Chola Bhattura

This is one of our families favourite dish. Unfortunately cannot be made very often since it is deep fried item, which should be avoided for health reasons. So i make it once in 2 months or when my daughter's craving for the dish begins.

Ingredients

Plain flour - 2cups

Baking powder - a pinch

Soda bi carb - a pinch

Curd or Yoghurt - 1/2cup

Salt - a pinch or two

Oil - 3tsp

Oil - for deep fry

Mix all the above ingredients except oil and prepare a dough by adding water. At the final stage add 3tsp of oil and roll into a tight ball and cover it airtight for 2-3hours.

Heat a kadai with enough oil for deep frying. Take a small sized dough and roll out into round or oval shape and deep fry in oil. Turn both sides and remove when it is golden brown.

To prepare Chole

Ingredients

Channa - 1cup

Potato - 1

Onion - 3nos

Tomato - 2nos

Ginger - a small piece

Garlic - 1pod

Sombhu - 1tsp

Cardamom - 2nos

Cloves - 2nos

Bay leaves - 3-4

Turmeric Powder - 1/2tsp

Red chilli powder - 1/2tsp

Garam masala powder - 1/4tsp

Corriander powder - 1/4tsp

Mustard - 1tsp

Jeera - 1tsp

Salt - to taste

Oil - little

Method

1. Soak channa for 8-9hours and pressure cook it with unskinned potato cut into two, little salt, turmeric and a bay leaf with just enough water.

2. Grind onions, tomato, ginger, garlic, sombhu, cardamom, cloves and 15nos of cooked channa.

3. In a heated kadai, add 5-6tsp oil and add mustard, jeera, bay leaves and the above blended mixture. Mix well. Then add all the powders (turmeric, red chilli, corriander and garam masala). Mix well and cover it with lid, so that it doesnt split outside and turn the mixture now and then. Once the oil seperates, add the channa with its water.

4. Add salt and allow it to boil for 5-6min.

You can add butter instead of oil. It will enhance the taste. For a change, mustard, jeera and a green chilli split lengthwise can be done in oil and added at the last after switching off the stove. Garnish with corriander leaves and a dash of lemon juice.