Chole bhature (chickpea curry with fried bread)

Chole bhature is one of Punjab’s most beloved dishes. It is a combination of channa masala, a tomato-based chickpea curry and bhature or puri, a deep-fried bread made from whole wheat flour. Chole bhature is often eaten as a breakfast dish but has become a popular street food consumed at any time of the day across South Asia.

Credit: Chris Tran

• serves

  6

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

Chickpea curry

• 1 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight
• 1 tbsp oil
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 2 sticks cinnamon
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 cardamom pods
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp chaat masala
• Coriander leaves and lemon juice to serve

Bhature (fried breads)

• 2 cups wholemeal self-raising flour
• 1/2 cup semolina
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 cup yoghurt
• 1 tsp oil
• a pinch of salt
• warm water, as needed
• oil for frying

Instructions

1. Heat a medium frying pan or wok with a little oil and ghee.
2. Add onion, ginger and garlic mixture and whole spices
3. Once the onions turn golden brown add the ground spices except for chaat masala.
4. Add a teaspoon of water at a time to make sure the mixture doesn’t burn
5. Add in your soaked chickpeas and some of the aquafaba (chickpea water) and cover for 20 mins on low heat.
6. Finish by adding chaat masala, a squeeze of lemon juice, chilli and coriander, to taste.
7. To make bhature (fried breads), place all dry ingredients into a stand mixer.
8. Add yoghurt, oil and add a tbsp of water until combined. Mix on medium speed till the dough is springy and bounces back when you touch it.
9. Cover and set aside for at least 30 minutes.
10. Knead again and separate into 50 g balls.
11. Roll out the dough to about 3mm thickness and then place into a frying pan or wok with medium hot oil and fry until golden brown.

Photography by Christopher Tran. Styling by Kishwar Chowdhury. Food preparation by Kishwar Chowdhury.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.