Everyday Kitchen

Indian · Lunch

Chole bhature

Draft recipe — not kitchen-tested
VegHard

Diet: Veg · High-protein

Serve a tomato and chickpea curry with puffed fried bhature. This draft uses canned chickpeas and a yeast dough.

Prep
35 min
Cook
35 min
Soak, marinate, rise or chill
90 min
Total
160 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
Hard
Cuisine
Indian
Course
Lunch

Estimated times for the original batch. Preparation, cooking and listed waiting time are included. Batch cooking can take longer.

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Representative photograph of chole bhature
Representative photograph of chole bhature. This photograph is not a result of testing this draft. Photo credit and licence
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Ingredients

Metric weights use grams. US weights use ounces; liquids use fluid ounces. Conversions are rounded. Spoon measures use 5 ml teaspoons and 15 ml tablespoons; cups use 240 ml.

Serves 4

Choose any positive whole number of servings. Ingredients and measured amounts in steps scale together. Times, temperatures and equipment stay unchanged. For larger yields, cook separate original-size batches. Counted ingredients can become fractions; beat eggs before dividing them. Fixed correction-water checks remain fixed.

Dough

Curry

Frying

Equipment

Bowl; saucepan; rolling pin; heavy frying pan; oil thermometer; rack.

Check all product labels and cross-contact. Diet groups describe this listed draft, not every substitution.

Steps

Make dough · About 90 min

  1. Mix 300 g plain flour, 5 g instant yeast, 8 g sugar, ½ tsp salt, 80 g yogurt, 120 ml warm water; knead for 8 minutes. Cover and rise for about 90 minutes until doubled.

Cook curry base · About 12 min

  1. Heat 25 ml neutral oil. Cook 150 g onion, chopped for 6 minutes; add 15 g ginger-garlic paste for 1 minute. Add 300 g crushed tomatoes, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp garam masala, ½ tsp chili powder and ¾ tsp salt; cook for 5 minutes.

Simmer chickpeas · About 15 min

  1. Add 500 g cooked chickpeas, drained and 200 ml water; simmer for 15 minutes. Crush a few chickpeas to thicken the sauce.

Shape bhature · About 10 min

  1. Divide risen dough into 8 balls. Roll into 15 cm ovals, using a little dusting flour.

Fry · About 12 min

  1. Heat 1000 ml neutral oil to 175°C / 350°F. Fry one bhatura at a time for about 45–60 seconds per side. Drain on a rack; serve with hot curry.

    Check: Bread puffs and becomes light gold. Never fill the pan more than halfway with oil.

Tips

  • Do not roll bhature too thin at the edges.
  • Keep oil temperature steady between batches.

Substitutions

  • Use cooked dried chickpeas instead of canned chickpeas; cook them separately first.
  • Use plain dairy-free yogurt in the dough; texture may change.

Storage

  • Refrigerate perishable food within two hours, or within one hour in heat above 32°C / 90°F. Store covered at 4°C / 40°F or below. Use within two days for this draft.
  • Reheat cooked dishes to 74°C / 165°F, stirring or turning for even heating. Serve cold salads, dips and chilled desserts directly from safe refrigeration.

Make ahead

  • Make curry one day ahead and refrigerate.
  • Make dough the day before and rise slowly in the fridge; bring it closer to room temperature before rolling.

FAQ

Why did bhature not puff?

Uneven rolling or cool oil may be the cause.

Can I bake bhature?

The texture changes. This draft is measured for frying.

Can I use dried chickpeas directly?

No. Soak and cook them fully before using this curry timing.

Food safety references

FoodSafety.gov: cooking temperatures · Food Standards Agency: rice storage and reheating

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