Chole bhature, a vegetarian recipe from India

Name: Chole bhature
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 250 g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight; 2 black tea bags; 2 onions, chopped; 3 tomatoes, blended; 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste; 2 tsp chana masala; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1½ tsp amchur (green mango powder); 4 tbsp neutral oil; 300 g plain wheat flour; 3 tbsp fine semolina; 1 tsp dried yeast; 1 tsp sugar; Oil for deep frying

Method

Cook the drained chickpeas in 1.2 litres of water with the tea bags and salt, covered, for 50 minutes. Remove the bags and keep the liquid.
For the dough, mix the flour, semolina, yeast, sugar, salt and 180 ml warm water. Knead for 8 minutes, oil the ball and prove for 2 hours.
Heat the oil in a wide pan, brown the onions for 10 minutes, then add the ginger-garlic paste and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, chana masala and cumin. Reduce until the oil rises to the surface.
Add the chickpeas with 400 ml of their cooking liquid. Simmer for 20 minutes, then mash a ladleful to thicken. Stir in the amchur.
Divide the dough into 8 balls and roll each into a 15 cm disc.
Fry the bhature at 190 °C, one at a time, spooning hot oil over the top so they puff. Give each side 40 seconds.
Serve the bhature straight from the pan with the chole and raw onion.

The black tea gives chole their dark brown colour without caramel or dye, a trick from the street vendors of Delhi. Amchur goes in at the end because its sourness fades if it boils for long.

The techniques this recipe uses

Drain and rinse
Canning liquid clouds a sauce and salts it blind: rinse until the water runs clear.
Reduce
Uncovered, water leaves and flavour concentrates. It is done when the sauce coats the back of a spoon.

Frequently asked questions

Why don't my bhature puff up?

Three usual causes: oil that is not hot enough, a disc rolled too thick or unevenly, and dough that has not risen enough. At 190 °C the bread should surface almost immediately; spoon hot oil over it to trigger the pocket of steam that balloons it.

What does the fine semolina do in the dough?

It limits how much oil the bread absorbs and gives bhature their crisp surface, where a flour-only dough stays soft and greasy. It also adds a slight chew that sets bhature apart from any fried bread.

What if I have no chana masala or amchur?

Chana masala is a ready-made spice blend; failing that, combine ground coriander, cumin, garam masala and a pinch of chilli. For amchur, a squeeze of lemon juice stirred in off the heat gives the same sharpness.

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Chole bhature

Method

The techniques this recipe uses

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Nutrition per serving

Frequently asked questions

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