Bhatura

Bhatura is a fluffy fried bread from the food loving states of Northern India! It is one of the most favorite mouth watering dishes in the country. It is eaten mostly with chickpea, curry or chole. When it is accompanied with chole, the preparation is called chole bhature. It can be enjoyed as an evening snack or even as an appetizer. It is recognized in all the Indian states as one of the most conventional Indian dishes.

Ingredients for the preparation of 12 servings of Bhatura are given below:

·         500 grams of refined flour or Maida

·         1 teaspoon of baking powder

·         ½ cup of yogurt

·         3 medium sized sweet potato, boiled and mashed

·         2 tablespoons of milk

·         Salt to taste

·         Oil for deep frying

Procedure for preparation:

·         Add refined flour, baking powder, whisked yogurt, sweet potatoes, milk, salt and oil in a dish. This is mixed well enough to form a dough. This is set aside for 4 hours.

·         After the dough rises to double its initial size, it is divided into equal portions of small balls. Each ball is rolled into small discs sized round shaped structures called puris.

·         The oil is heated in a kadai or deep frying pan and each puri is deep fried, till it becomes golden brown.

·         It is removed onto an absorbent paper to drain out the excess oil.

These deep fried puris are then served with chole. A salad comprising of onion rings and tomato slices gels well with this combined dish. A non fried variant of the same preparation is called the ‘kulcha’. A kulcha is prepared by baking or cooking the puris on a flat pan, along with coriander leaves. It is essentially a part of Punjabi cuisine, but is enjoyed as a specialty by most of India.

Bhatura is a very nutritive preparation in India. It is a rich source of proteins, carbohydrates and fat. Each serving contains 15 grams of proteins, 10% Vitamin A, 17% Vitamin C, 9% calcium and 30% iron. It is a simple preparation with flour and proves to be very nutritious for your health.

It can be consumed by people of all ages, anyone who has a knack for Indian dishes. The oil content should be made as less as possible for people with high cholesterol levels, or with heart issues. In general, this dish is best consumed occasionally, and not regularly, keeping in mind the cholesterol content.