← Nouns Cooking · Indian

Ingredients

• 200 g dried chickpeas
• 2 black tea bags
• 1 Bay leaves
• 1 black cardamom pod (or 2 green)
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 1 l Water
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1 large onion, grated
• 1 tbsp Ginger, grated
• 4 cloves Garlic, crushed
• 350 ml passata (or 3 tomatoes, puréed)
• 1 tsp Chilli powder
• 1 tsp Ground coriander
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ¼ tsp Ground turmeric
• 1 tsp Amchur (dried mango powder)
• ½ tsp Garam masala
• ½ tsp Dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi), crushed
• 1 tbsp Ghee
• 2 Green chilli, slit
• 2 tbsp Coriander (cilantro), chopped
• 260 g plain (all-purpose) flour
• 2 tbsp fine semolina
• 1 tsp Sugar
• ½ tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Baking powder
• ¼ tsp Bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 120 g plain yogurt
• water or milk, as needed
• oil, for deep-frying

Method

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight in plenty of water. Drain, then simmer them in a big pot with the 1 litre water, tea bags, bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon and salt for 60–75 min (or pressure-cook for 15 min) until very soft. Discard the tea bags and whole spices, but keep the dark cooking liquid.
2. For the bhatura, mix the flour, semolina, sugar, salt, baking powder and soda. Rub in the oil, add the yogurt and knead, adding splashes of water, into a soft, smooth dough for 5 min. Oil it, cover and rest for 2 hours.
3. Meanwhile heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the cumin, then the grated onion, and fry for 8–10 min until deep golden brown. Add the ginger and garlic for 1 minute.
4. Add the passata and ground spices (except the garam masala) and cook for 8 min, stirring, until thick and the oil separates.
5. Add the chickpeas with about 300 ml of their liquid, lightly mash a few to thicken the gravy and simmer for 15 min. Stir in the garam masala and kasuri methi. Heat the ghee, sizzle the green chillies in it for 30 seconds and pour over the chole with the coriander.
6. Heat 6–8 cm of oil in a wok to 190°C (375°F). Divide the dough into 8 balls and roll each into an oval about 3 mm thick, using oil rather than flour.
7. Slide one bhatura into the oil and gently press it with a slotted spoon so it puffs up like a balloon. Fry for 30 seconds, flip and fry 30 seconds more until pale golden. Drain and serve straight away with the chole, sliced onion and lemon.

Tips

• The tea bags give chole its classic dark colour without changing the flavour much.
• Contains wheat and dairy. Bhatura need very hot oil to puff; if they sink and soak up oil, wait for it to heat up again.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Hebbar's Kitchen Cook With Manali Cook With Manali