Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Punjabi · Indian

Chole bhature

Vegetarian

छोले भटूरे · chole bhature

Dark, tangy Punjabi chickpea curry served with puffy deep-fried leavened bread. A hearty weekend breakfast or lunch across North India.

Chole bhature is a Punjabi curry from India, ready in about 3 hours 35 minutes and made with dried chickpeas and all-purpose flour. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
A serving of Chole bhature
Photo: Dheerajk88 / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
25 min
Cook
1 h 10 min
Rest
2 h
Total
3 h 35 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
727

Plus overnight soaking of the chickpeas.

Ingredients

4 servings

For the chole

For the bhature

For frying

To serve

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    For the bhature, mix flour, semolina (opens in a new tab), baking powder (opens in a new tab), sugar (opens in a new tab) and salt. Add the yogurt (opens in a new tab) and enough water to knead a soft dough. Coat with a little oil, cover and rest at least 2 hours.

    • 10 min
    Hands kneading dough on a floured surface
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Pressure-cook the soaked chickpeas with the tea, water and 1 tsp salt for 20–25 minutes until very soft (or simmer about 1½ hours). Discard the tea bag.

  3. Step 3

    Heat 3 tbsp oil, crackle the cumin (opens in a new tab), then fry the onions (opens in a new tab) until deep brown. Add ginger and garlic (opens in a new tab), then the tomato (opens in a new tab) and ground spices, and cook until the oil separates.

    • 15 min
    • medium heat

  4. Step 4

    Add the chickpeas with some cooking liquid, the tamarind, garam masala (opens in a new tab) and remaining salt. Mash a few chickpeas and simmer until thick.

    • 15 min
    • medium-low heat
    Potatoes being mashed
    How it looks · Photo: Mateusz Feliksik on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Heat the frying oil to 190 °C. Roll a portion of dough into an oval about 3 mm thick and slide it into the oil. Press gently with a slotted spoon so it puffs, turn once and fry until pale golden. Drain and repeat.

    Food safety: Never leave hot oil unattended; slide the dough in away from you and keep a lid nearby.

  6. Step 6

    Serve the chole hot with bhature, sliced onion (opens in a new tab) and lemon (opens in a new tab) wedges.

      A finished dish being plated
      How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    Punjab / Delhi, Punjab, India · Commonly attributedAlso popular in PakistanMore food from India
    Dish
    Breakfast · Brunch · Lunch · Curries · Breads & flatbreads · Street food · Main courses
    Cooking method
    Pressure-cooked, Simmered, Deep-fried
    Taste
    tangy, spicy (chilli heat), savoury, aromatic / warmly spiced
    Diet
    Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients · High-protein
    All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein
    Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Festive & celebration · Street food
    Cook more with
    Dried chickpeas · All-purpose flour · Black tea (brewed) · Cumin · Onion · Fresh ginger
    Techniques
    Deep-frying · Simmering · Pressure cooking · Bhunao · Kneading

    Allergens

    • Contains: Milkfrom yogurt
    • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour, semolina, baking powder
    • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, semolina, baking powder

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    727 kcal per serving

    Estimated

    1 serving ≈ 518 g · recipe makes 4

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 11%
    • Carbohydrate 55%
    • Fat 34%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy727 kcal140 kcal
    Protein20.5 g4 g
    Carbohydrate101.3 g19.5 g
    Net carbohydrate90 g17.4 g
    Sugars13.5 g2.6 g
    Added sugars1 g0.2 g
    Fibre11.3 g2.2 g
    Fat28 g5.4 g
    Saturated fat2.7 g0.5 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol3 mg1 mg
    Sodium1322 mg255 mg
    Salt equivalent3.3 g0.6 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    835 mg
    Calcium
    199 mg
    Iron
    6.8 mg
    Magnesium
    93 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    44 µg
    Vitamin C
    17 mg
    Vitamin D
    0 µg
    Vitamin B12
    0.1 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    507 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: red onion, lemon.
    • Garam masala: Curry powder (FDC 170924) used as a stand-in; both are ground blends of similar dried spices used in teaspoon amounts.
    • Tamarind paste: Raw tamarind pulp (FDC 167763). Commercial concentrates vary in water content.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • The oil must be hot enough that the bhatura rises to the surface within seconds, or it won't puff.

    Common mistakes

    • Under-browning the onions — they give chole its deep colour and flavour.

    Serve with

    • Add a pickle and a glass of sweet lassi.

    Storage

    • Chole keeps 4 days refrigerated or 3 months frozen. Bhature are best freshly fried.

    Reheating

    • Reheat chole with a splash of water.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    Accompaniments

    To serve

    • Red onion, sliced (optional)1 piece · 110 g
    • Lemon, wedges (optional)1 piece · 85 g
    Used in step 6

    Masalas in this recipe

    Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.

    Baker’s notes

    Customise in Bread & Bakery

    Timeline and readiness cues

    1. Mix and knead · about 25 min

      Mix only until no dry flour remains — overmixing makes it tough and tunnelled.

    2. Rest · about 2 h

      Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.

    3. Bake · about 15 min

      Risen and golden; a skewer in the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs; the top springs back.

    4. Start to finish: about 2 h 40 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

    The dough

    The dough in baker's percentages. Flour = 100%.
    IngredientRoleWeightBaker’s %
    All-purpose flourFlour250 g89.3%
    SemolinaFlour30 g10.7%
    YogurtOther liquid100 g35.7%
    WaterWater60 g21.4%
    Baking powderRaising agent4 g1.6%
    SugarSugar4 g1.5%
    SaltSalt3 g1.1%
    Total flour
    280 g
    Hydration
    21.4%
    With milk, eggs…
    51.8%
    Wholegrain
    0%

    Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.

    • Stiff dough (under 55% hydration) — firm, easy to roll; typical of bagels, pretzels and many flatbreads.
    • Milk, eggs and other liquids add about 30 points of extra water, so it handles like a 52% dough.
    • Salt 1.1% — on the low side (1.8–2.2% is typical for bread).

    If something goes wrong

    • Pale crust

      Likely causes

      • Oven too cool
      • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
      • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

      What to do

      • Check the oven with a thermometer
      • Brush with egg wash or milk
      • Shorten the fermentation
    • Burnt bottom

      Likely causes

      • Tray too close to the heat
      • Dark tray absorbs more heat
      • Too much sugar in the dough

      What to do

      • Bake on the middle shelf
      • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
      • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
    • Tough or chewy flatbread

      Likely causes

      • Dough too stiff
      • Not rested
      • Cooked too slowly on too cool a pan

      What to do

      • Add water until the dough is soft and slightly tacky
      • Rest 20–30 minutes covered so the gluten relaxes
      • Cook on a very hot tawa or pan — quickly

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

    You might also like