Bhatura Recipe - How to Make Chana Bhatura Recipe - Step by Step

Batura (also spelled as Bhatura, Bhature, Bhatoora, etc) is a childhood favourite. We had a maid called Mary who would make the most amazing Batura – she used to called them Vatura, a standing joke in the house – which amma always complimented with a perfect bowl of Chana Masala. Chana Bhature needs no introduction to any Indian or people familiar with the Indian food. Chana Bhatura gained popularity as a street food in India with many roadside vendors frying up piping hot, large Bhatura served with a katori of Channa Masala, raw minced onions, and a lemon wedge.

I am a bit of a snob when eating out and prefer to not order deep fried mains like Poori and Batura simply because the thought of that large kadai of bubbling oil puts me off. That’s not to say I don’t eat anything deep fried, I most definitely do, but they are hardly my first choice and I prefer to make Bhatura at home.

As mentioned in the Chana Masala Recipe post, when Amma visited last May we made Bhatura at home. I was all excited and then forgot to take pictures of the final dish so decided to make them again. You need to plan ahead a bit for homemade Bhatura but most of it is just waiting time and not active cooking time. I’d say make the Batura dough and soak the chana at the same time and by evening, you can make a hot plate of Chole Bhature. You can also do the waiting overnight and make it for breakfast or brunch – entirely up to you.

Chana Masala and Bhatura

One word of caution – making Bhature is easy but since we are dealing with regular flour or maida here, it tends to get rubbery if the dough is not made properly and your oil heat is not regulated. I have made them twice (apart from with Amma when they obviously turned out perfect) and they got significantly better in the second batch. So do take care to follow the steps and give it enough resting time to get crispy and great-tasting Batura.

This Punjabi chole masala will go as a nice side dish to bhatura as well.

BATURA RECIPE – CHOLE BHATURE RECIPE

Preparation time: 8 hours
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Makes ~ 18 Bhatura
Recipe Source: Amma

Ingredients:

4 cups of maida / regular all-purpose flour
1.5 cups of plain curd / yogurt (not sour)
1 heaping tsp of baking powder
1.4 tsp of soda powder
1/2 tsp of salt
3-4 cups of oil, for deep-frying

How to Make Batura:

Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and soda until combined
Add curd to this little at a time and knead into a soft, smooth, slightly sticky dough. You can add more or less curd as required but don’t add any water to the dough
Keep this dough in the refrigerator covered with cling wrap or a plate for about 6-8 hours
The dough will rise a bit and become more airy. Punch it down, knead lightly and roll into lime-sized balls
Flour the dough balls generously, flatten on your palm, and roll into circles
Heat oil for deep frying just until smoking and add the rolled bhature one by one
Fry until puffed up and golden specks appear on both sides
Drain and set aside. Repeat until all the dough is used up
Serve hot with Chana Masala

Step by Step Pictures to Make Batura

1. Mix the salt, soda, baking powder and flour well with fingertips.