Chole Bhature | Chana Bhatura - Dassana's Veg Recipes

chole bhature on a plate with sections for chana curry and fried bread.

4.95 from 60 votes

Chole Bhature | Chana Bhatura

Chole Bhature is a popular North Indian dish made with spicy chickpea curry (chole) served with deep-fried, fluffy bread (bhature). It’s a classic Delhi-style street food often eaten for breakfast or lunch. The chole is made from white chickpeas simmered in a rich, tangy, and spiced gravy. Bhature is always served fresh and hot, making the dish hearty and satisfying. This combo meal is loved for its bold flavors and contrasting textures.

Prep Time9

Cook Time30

Total Time9 30

Course: Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine: North Indian, Punjabi

Diet: Vegetarian

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Servings:

Calories: 646kcal

Author: Dassana Amit

Ingredients

For Cooking Chickpeas

1 cup dried white chickpeas (3 cups of canned chickpeas can also be used)
water - as required for soaking
¼ teaspoon salt
3 cups water - for stovetop pressure cooking
1 to 2 pinches baking soda - optional

More Ingredients For The Gravy

2 to 3 tablespoons oil or ghee
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
¼ teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
1 pinch asafoetida (hing) - optional
½ or 1 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder)
1 to 1.5 cups water - to be added later
salt as required
1 green chilli - slit
1 teaspoon Garam Masala or chole masala

Whole Spices

1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tej patta (Indian bay leaf), large-sized
2 inches cinnamon
2 to 3 cloves
2 green cardamom
2 to 3 black peppercorns

Ground Paste Ingredients

1 onion - chopped, medium-sized
2 tomatoes - chopped, medium-sized
1 inch ginger - peeled and chopped
4 to 5 garlic cloves - peeled and chopped, medium-sized
1 green chili - chopped

Ingredients For Bhatura

1.5 cups all-purpose flour (maida)
⅓ cup sooji (rava or fine semolina), finer textured
2 tablespoon oil or ghee
1 tablespoon sugar - fine granulated
½ teaspoon salt or as required
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ cup Curd (yogurt)
2 to 3 tablespoons water or add as required, for kneading
oil - for deep frying as required

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Soaking & Cooking Chickpeas

Rinse the white chickpeas for a couple of times in water. Then soak the chickpeas in enough water overnight or for 7 to 8 hours.
Next day drain all the water and cook the chickpeas with water+salt in a pressure cooker or a pot.
You can also add a pinch or two of baking soda while cooking the chickpeas.
Drain the water and keep the chickpeas aside.

Making The Curry

In a grinder or blender take the chopped onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic and green chillies.
Grind or blend to a fine paste.
You don’t need to add any water while blending, as the juices from the tomatoes is enough to form a smooth paste.
Keep the prepared paste aside.
Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons oil in a pan or kadai/wok.
Add the whole garam masala (spices) - cumin seeds, tej patta, cinnamon, cloves, cardamoms and black peppercorns.
Fry the whole garam masala mentioned above till the oil become fragrant. But don't burn them.
Add the ground paste and saute till the oil starts to leave the sides of the masala paste.
Keep stirring often. Sauté for 8 to 10 minutes or more till the oil starts to leave the sides of the masala paste and the paste thickens and becomes glossy.
Stir while sautéing so that the paste does not stick to the pan.
Next add all the dry spice powders - turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder (dhania powder), asafoetida (optional) and dry mango powder (amchur).
Mix very well and saute for a minute or two. Now add the cooked chickpeas and stir.
Add 1 to 1.5 cups water or add as required. Also add salt as per taste and mix well.
Simmer the gravy on a low or medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes or until the curry thickens. Don't cover the pan. Stir occasionally.
Mash a few chickpeas with the back of spoon. This helps in thickening the gravy.
Lastly add the slit green chili and garam masala powder or chole masala powder. Mix well and simmer for a minute or two.
Check the seasoning and add more salt or spice powders if required. Garnish the curry with coriander leaves.
You can also garnish with some slit green chilies and ginger julienne while serving.
Serve chickpea curry with onion slices, lemon wedges along with bhatura. Enjoy the chickpea curry with bhature.

Making Bhatura

Using a sieve, sift the all-purpose flour, salt and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Then add the semolina and sugar to the sifted ingredients.
Now to the sifted ingredients, add the curd (yogurt) and oil. Mix very well with a spoon.
Adding water in parts first mix and then knead to a smooth and soft dough.
Cover the dough with a wet cotton napkin and let it rest for 30 to 45 minutes or 2 hours.
Later pinch medium-sized balls from the dough.
Roll the dough piece to a neat ball between your palms. Place the dough ball on your work surface and press it lightly with your fingers.
Spread a bit of oil on both sides of the dough. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough ball into an oval or elongated shape. You can also make a round circle.
In a pan or kadai heat oil on medium-high heat for deep frying. Drop the rolled dough in hot oil and it will quickly start puffing in the oil.
When the sizzling of the oil stops, turn over the bhatura and fry the other side. You can flip once or twice for even cooking.
When light golden or golden, remove the bhatura and drain on paper towels to remove excess oil. Roll and fry all bhaturas this way.
Serve the hot puffed up Bhatura with the chickpea curry and enjoy Chole Bhature meal with a side of sliced onions, green chillies and lemon.

Serving Suggestions

Serve both chole gravy and bhature hot.
Add sliced onions, lemon wedges, and green chilies on the side for that street-style experience.
You can also serve Khatte Aloo (sour and tangy potatoes), a popular Delhi-style side dish with chole bhature. Recipe is listed above.
A small bowl of boondi raita or mango pickle makes a nice addition too.

Khatte Aloo Recipe (Side Dish)

Boil 2 medium potatoes, peel and cube them.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil, add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and a pinch of hing. Once fragrant and the cumin seeds splutter, add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chili powder, and salt to taste.
Add the potatoes and ½ to 1 teaspoon amchur powder. Mix well and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve as a side with chole bhature.

Storage Suggestions

Chole can be stored in the fridge for 1 to 2 days. Reheat with a splash of water to loosen the consistency.
Bhature are best served immediately, but the dough can be refrigerated for 1 day.
Khatte aloo can be made a few hours in advance and served at room temperature or warm.
Avoid storing fried bhature, as they tend to harden and lose their fluffiness.

Notes

For a detailed recipe on the bhatura, read this post on Bhatura.
Adjust the spices and seasonings according to your taste preferences.
Soak the chickpeas for 7 to 8 hours or overnight for best texture and taste.
Add dried amla or a tea bag while pressure cooking to give the chole a deep brown color.
Make sure to use amchur powder or anardana powder (dry pomegranate seeds powder) to get the typical tangy street-style flavor.
Knead the bhature dough until soft and let it rest for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Fry bhature in moderately hot oil. They should puff well and cook evenly without getting too dark.

Nutrition