Southall Chole Bhature
Richly spiced Punjabi chickpea curry served with golden, puffed deep-fried bread. The ultimate weekend brunch from Southall's famous Broadway sweet shops.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 60 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 650 kcal
Equipment
- •deep frying pan
- •saucepan
- •rolling pin
- •slotted spoon
- •mixing bowl
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 650 kcal
- fat
- 24 g
- carbs
- 88 g
- fibre
- 9 g
- protein
- 18 g
- calories
- 650 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Mix the plain flour, semolina, baking powder, and half a teaspoon of salt in a bowl.
- 2
Stir in the yoghurt and enough lukewarm water to form a soft, pliable dough.
- 3
Knead the dough on a worktop for five minutes until smooth and elastic.
- 4
Cover the dough with a damp tea towel and rest for at least one hour.
- 5
Heat two tablespoons of oil in a saucepan on the hob over medium heat.
- 6
Fry the chopped onion until deep golden brown, then add the ginger-garlic paste for one minute.
- 7
Add the chopped tomatoes, chole masala, and cumin, cooking until the oil separates from the masala.
- 8
Tip in the chickpeas and brewed tea, then simmer gently for fifteen minutes until thick.
- 9
Divide the dough into eight balls and roll each into a thin oval on an oiled surface.
- 10
Heat the remaining oil in a deep frying pan until shimmering and hot.
- 11
Slide in a dough disc and press gently with a slotted spoon until it puffs completely.
- 12
Flip the bhatura, fry for thirty seconds until pale golden, and drain on kitchen paper.
Chef's tips
Resting the dough allows the gluten to relax so the bhature puff up into hollow balloons. Ensure the frying oil is very hot; if it is lukewarm, the breads will absorb oil and fail to inflate.
Ingredient substitutions
- chole masala → 1 tsp garam masala, 0.5 tsp ground coriander, and 0.5 tsp amchur (dried mango powder)
- fine semolina → plain flour
Storage
Keep leftover chickpea curry in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days, but make the bhature fresh.
Reheating
Reheat the chole gently in a saucepan over medium heat with a splash of water until piping hot.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Frying in oil that is not hot enough, resulting in flat, greasy breads.
- •Skipping the dough resting time, which makes rolling out the dough difficult.
- •Boiling away all the curry liquid so the chickpeas become dry rather than saucy.
Serving suggestions
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