Chole Bhature Recipe - a popular North Indian or Punjabi breakfast dish. Boiled chickpeas are simmered in spicy onion-tomato gravy and served with puffed, fried, crispy and soft bread aka bhatura.
Bhatura Recipes:
#1 - traditional bhatura recipe (requires overnight fermentation)
#2 - Quick bhatura with eno (ready in 45 minutes)
#3 - Instant aloo bhatura (ready in 30 minutes)
Chole Bhature is breakfast dish, but I cannot have this heavy food in the morning. So I usually make this for dinner or weekend lunch. Bhature is not healthy, so many times I make this chole and serve with plain paratha.
This chole bhature is one of my favorites. I have to order a plate of this whenever I go out. Hubby does not like this dish as much. He eat chole bhatura at known places where he knows that it is good. If it is first time we are trying the restaurant, he will never order this dish. Because sometimes you get oily and not puffed bhatura which makes it chewy.
But this homemade chole bhature recipe is the winner and the best. When I made at home, he can’t stop eating it. Bhatura are puffed up so well and not that oily or greasy.
How to make Chole Bhature recipe (Step by Step Photos):
1) Wash the dried chana or chickpeas under running cold water till water runs clear.
2) Soak them in enough water for at least 8 hours or overnight. After soaking time they will double up in size.
3) Discard the soaking water, take chickpeas into pressure cooker, add fresh 2 cups of water. Close the lid, put the weight on. Turn the gas heat. Cook for 2 whistles on HIGH, then 15 minutes on LOW heat or till the chickpeas are cooked and soft. They should be soft and melt in your mouth but not mushy. Some of them will open up. Let the pressure go down by itself and then open the lid.
4) While chana are boiling. Make smooth paste from onion, ginger, garlic, green chili and tomato.
5) Heat the oil in pan on medium heat. Once hot add cumin seeds and let them sizzle.
6) Then saute in whole spices (cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom) for a minute.
7) Then add prepared paste along with salt.
8) Let it cook till all the moisture evaporates and oil starts to leave from the sides. If it splutters too much then partially cover the pan. Do stir in between to make sure that it is not sticking to the bottom of the pan. Also scrap the sides of the pan.
9) Add all the spice powders (turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala, amchur powder, red chili powder, anardana powder).
10) Mix well and cook for a minute.
11) Add water from boiled chana as per your liking gravy consistency and bring it to a boil.
12) Add Boiled chana.
13) Mix well.
14) Let it simmer for 6-7 minutes.
15) If gravy is too thick then add more water and simmer for 2-3 minutes. If gravy is too thin then let simmer for more time till you get your liking gravy. Add chopped cilantro leaves, mix.
Chole is ready, keep it covered so it stays warm till you make bhaturas.
Serving suggestion: Serve chole bhature as a breakfast or brunch or dinner. sliced onions with lemon wedges complements chole bhature very well. Also you can serve some mango pickle on side.
Notes:
- Whenever you cook with dried beans, Soaking overnight is must. This soaking process reduces the cooking time. But no worries if you forget to soak it a day before. Here is quick soaking method for you. Take beans and plenty of water in a pan. Bring the water to a rolling boil and let it boil for 2-3 minutes. Then turn off the stove and cover tightly with lid and let it sit for 1 hour. Voila, after 1 hour your beans are at the same stage where you have after overnight soaking.
- When you grind the raw onions, sometimes it smells very strong and your eyes might be burning/tearing. So to reduce it, soak the chopped onion in hot water for 10 minutes, drain the water and grind.
- Gravy consistency is up to you. Many restaurant serve with thick and more gravy while some serve little dry chole. I always like more gravy, you can see here. It is all up to you. Increase or decrease the water quantity as per your preference.
- Many likes to add a tea bag while pressure cooking the chickpeas which gives the darker color chana. Choice is yours, I have not added here.
Chole bhature recipe
Ingredients
To pressure cook Chana:
- 1 cup Dried white chickpeas (Chole or kabuli chana or safed chana)
- 2 cups Water
Grind into Paste:
- 1 medium or 1 cup Red onion roughly chopped
- ½ inch Ginger
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 Green chili
- 2 medium or 1 ½ cups Tomato roughly chopped
For chole gravy:
- 2 tablespoons Oil
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 1 inch Cinnamon stick
- 2 Cloves
- 2 Green cardamoms
- Salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon Coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon Cumin powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons Red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon Chole masala or garam masala
- 1 teaspoon Amchur powder (Dried mango powder )
- 1 teaspoon Anardana powder (dried pomegranate seeds powder)
- 2 tablespoons Cilantro or coriander leaves chopped finely
For serving on side:
- ½ of medium Red onion thinly sliced
- 1 Lemon cut into wedges
Instructions
Prepping and cooking chana:
- Wash the dried chana or chickpeas under running cold water till water runs clear.
- Soak them in enough water for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Discard the soaking water, take chickpeas into pressure cooker, add fresh 2 cups of water. Close the lid, put the weight on. Turn the gas heat.
- Cook for 2 whistles on HIGH, then 15 minutes on LOW heat or till the chickpeas are cooked and soft.
- Let the pressure go down by itself and then open the lid.
- While chana are boiling. Make smooth paste from onion, ginger, garlic, green chili and tomato.
Making chole bhature recipe:
- Heat the oil in pan on medium heat. Once hot add cumin seeds and let them sizzle.
- Then saute in whole spices (cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom) for a minute.
- Then add prepared paste along with salt. Let it cook till all the moisture evaporates and oil starts to leave from the sides.
- If it splutters too much then partially cover the pan. Do stir in between. Also scrap the sides of the pan.
- Add all the spice powders. Mix well and cook for a minute.
- Add water from boiled chana as per your liking gravy consistency and bring it to a boil. Add Boiled chana. Mix well.
- Let it simmer for 6-7 minutes.
- Add chopped cilantro leaves, mix.
- Turn off the stove.
- Fry bhatura at the time of serving.
Beena G.
Came out really nice. Thank you for the detailed recipe.
Kanan Patel
very glad that you enjoyed.
peter fagan
can I use canned (cooked) chic peas?
Kanan
yes you can. Skip the pressure cooking chickpeas steps.
Add canned chickpeas directly into the gravy.
Michelle
Yummy
Dee
My chole came out perfectly thanks to your detailed, elaborate instructions. I like that you put the pictures of how the gravy should look before adding the powder/chana. I will check out other recipes. Thank you!
Kanan
Thank you Dee for the review.
Glad to hear that chole came out good and hope you enjoy other recipes as well.
Happy Cooking!!
Priya
You have amazing recipes love love them all!!! I would love to see more eggless recipes, have you managed to do a vanilla cake and get the inside looking white as if it was from the shops... or like an egg one?? It would be interesting to see!! can't wait to try some recipes. xx
Kanan
Thanks Priya. I will share more eggless recipes. Here is the eggless vanilla cake recipe - https://www.spiceupthecurry.com/eggless-vanilla-cake-recipe/