Bhature (Puffy Fried Bread for Chole Bhature)
بھٹورے (چھولے بھٹورے کی پھولی تلی روٹی)
Chole bhature is the weekend breakfast of Delhi and Punjab: a plate of spicy chickpea curry with one or two huge, golden, balloon-like breads. The bhature are made from and a little semolina, softened with yogurt and left to rise for a few hours, then rolled into ovals and fried until they puff. Pair them with our Lahori cholay or chana masala, since the chickpea curry is shared across the border.
- ⏱ Total: 40 min
- Prep: 20 min
- Cook: 20 min
- Medium
- Serves 4
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Mix the flour, semolina, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt. Add the yogurt and oil and knead with warm water into a soft, smooth dough, slightly firmer than roti dough. Knead for 5 minutes.
Rub with oil, cover and rest in a warm place for 2–3 hours (or up to 6).
Divide into 8 balls. Roll each into an oval about 15 cm long and 3 mm thick, using a little oil rather than flour.
Heat the oil until very hot (190°C). Slide in one bhatura and press gently with a slotted spoon so it puffs up. Flip and fry until light golden on both sides, about 1 minute in total.
Drain and serve straight away with chole, sliced onion, lemon and pickle.
Kitchen notes
The oil must be hot enough for the bhatura to puff at once; if it sinks and stays flat, wait for the oil to heat up.
Rolling with oil instead of dry flour keeps the oil clean.
Bhature are best eaten hot; they deflate and toughen as they cool.
Delhi’s favourite weekend plate
Chole bhature is a Punjabi dish that became a Delhi institution after Partition, when refugee families from Lahore and western Punjab opened stalls selling it. Today it’s sold from dawn in Old Delhi’s lanes, at roadside dhabas and in sweet shops across North India, and Pakistani readers will recognise the same love for halwa puri and cholay on a Sunday morning.
What makes them puff
Yogurt, baking powder and a little soda make the dough slightly leavened and soft. Rolled thin and dropped into very hot oil, the moisture in the dough turns to steam and blows the bhatura up like a balloon. Pressing gently with a spoon helps it puff evenly.
Getting the texture right
A good bhatura is crisp on the outside and soft and chewy inside. Too much flour makes it tough; too little rest makes it dense. Semolina adds a little crispness.
Serving
Serve with spicy chana masala or Lahori cholay, raw onion rings, green chilli, lemon and mango pickle, and a glass of sweet lassi.
Questions people ask
What's the difference between bhatura and puri?
Puri is small, made with atta and unleavened. Bhatura is large, made with maida and leavened with yogurt, so it's softer and chewier.
Can I make the dough the night before?
Yes. Keep it in the fridge overnight and bring it to room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 360
- Protein
- 7 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
