Chhole Bhature

Preparation

1. 1Soak 2.5 cups chhole in plain water for atleast 12 hours.

   I typically start this the night before I plan to cook.

Tea Infused Cooking Water

1. 1Measure water equal to twice the volume of the soaked chhole and pour it into a sauce pan.
2. 2Add 1 large spoon (or 2 small spoons) of tea leaves
3. 3Bring the water to a rolling boil and maintain the boil for about a minute
4. 4Strain out the tea leaves and keep the infused water aside

Pressure Cooking Chhole

1. 1Transfer the soaked chhole bhature to a pressure cooker
2. 2Pour the tea infused water and 2 tbsp of salt
3. 3Add additional plain water until the total water level reaches twice the height of chhole
4. 4Seal the lid and cook based on your cooking method

   Method	Whistles (Seeti)	Cooking Time	Pressure Release
   Pressure Cooker	1	20 mins	Natural
   Instant Pot	🤷	🤷	Natural

5. 5Once the pressure has fully released, open the cooker and use a spatula to mash about one-tenth of the chickpeas.

Final Cooking

1. 1Heat a generous amount of vegetable oil in an open pan

   preferably a cast iron

2. 2Once the oil is hot, add 2 tbsp of zeera and let it sizzle until you can just begin to smell it
3. 3Add
   • 3 tejpatta
   • 1 tbsp grated ginger
4. 4Saute briefly until fragrant
6. 5Lower the heat slightly and add the following spices
   • 1/2 tbsp haldi
   • 1 tbsp salt
   • 1/2 tbsp red chilli powder
   • 3 tbsp dhaniya
7. 6Stir everything together and let the spices cook for ~30 seconds
9. 7Pour the chhole along with the tea infused water in which they were pressure cooked
10. 8Now we add the spices that do not need much cooking
    • 6 tbsp channa Masala
    • 1.5 tbsp anardana
    • 1.5 tbsp garam masala
    • 3/4 tbsp amchur
11. 9Stir everything together thoroughly and let the chhole simmer uncovered for atleast 10 minutes
12. 10You can add water to adjust the consistency based on your preference but be careful adding too much water might dilute the spaces and require more spices to be added