Chole Bhature

                                                                                   
Today's preparation although may seem to you like a common meal, but it comes with a twist. As the title suggests , the entire dish is without any onion,garlic or tomatoes. You may also term it as satvik aahar ( as this Choley  preparation doesn't have Onions, Garlic or even tomatoes). I remember during my erstwhile days in hometown Haridwar, after a Holy dip in the cool and crystal clear Ganges, one was always drawn towards the food stalls near the embankments and gorge upon such delicious bhaturas and choles. So i recommend that all my blogger friends visit Haridwar at least once to have a view of the Ganges in it's full elements and then proceed towards the Himalayas. Trust me friends, you would relish this experience for the rest of your lives. Till then here is the recipe : 


                                            Bhaturas

                                                 
Ingredients:
1 kg All purpose flour
2 tsp Yeast
2 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Baking powder
1 cup Yogurt
2 tbsp Refined oil
1/2 cup Water (warm)
Little bit of salt


Method:
Take 1/2 cup of lukewarm water in a bowl and add sugar and yeast in it. Mix well and leave this untouched for 15 minutes in a warm place in your kitchen counter. Seive flour, salt, baking powder together in a broad mixing bowl. Make a hole in the center and add yeast liquid, refined oil and yogurt. Knead for 5-10 minutes to make a soft and pliable dough. Now drizzle a few drop of oil to coat dough. Cover with a cling film and keep this in a warm place for 4 hours in summers and 8 hours in winters.

                                                                       
Knead the dough for 3-4 minutes and then make equal sized balls out of the dough.Keep little flour in hand as you might need this while rolling the dough. Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan on medium flame. Lightly flour a board and start rolling one dough ball into a round shape or into long oval shape. To check if the oil temperature is ready, pinch a very small amount of dough and drop it into the oil, if it pops up immedietely on top then the oil is ready. Carefully slide one bhature at a time into the oil and press gently in the center, splash hot oil over the top of bhature. When it swells, flip it  and deep fry like pooris. Drain and remove from oil, fry the remaining bhatures in the same manner and serve hot bhatures with chole masala.


                                         Chole

                                           
Ingredients:
BOIL CHOLE WITH THESE INGREDIENTS:
2 cups Chole (Garbanzo- soaked overnight)
2 tsp Tea leaves 
2 Black Cardamom, slightly crushed
2 tsp Carom (ajwain) seeds
Pinch of Baking soda
Salt according to taste
3 cups of Water


Take a piece of muslin cloth, place tea leaves, crushed cardamoms, carom seeds in it and tie the cloth in a knot to make a sack. Boil the chole in a pressure cooker with salt, 3 cups of water, pinch of salt and soda along with that masala sack. After first whistle, cook on low flame for 20 -25 minutes. Drain out the water and keep aside for later use. Discard the  masala sack (potli) from the chole. 


Ingredients:
FOR MASALA:
1" inch Ginger, finely chopped
2 tsp Cumin seeds (jeera)
1/4 tsp Dry Ginger powder (sonth)
2 tsp Red chilly powder
3 tsp Mango powder (amchur)
3-4 Green chillies, slit from center
2 Bay leaves
2 tbsp Oil


 *GARAM MASALA TO ROAST AND POWDER:
3 tsp Coriander seeds (saboot dhania)
3 tsp Pomegranate seeds (anardana)
2 Star Anise (javitri phool)
1/2 tsp Black pepper balls
Small portion of Nutmeg (jaiphal)
2 Green cardamoms (ilaychi)


Method:
In a pan dry roast all the spices that are mentioned above * on low heat till the spices release nice aroma and light in color. Let this cool down and then powder the spices in a blender. After keeping 1/2 tsp powdered masala aside for later use, mix the rest of the roasted + ground masala to the boiled chole. 
Heat oil in a pan on medium flame, add cumin seeds, chopped ginger and green chillies. Add red chilly podwer, 1/2 roasted + ground masala (which was kept aside), bay leaves and fry for a minute. Add chole in the pan and mix well. Stir and fry for few minutes. Add boiled chole water, adjust the salt. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes on low heat. Remove from heat and add amchur and mix it thoroughly. Serve Chole with hot fried Bhatures.