Chole Bhature
Posted On April 24, 2018
Who doesn’t like Chole Bhature? We love this staple dish from Punjab. It’s usually the breakfast or snack dish in Punjab but it’s a complete meal on its own and I can eat it as any meal of the day. I’m always ready for some delicious choles. My all time favorite chole is from Haldiram’s, New Delhi. We went to New Delhi few years ago and we ate at Haldiram’s. What a divine taste! I fell in love with their chole! It was a new-found Love for chole.
Being Gujarati, we would have our gujju touch to any dishes we make. And preparing chole was no different. My husband told me few years ago that he would eat chole only if I make it authentic Punjabi style n not gujju style. I took it up as a challenge and I searched for recipes on the internet and here’s the recipe that he has approved after many trials and errors. Enjoy… and don’t forget to comment below if you have any suggestions for me or simply how did you like it!
Chole Bhature
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup Chole (dry chickpeas)
- 2 pods black cardamom
- 2 tbsp Amla (dry Indian gooseberries)
- 2 leaves bay leaves
- salt (to taste)
- water (as needed)
- 3-4 tbsp oil
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 3 pods green cardamom
- 4-5 cloves
- 2 inches cinnamon sticks
- 4 medium onions
- 1 tbsp garlic ginger paste
- 4-5 medium tomatoes
- salt (to taste)
- 3 tbsp chole masala (recipe below)
- 2 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
- 1 tsp amchur powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/8 tsp haldi (tumeric powder) (optional)
- 3 tbsp chopped coriander
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
- 2 inches julienned ginger (for garnish)
- 2 inches julienned green chili (for garnish)
- 2 tbsp anardana (dried pomegranate seeds) (optional)
Instructions
- Soak choles in water overnight.
- Dip Tea Bags and Black Cardamom, bay leaves n gooseberries in the choles. Pressure cook Choles until 5 whistles or more until they are cooked and tender.
- Once cooked discard the tea bags, gooseberries. You can keep the Black Cardamom n bay leaves in the Chole’s that's fine. Keep aside 2 cups of water before you drain out the chole.
- Make puree of onion. N chop one onion. Keep it aside. Also make Tomato Puree and keep that aside.
- Prepare the chole masala powder n keep it aside. See recipe below.
- Heat oil in heavy bottom pan at high heat. Add cumin seeds when oil is hot. Add asafoetida, add onion purée n chopped onion. Fry till they get almost brown. This will take about 7-8 minuets. Add ginger-garlic paste. Fry it for minute or so till the raw flavor of ginger n garlic is gone. Add tomato purée and let it cook thoroughly until the gravy thickens up and the oil separates on the side of the pan. This will take about 7-8 minutes.
- Add chole masala powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, aamchur powder, salt to taste. Roast all the masalas in the gravy really well.
- Add cooked chick peas/chole to the gravy n let it cook for a minute or so. This will infuse the gravy n masala flavor into the chole. Add water from the chole that has some tanginess from gooseberries. This will add unique flavor to the chole. Add water to get desired thickness of the gravy. Adjust seasonings to your taste. Let it simmer for 30 minuets.
- For garnish and final touch, take ghee in a pan. Add ajwain, let it splatter. Add julienne ginger n split chillies. Fry for a minute. Add pomegranate seeds if you like the taste of it. (I don’t) add red chili powder n add it to the chole. Add chopped coriander leaves n your chole is ready!!
- Serve it with some hot bhature or kulchas.
Chole Masala Powder
Masala powder used for Chole Bhature
Ingredients
- 8 dried red chilis
- 2 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp shah jeera
- 1 tsp white sesame seeds
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 pods black cardamom
- 5 pods green cardamom
- 10 cloves
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp dry mango powder
- 1/2 tsp kala namak (black salt)
- 1/2 tsp dry ginger powder
Instructions
- Dry roast the red chili separately.
- Dry roast coriander seeds separately.
- Add cumin seeds, fennel seeds, shah jeera, white sesame seed to the pan & dry roast it together.
- Now add peppercorns, bay leaf, star anise, cinnamon, black cardamom, green cardamom, clove & dry roast it together.
- Let the roasted ingredients cools down.
- To the mixer jar add the roasted ingredients, turmeric powder, dry mango powder, kala namak/black salt, dry ginger piece/dry ginger powder & grind to a fine powder.
- Chole Masala Powder is ready, you can store it in airtight-container.
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