Chole Bhature

Chole is one of my favorite dishes for a huge Sunday lunch. Back home it is paired with rotis, kadhi and rice. But now I usually make it with just bhature and enjoy. I make smaller bhature as I find big ones intimidating to cook - especially the big wok of hot oil needed to fry them. Here is my favorite way to cook them. This portion is for 4 people and the dough makes about 25 bhature.

Ingredients:

Chole:

3 cups raw kabuli chana

1 large onion

3-4 garlic cloves

1 inch ginger knob

2-3 green chilies

1 small tomato

1 stick cinnamon

3-4 cloves

2 tablespoons oil

1/2 teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)

1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds

Pinch hing (asafoetida)

1 1/2 tablespoon chole masala

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon dhania- jeera powder (cumin - coriander)

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

2 tablespoons chopped coriander

Salt

Bhature:

1 1/2 cups AP flour

1 cup wheat flour

1/2 cup yogurt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon soda bicarbonate

Oil

Water

Salt

Soak the chickpeas overnight and pressure cook them for 2 whistles in a pressure cooker. Alternatively you can use 2 cans of canned garbanzo beans. Grind the onion, garlic, ginger, chilies and tomato in a paste/puree. 

In a large vessel, heat the oil and add the hing, jeera, mustard seeds, cloves and cinnamon. When they start spluttering, add the onion-garlic-ginger-chilies-tomato paste. Saute till the raw smell is cooked out, about 5-6 minutes. Add the spices and saute for another minute. Add the chana and some water to make a gravy. Boil on low heat for 10-15 minutes. Mash 3-4 chole's to make the gravy thicker. Add half the coriander in the gravy and the other half is for garnish. 

For the bhature, mix the flour, baking soda, soda bicarb, sugar and salt. Add the yogurt to the flour along with water to make a soft dough. Add about 2-3 tablespoons of oil to the dough and knead. Cover and keep for atleast 60 minutes. Make small balls of the dough and roll into 3 inch rounds. Deep fry till golden brown. Drain and put on paper towels to remove excess oil. Serve hot with the chole! A side of chopped onions with lemon goes great with the dish!

I am sending this to Pari's Combo event and Shama's Family's Favorite event.