Chole Bhature the desi Indian dish that beats a hamburger any day

Ask any Indian if he has tasted chole bhature and the answer will be affirmative. And if the person happens to be a vegetarian, then this dish will feature in his top 10 favourite dishes. It’s difficult to find out the origin of chole bhature. One can only guess that it originated in a housewife’s kitchen either in Old- Delhi or the by lanes of Amritsar or Ludhiana. The Mughals have left behind a whole lot of culinary delights from tikkas to Rogan josh. To match it the Indian ancestors have left behind a gamut of mouth-watering dishes like chole bhature and poori-aloo.

The love for chole bhature can be guessed by the fact that it’s always there on top of the menu of any North Indian restaurant. To lure the hungry customers, the eating joints carry a larger-than-life picture of a chole bhature on their menu card. A picture of two fried bhature (fermented fried Indian bread) inflated like balloons and served with dark brown masaledar chole with a lone aloo swimming in it is too tempting to refuse. Garnished with onion rings, seasonal pickles, a cut-piece of lemon and a green chilly this dish simply makes one salivate.

In Delhi, there are street food vendors who have become famous only by serving chole bhature. There is one in Gurgaon called Civil Lines Wala in Sector-15. It happens to be the favourite of Virat Kohli, the number 1 cricketer of India. Then there is Sitaram in Paharganj  a favourite of every Delhiite. And if you happen to be in Nehru Place for business dealing or a laptop repair, don’t forget to have an awesome plate of chola bhaturas at one of the eating joints in the open.

Chole Bhature: A national identity

Every country in the world is famous for its gourmet delight. Italy is known for pizzas and spaghetti, the USA is famous for its burgers, and Germany for bratwurst (grilled sausage). But when it comes to India there are a whole lot of dishes that stand out. It can be a dosa or a chola bhatura or a vada-pav. I am sure that the North Indians would vote for the chola bhatura as their favourite.

Just like the burgers created a chain of McDonald’s and Burger Kings across the world, same way chola bhatura has created food chains across the country. Bikaner Wala and Haldiram though known more as sweet shops have become famous for their chola bhatura. Then there is the ubiquitous Agarwal Sweet corner in the local shopping complex of every residential colony in Delhi and NCR serving chole bhature round the clock. You can also add the local vendors selling this popular dish on every street.

Breakfast at a roadside Dhaba

It all happened one day when my son-in-law called around breakfast time. He checked with me if I was through with my breakfast and hearing a no, he asked me to get ready. Within 20 minutes we were standing in front of a chole bhature stall made famous by the likes of Virat Kohli in Sector-15, Gurgaon. Famous by the name of Civil Lines Wala, this street stall doesn’t have much to show off except the culinary skills of the kitchen staff.

Standing around a circular table with a colourful sunmica, the four of us including my daughter and spouse ordered a plate of chole-bhature. The waiter didn’t look much surprised. He was kind of used to the customers visiting the stall ordering a plate of chole bhature without even bothering to look at the menu. Though I must admit that this was not justice to the other dishes mentioned in the menu. The stall also serves some mouth-watering Rajma-chawal and Amritsari chur-chur naan with chole.

A chilly winter morning of January was ideal for a glass of tea as an accompaniment to the chole bhature. But being a Delhiite I went for a summer combo of a glass of lassi served in an earthen glass. It was only after I had gulped the entire glass did I realise that it may aggravate my  sore throat. In these days of Omicron even if you cough behind a mask, people look at you as if you have committed a crime.

Chole bhature and the dilemma of a health-conscious person

In Indian mythology, there is a time when Lord Indra is worried about the intensity of Vishwamitra’s meditation. The meditation would have give him tremendous powers that Indra didn’t want. He sends Maneka to seduce Vishwamitra and the rest is history.

Similarly, Chole bhature plays the role of Maneka to seduce diet-conscious people. Initially, there is a lot of resistance from such people. The pretext  being high calories, oily food, too much masala, spicy food, etc. But the moment the first bite of chole bhature lands into the mouth, the health fads take a back seat. Soon the person starts dipping his fingers in chole with every bite of bhature. The cycle continues till the bhaturas disappear from the plate.

A breakfast during a vacation journey

While traveling by road for a vacation with family, breakfast happens to be one of the most exciting parts especially if you have left home early in the morning. There are 101 suggestions from every family member on where to stop. The daughter prefers McDonald’s not only for its McAloo tikki burger but also its clean washrooms. The son wants his bread-omelet. Mom as usual is in favour of the younger son. Finally, dad decides on a joint that serves both Indian as well as continental dishes. The outlet has a huge complex just on the highway with huge parking space and clean washrooms.

The waiter makes you sit at a table of four and places the menu card. Dad selects the number 1 item on the menu card – Chole bhature. Seeing the tempting picture of two oversized bhature served with an overload of chole, the daughter has a change of heart. She settles for a plate of chole bhature instead of a desi hamburger. The son is confused and finally drops the idea of a bread omelet. Instead, he settles for chole bhature. Few will call this behavior herd mentality but confused souls tend to follow the herd. The job of waiter becomes much easier – three plates of chole bhature and one Idli-sambar for the lady of the house.

The guilt-concious dad

The dad persuades mom to try a plate of chole bhature as the restaurant serves fresh bhaturas. But mom sticks to her idli-sambar saying she wants to have a light breakfast and a chole bhature will be too heavy for her. The problem of those who love chole bhature is that they are always surrounded by people who will make them feel guilty about having such a high calorie-laden dish early in the morning.

This family is none other than the author’s family. There are times when the author becomes the butt of a joke in social gatherings because of his weakness for chole bhature.`

So for this Sunday breakfast do visit a joint that serves hot bhaturas with some spicy chole. I am sure it will pep up your taste buds.

You can enjoy reading more such stories on my blog. Click on the following link:

Dal aur Chawal is an all time favourite combination of any foodie

The Tea accompaniments and the romance with the tea

If you want to learn how to make chola bhatura then click on the following link:

https://www.easycookingwithmolly.com/