inches cinnamon
- 2 to 3 cloves
- 2 green cardamom
- 2 to 3 black peppercorns
Ground paste ingredients
- 1 onion – chopped, medium-sized
- 2 tomatoes – chopped, medium-sized
- 1 inch ginger – peeled and chopped
- 4 to 5 garlic cloves – peeled and chopped, medium-sized
- 1 green chili – chopped
Ingredients for bhatura
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour (maida)
- ⅓ cup sooji (rava or fine semolina), finer textured
- ½ tablespoon oil or ghee
- ½ tablespoon sugar – fine granulated
- ½ teaspoon salt or as required
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup Curd (yogurt)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons water or add as required, for kneading
- oil – for deep frying as required
Instructions
Soaking and Pressure cooking chickpeas
- Rinse the white chickpeas for a couple of times in water. Then soak the chickpeas in enough water overnight or for 7 to 8 hours.
- Next day drain all the water and cook the chickpeas with water+salt in a pressure cooker or a pot.
- You can also add a pinch or two of baking soda while cooking the chickpeas.
- Drain the water and keep the chickpeas aside.
Making the curry
- In a grinder or blender take 1 medium sized chopped onion, 2 medium sized chopped tomatoes, 1 inch chopped ginger, 4 to 5 garlic cloves and 1 chopped green chili.
- Grind or blend to a fine paste.
- No need to add water while making the paste as the juice of the tomatoes will help in making the paste.
- Keep the paste aside.
- Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons oil in a pan or kadai/wok.
- Add the whole garam masala (spices) – 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 large tej patta, 2 inch cinnamon, 2 to 3 cloves, 2 green cardamom and 2 to 3 black peppercorns.
- Fry the whole garam masala mentioned above till the oil become fragrant. But don’t burn them.
- Add the ground paste and saute till the oil starts to leave the sides of the masala paste.
- Keep stirring often. Sauté for 8 to 10 minutes or more till the oil starts to leave the sides of the masala paste and the paste thickens and becomes glossy. Stir while sautéing so that the paste does not stick to the pan.
- Next add all the dry spice powders – ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi), ¼ teaspoon red chili powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder (dhania powder), 1 pinch asafoetida (optional) and ½ or 1 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur).
- Mix very well and saute for a minute or two. Now add the cooked chickpeas and stir.
- Add 1 to 1.5 cups water or add as required. Also add salt as per taste and mix well.
- Simmer the gravy on a low or medium flame for 12 to 15 minutes or till the curry thickens. Don't cover the pan. Stir occasionally.
- Mash a few chickpeas with the back of spoon. This helps in thickening the gravy.
- Lastly add 1 slit green chili and 1 teaspoon garam masala powder or chole masala powder. Mix well and simmer for a minute or two.
- Check the seasoning and add more salt or spice powders if required. Garnish the curry with coriander leaves.
- You can also garnish with some slit green chilies and ginger julienne.
- Serve chickpea curry with onion slices, lemon wedges along with bhatura. Enjoy the chickpea curry with bhature.
Making bhatura
- Using a sieve, sift the all-purpose flour, salt and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Then add the semolina and sugar to the sifted ingredients.
- Now to the sifted ingredients, add the curd (yogurt). Mix very well with a spoon.
- Adding water in parts first mix and then knead to a smooth and soft dough.
- Cover the dough with a wet cotton napkin and let it rest for 30 to 45 minutes or 2 hours.
- Later pinch medium-sized balls from the dough.
- Roll the dough piece to a neat ball between your palms. Place the dough ball on your work surface and press it lightly with your fingers.
- Spread a bit of oil on both sides of the dough. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough ball into an oval or elongated shape. You can also make a round circle.
- In a pan or kadai heat oil on medium-high heat for deep frying. Drop the rolled dough in hot oil and it will quickly start puffing in the oil.
- When the sizzling of the oil stops, turn over the bhatura and fry the other side. You can flip once or twice for even cooking.
- When light golden or golden, remove the bhatura and drain on paper towels to remove excess oil. Roll and fry all bhaturas this way.
- Serve the hot puffed up Bhatura with the chickpea curry.
Notes
- For a detailed post on the bhatura, read this post on Bhatura.
- Adjust the spices and seasonings according to your taste preferences.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Chole Bhature recipe from the blog archives first published in July 2013 has been updated and republished on December 2022.
Food is good…![5 stars](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=)
Can I roll bhature in advance
you can, but cover them with a moist cotton napkin or kitchen towel, so that the rolled dough do not dry out.
Hi, Tried the recipe. It came out really good. Loved it. Thank u so much.![5 stars](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=)
HI Dassana, am a very very big fan of all your recipes. This is always my go-to-website for making North indian dishes.
Being a South Indian who has travelled many times to North and a fan of these recipes, I find your recipes very authentic and tasty and easy on the pocket (all are easily available ingredients!!)
My question is, how many pieces of Bhautura can be made with this quantity? And always what is your measurement of 1 cup? Is it a 200 gm cup?
Since this is first time am going try, I couldn’t figure out that. Because it is maida. Thanks for you response:)
Thanks a lot Sri Devi and so glad to read your comment.
1 cup is about 240 ml, which is a standard American measurement cup. If you weigh the maida (all-purpose flour) it will be 187.5 grams.
With this much flour, you can make about 6 to 8 small to medium sized bhatura and the numbers will vary with the thickness and the size. I hope this helps.
Hi Dassana! Your recipes have transformed my cooking and my whole family is grateful! Question: when making masalas from whole spices (as above or garam masala recipe), do I also grind the tejpatta? or do I leave it whole? Thank you!![5 stars](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=)
thanks cynthia. nice to know. in this recipe tej patta is not ground but fried in oil. in some recipes when the garam masala powder is made, there tej patta is ground with the other spices. i have a chickpea curry recipe where the tejpatta is ground. basically depends on the recipe.
Im a huge huge fan of your recipes …they always turns out great … I want to install the application again but I’m not able to download the veg recipes of india application in play store…can you please share play store link to my email address…
Thanks Komal for your kind words. We have deleted the app and its no longer available.