07/21/2021
Channa Bhatura like a pro!
Bhatura:
If you time make the dough using baking sofa, if not yeast is fine. Adding Semolina will make it crispy and the oil and yogurt soft and pillowy. Cover and let it rise in a warm spot.
Channa Masala
1. Sauté onions, ginger and garlic with cumin and whole coriander or powder form. Sautéed on med heat.
2. Use chick peas soaked overnight or used any can chickpeas. We use P.C. Organic chickpeas which are smaller in size. I like to strain and use fresh water, bay leaves and a tea and boil it until soft. Don’t want caffeine? You can creat me a bag of whole spices such as cinnamon stick, while coriander, whole cumin, whole peppercorn and cardamom. Stick the spices in a cheesecloth and drop it with the chick peas and boil on med till chick peas are soft.
3. Add your salt, tumeric, green or red chilies, Batam masala or pre mixtures like Kitchen King or Achari Mix give it a slight spice and tartness.
4. Once onions are cooked down and starting to caramelize, use a good quality puréed tomato sauce or if nothing I had, tomato paste. Let it cook down and come together. Then add the chick peas from the pot, stir and cover. Let that cook and use that cooked water to add water in the chickpeas, mash some of the chickpeas with the back of spoon or ladle, that will thicken the sauce. At our house we like Raas Misi Channa which translates to cooked together ans thick and saucy. Cover and cook it and once ready and dry Fenugreek leaves if you have and/or fresh coriander leaves.
3. The bathura dough is ready to form balls, roll out with a rolling pin and fried. Makes sure to press down the sides as it fries to make is expand into a ball.
Accompany with onions, chutney. salad, yogurt and you have an authentic North Indian favourite.