Chole bhature
A Punjabi street food pairing spiced chickpeas with puffy fried bread.
Chole bhature, also known as channa bhatura, is a dish that pairs chickpea curry with bhatura, a deep-fried flatbread. It is a common street food often eaten as breakfast and is associated with Punjabi cuisine, though its origin is debated. The dish is also popular in Delhi, where it was introduced after the partition of India, and by the 2010s it had become a popular fast food across India.
Quick Facts
- Place of origin
- Punjab or eastern Uttar Pradesh
- Associated cuisine
- North Indian cuisine, Punjabi cuisine
- Region
- Indian subcontinent
- Course
- Primarily breakfast
- Served
- Hot
- Main ingredients
- Chana masala, bhature
- Similar dish
- Doubles (disputed)
Facts from the source article.
Preparation and serving
Chole bhature combines chole (chana masala, or chickpea curry) with bhatura, a deep-fried bread made from maida (refined wheat flour). The chole is prepared by soaking white chickpeas before pressure cooking them in a gravy of tomatoes, onions, and spices, resulting in a thick consistency. Unlike typical chana masala, chole does not use tomatoes. Styles include pindi chole, which gets a dark color from ingredients such as amla or tea, and the red pahadi style. Bhature dough is fermented, then rolled and fried, causing it to puff up and become crispy and golden brown. The dish is served hot, primarily as a breakfast item, sometimes with lassi, and may be accompanied by onions, chutney, achaar, or lemon slices.
History
Chickpea curry dates back to the cuisine of the Mughal Empire, possibly spreading along the empire's trade routes. The place of origin of chole bhature is debated: some sources say it originated in Punjabi cuisine, while others claim origins in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, or Himachal Pradesh. Food writer Kunal Vijaykar believes it originated in pre-partition Punjab, based on pindi chole named for Rawalpindi in Pakistani Punjab, but food scholar Charis Galanakis places its origin in eastern Uttar Pradesh. The dish spread to Delhi in the 1940s, with differing claims over who introduced it. Peshori Lal Lamba, a native of Lahore, moved to Delhi after the 1947 partition and opened Kwality Restaurant in Connaught Place, a fine-dining establishment that became known for its chole bhature; some consider him the first to pair chole with bhature. It is also widely believed that Sita Ram, who also migrated from Lahore around that time, introduced the dish to Delhi, selling it from a food cart, later becoming the establishment Sita Ram Diwan Chand in Paharganj. Beginning around the 1990s, the dish spread beyond North India to the rest of the country, becoming typical at vegetarian establishments by the 2010s. International Chole Bhature Day was created in 2012 by Delhi-based Facebook user Shashank Aggarwal along with Anuradha Gupta, choosing 2 October to coincide with Gandhi Jayanti. The Indo-Trinidadian dish doubles is controversially said to be an adaptation of chole bhature, though this is disputed; Badru Deen, of the family credited with inventing doubles, wrote that the two dishes are very different.
Popularity
Chole bhature is a popular fast food and breakfast food in North India, and is eaten during the Punjabi festival of Vaisakhi and other Sikh festivals. In Delhi, it is a traditional street food recognized by tourists, with many establishments known for the dish, including Kwality Restaurant, Sita Ram Diwan Chand, and Chache Di Hatti in Kamla Nagar, which draws long lines during its short hours. Sita Ram Diwan Chand serves only chole bhature and uses paneer in its bhature. Mumbai also has many chole bhature establishments, especially around the Sion neighbourhood.
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