Chole Bhature
Spicy chickpeas and fluffy bhature, cooked with laughter and tradition.
Sundays in our house always smelled of spices. Grandma woke up early, soaked chickpeas overnight, and announced, “Today we make chole bhature.” The kitchen came alive — cumin sizzling, onions browning, tomatoes melting into masala. I sneezed when she tossed in chili powder, and everyone laughed.
The dough for bhature puffed under her hands, soft and stretchy. “Don’t press too hard,” she warned, “they won’t rise.” I tried rolling one and made a funny shape — my cousin shouted, “That looks like a map, not bread!” Hot oil bubbled, golden bhature floated up like balloons, and the smell made us all impatient. Chickpeas simmered thick and spicy, garnished with coriander. By the time plates were served, the house felt like a festival — noisy, messy, and full of joy.
Eating together, someone joked, “Better than any restaurant.” Grandma just smiled, knowing tradition had been passed on bite by bite.
Ingredients (For 8 Persons)
• 500 g chickpeas (soaked overnight)
• 4 onions (chopped)
• 4 tomatoes (pureed)
• 3 tbsp ginger‑garlic paste
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 3 tsp red chili powder
• 2 tsp turmeric powder
• 5 tbsp oil
• Salt to taste
• Fresh coriander for garnish
• For Bhature: 3 cups flour, 1 cup semolina, 1 cup yogurt, pinch of baking soda, salt, oil for frying
How to Cook & Serve
1. Boil soaked chickpeas until tender.
2. Heat oil, add cumin seeds, onions, fry until golden.
3. Add ginger‑garlic paste, tomato puree, spices; cook until oil separates.
4. Add chickpeas, simmer 15–20 minutes, garnish with coriander.
5. For bhature, knead flour, semolina, yogurt, soda, salt into soft dough.
6. Rest dough 2 hours, roll discs, deep fry until puffed.
7. Serve hot chole with fluffy bhature — and laugh at the shapes you make.
Tip: Bhature don’t need to be perfect circles — the fun is in sharing them together.
