Chole Bhature

Where does the dark colour of chole come from?

From tannins, not from spice. A black tea bag or a handful of dried amla dropped into the cooking water gives chickpeas the deep brown that restaurant chole have, and neither adds any noticeable taste at that quantity. Dried amla does the job slightly better and adds a sourness you want anyway. Some cooks use a piece of iron or a whole dried Indian gooseberry for the same effect. What does not produce it is more chilli powder, which turns the gravy red rather than brown, and no amount of onion browning gets you there on its own.

Why does the bhatura dough need curd and a long rest?

The curd is doing two jobs. Its acid relaxes the gluten so the dough rolls thin without springing back, and the lactic bacteria in it start a slow fermentation that produces the gas which, together with the baking powder, makes the bread balloon. Three hours is the minimum and overnight in a cool place is better. A dough made with yeast or with only baking powder puffs too, but the faintly sour taste that distinguishes a bhatura from a poori comes from the curd. The semolina is separate again and is there for the slight chew and to keep the fried surface from going soft too quickly.

Why do my bhature not puff?

Usually because the oil is not hot enough, and occasionally because the dough was rolled unevenly. A bhatura puffs when moisture inside the dough turns to steam faster than it can escape, which forces the two surfaces apart, and that needs oil hot enough to float the dough within about two seconds. Rolling it thicker at the edges than the centre anchors one side and it stays flat. Pressing it down gently under a slotted spoon for the first few seconds helps start the separation. Rolling all the bhature in advance also stops them puffing, because the surfaces dry.

What gives chole their sourness?

Anardana, which is dried pomegranate seed ground to a powder, is the traditional source and gives a fruity sourness that lemon cannot copy. Dried mango powder is the common substitute and is sharper. Amla in the cooking water contributes some. Tamarind is used in some households and pushes it towards a darker, heavier taste. Adding acid at the end rather than the beginning keeps it bright; boiled for twenty minutes it flattens out. Our note on the glycaemic index of Indian foods explains why the acid also slows the starch digestion slightly, which is a genuine if minor bonus.

Can tinned chickpeas be used?

They can, for the gravy, but the dish loses something real. Tinned chickpeas are already fully cooked, so they cannot absorb the tea, the amla or the spices during a long simmer, and the cooking liquid that thickens the gravy does not exist. If you use them, simmer them for fifteen minutes in the finished gravy with a little water and accept a paler result. The everyday Punjabi chole recipe is a better target for tinned chickpeas than this one is.

What to put on the plate beside it

Sliced raw onion with lemon, a green chilli and a spoon of pickle is the standard accompaniment, and the raw onion is doing real work against the richness. Sweet lassi is the usual drink, although it adds to an already heavy meal. Chole keep four days refrigerated and taste better on the second day; bhature do not keep at all and should be fried as they are eaten. If you want to understand how to place a meal like this inside an ordinary week rather than banning it, that is much of what the healthy eating essentials course is about.