Chole Bature

With the onset of spring, here comes one of the most awaited festivals of the year – #HOLI. People all around are soaked in the colors and enthusiasm days before Holi and honestly it brings a smile on my face every time I see such happy faces all around. The street vendors have popped up here and there with all their paraphernalia and have displayed an array of colors, pickari, masks and various other crazy stuff. But then, as I say, there is one king which rules any festival or celebration.. Any guesses what’s it?? Yes…FOOD .So keeping in tune with the preparations of Holi I will be making some fluffy and super delicious #Chole #Bhature to kick start your Holi celebrations (c’mon don’t think about those calories for a day as you can always hit the gym and burn them away  …(oh Wow!!It rhymed…ha ha!!  )

North India is the hub of mouth-watering delicacies and Chole Bhature rules the street shops, #dhabas as well the high end restaurants.. As a child the XXL sized breads I.e. bhatures always fascinated me .I would always order the same food without failing and the love for it has still not faded away. :) :)

For friends who do not know about this dish, Chole is a chick pea curry served with Bhature which is a kind of deep fried flat bread .It can be served for breakfast as well as lunch. It is super easy to cook and can be served in any get together, parties and festival. Join me while I start making this savory and I promise you a tasty and wholesome meal within an hour. (Though there are a few preparations which we need to do beforehand to get the perfect taste)

Ingredients:

For Chole

1) Chick peas -2 cups

2) A small cloth in which we will put a tea spoon of tea leaves and a few pieces of gooseberry. (amla)

Tie the ends properly so that nothing comes out of the pouch.

3) Four big tomato and a make puree

4)3 Green chillies slit

5) Ginger paste -2 tea spoon

6) Cumin seeds -2 table spoon

7) Coriander powder-1 tablespoon

8) Dried mango powder- 1 tea spoon

9) Pomegranate seeds- 1 tea spoon

10) Chat masala – 1tea spoon

11) Black salt- ½ tea spoon

12) Salt to taste

13) Oil –approx. 2 table spoon

14) Turmeric powder

15) Asafoetida- 2 pinch

13. Bay leaves

14. Garam masala powder- 1 table spoon

15) Juice of a lemon

16) Coriander leaves for garnishing

¾ tea spoon of baking soda

Bhature

1)      All-purpose flour -450 grams

2)      Semolina powder – half cup

3)      Sugar- 1 tea spoon

4)      Salt to taste

5)      Refine oil-3 tea spoon and 1 tea poon to be kept aside which will be used after kneading.

6)      Baking Soda -1 tea spoon

7)      Thick sour curd -1 cup (approx. 100 gram)

8)      1 cup lukewarm water

Note: Keep some all-purpose flour aside for rolling the bread.

PROCEDURE:

Things which we need to keep ready before hand.

1)      Soak the chick peas in clean water for overnight. Next day drain the water and keep it aside.

2)      Put the chick peas in a pressure cooker .add two to three cups of water, a little bit of salt,3/4^th tea spoon of chick peas and the pouch which contains the tea and gooseberry.(This technique gives  very good colour to the food)

3)      Let it boil till 5-6 whistles. Drain them and keep aside.

Please note: that the chick peas should be so supple that it should become powder like when pressed with fingers.

4)      In a big bowl take the all-purpose flour. Put the semolina powder, 3 tea spoon oil, sugar, salt, baking soda and the curd into the all-purpose flour. Mix then well .Add lukewarm water little by little and make soft dough. Again take some oil and spread it in your palm and knead the dough till such time the surface of the dough is very plain and all the sugar has melted. Cover it up with a lid and keep in warm place for around 2-3 hours.

Procedure to make the Chole:

1) Take a wok and put some oil in it.

2) Put the cumin seeds, asafoetida (hing) and slit green chillies

3) Add the bay leaves, ginger paste, cumin powder, coriander powder, dried mango powder, pomegranate seed powder and fry it till the oil starts leaving the surface.

4) Add the tomato puree and keep cooking it till the raw smell evaporates.

5) add the chat masala powder and black salt .Put some of the chick pea water which we had kept aside. Cover the vessel and let it cook for 2 minutes.

6) Put the chick peas and the Garam masala powder.

7) Cover the lid and let it cook for 15-20 minutes in low flame.

8) Garnish with chopped coriander and some lemon juice

Procedure for Bhature:

1)      Take a vessel and put oil for deep frying. Heat the oil till it’s very hot.

2)      Take off the lid from the dough. The dough must have bloated to some extent by now.

3)      Take some dry flour and spread on your palm. Now once again knead the flour for a minute.

4)      Make medium sized balls (approx. the size of a small apple)

5)      Take the ball and bind it with the dry flour and roll it in an oval shape as much as you can.

6)      Put it in the hot oil and press it so that it swells up. Turn it and fry the other side too. Fry till both the sides become golden brown.

Serve with chole and your yummy meal is ready!!

Happy Cooking!!

Madhumita.