Pindi Cholle and Bhature..
..make for a sinfully sumptuous breakfast.
While I'd normally refuse to use Maida (refined white flour minus any fibre) in my kitchen; there's no dishing out Bhaturas minus the damned thingy. So you knead the dough with Maida (1 Kg to serve 6 people), yeast/curd, salt to taste and leave for fermentation overnight. Sink your hands into the dough; and feel the life within. The dough is rolled into tiny balls and those flattened into ovals for deep frying. Voila!
For the Pindi Cholle, steer away from recipes that expound using any tomatoes. All the tanginess required should come from Pomegranate seeds alone. My recipe, actually my Biji's, would have you soak 1/2 Kg chickpeas (Kabuli Chana) overnight and then steam those with two teabags bunged in to impart a rich dark brown colour. We are partial to the colour brown in our Cholle. Decant the water and set the chickpeas aside. Next add 2 green chillies; 1/2 cup garlic; 1/2 cup ginger; three medium sized onions and 1 tsp coriander-all chopped fine (not minced) and roast in about a cupful (YES!) of refined oil.
Next, on an iron skillet prepare the garam masala. Dry roast 2 big Bayleaves; 6 Cardamoms; 10-20 black peppercorns; 50 grams Pomegranate seeds; 2 tbsp Cumin Jeera; a small stick of Cinnamon; 1/2 nutmeg, 2 mace and 2 Black Elaichi. Cool and grind these fine in a mixer.
To the fried onion-ginger-garlic mix; add the chickpeas minus stock and the roasted garam masala. Stir gently, cover with a lid and allow the chickpeas, masalas and oil to blend together. Garnish with ginger juliennes and Coriander leaves and serve piping hot.
While I'd normally refuse to use Maida (refined white flour minus any fibre) in my kitchen; there's no dishing out Bhaturas minus the damned thingy. So you knead the dough with Maida (1 Kg to serve 6 people), yeast/curd, salt to taste and leave for fermentation overnight. Sink your hands into the dough; and feel the life within. The dough is rolled into tiny balls and those flattened into ovals for deep frying. Voila!
For the Pindi Cholle, steer away from recipes that expound using any tomatoes. All the tanginess required should come from Pomegranate seeds alone. My recipe, actually my Biji's, would have you soak 1/2 Kg chickpeas (Kabuli Chana) overnight and then steam those with two teabags bunged in to impart a rich dark brown colour. We are partial to the colour brown in our Cholle. Decant the water and set the chickpeas aside. Next add 2 green chillies; 1/2 cup garlic; 1/2 cup ginger; three medium sized onions and 1 tsp coriander-all chopped fine (not minced) and roast in about a cupful (YES!) of refined oil.
Next, on an iron skillet prepare the garam masala. Dry roast 2 big Bayleaves; 6 Cardamoms; 10-20 black peppercorns; 50 grams Pomegranate seeds; 2 tbsp Cumin Jeera; a small stick of Cinnamon; 1/2 nutmeg, 2 mace and 2 Black Elaichi. Cool and grind these fine in a mixer.
To the fried onion-ginger-garlic mix; add the chickpeas minus stock and the roasted garam masala. Stir gently, cover with a lid and allow the chickpeas, masalas and oil to blend together. Garnish with ginger juliennes and Coriander leaves and serve piping hot.