Family Favorite Chickpea Curry With Bhatura Bread Recipes

Steps:

• Pulse 3 chopped tomatoes, the shallots, ginger, jalapeno, curry powder and 1 teaspoon salt in a food processor until smooth. Heat the vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add the tomato mixture and cook, stirring often, until darkened and paste-like, 10 to 12 minutes (add water as needed if the mixture is sticking).
• Add 2 1/2 cups water to the pot and bring to a simmer. Add the chickpeas and cook, stirring often, until the sauce thickens slightly, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Stir in the chicken, okra and cilantro. Cook, stirring gently, until the okra is crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Divide among bowls and top with yogurt, more cilantro and the remaining chopped tomato. Serve with naan.

Steps:

• TO MAKE THE CHICKPEA CURRY: In a large dutch oven or other large cooking vessel, preferably with a thick bottom, put the 5 Table. oil and the two diced onions. Stir-fry until the onions are medium brown.
• Add the serrano chilies and the minced ginger and cook for 1 minute.
• Add the 3 diced tomatoes and cook for 2 more minutes.
• Add the ground coriander, ground cumin, cayenne powder, tamarind concentrate (or you could add lemon juice when the curry is done cooking), garam masala, black pepper, sugar, turmeric, cinnamon, bay leaves and salt. Cook for 2 more minutes. [I usually get these spices ready in a small bowl before cooking, so that they just need to be dumped in at this time.].
• Add the 3 cans of chickpeas and the water, and cook until the tomatoes are well cooked and you have reached the desired thickness. Add more water if necessary. At the end of the cooking time, do a taste test to make sure that the curry has enough salt and that the curry has enough of a sour taste. If you are worried about the heat level, add less of the serrano chilies and the cayenne, you can always add more spice at the end if the curry needs it.
• TO MAKE THE BHATURA BREAD: Take the 3 dry yeast packets (each packet should be .25 oz or sometimes labeled 1/4 oz. each) and put them into a medium-size bowl. Add the 1/2 cup lukewarm water. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl put the six cups of all-purpose flour (or use maida), the 6 Tablespoons oil, 1 Tablespoon sugar, and 2 teaspoons salt. Mix well.
• Add the 2 cups plain yogurt (this is not runny yogurt but the thick kind that you buy at American grocery stores. Blend.
• Once the yeast is bubbly (if it isn't bubbly, the yeast may have gotten old or your water was too hot and you killed the yeast so you will have to redo it.), stir the yeast into the flour/yogurt mixture. Knead until elastic. Add more yogurt or flour as needed until the dough is not too wet nor too dry.
• Set the dough aside for 4-5 hours to raise.
• When ready to make, roll out dough pieces into a very large poori shape, and deep fry. Drain on paper towels.
• Be sure that you deep fry these bhatura bread pieces in a dutch oven so that the bread has plenty of room to balloon up when fried.
• This is excellent served with a raita or seasoned yogurt on the side.
• Cooking time is for the chickpea curry only.

Steps:

• Mix the flour, fenugreek and a pinch of salt in a large mixing bowl. Slowly add the milk until it comes together, then tip onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until you have a soft, pliable dough. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and set aside to rest for at least 2 hrs or overnight in the fridge.
• Meanwhile, strain the tea and discard the leaves. Tip in the chickpeas and leave to infuse for at least 1 hr.
• Melt the ghee in a large saucepan, then add the onions and cumin seeds. Fry over a low heat for 20 mins or until the onions are caramelised. Add the black cardamom and fry again briefly, then add the ginger, garlic and chillies, and cook until fragrant. Add the cinnamon, fenugreek, coriander, ginger, chilli and anardana (if using), and fry for 1 min.
• Tip in the tomatoes and tomato purée, and cook again until the tomatoes have broken down, about 20 mins. Add the turmeric and chickpeas along with the brewed tea. Sprinkle in the kala namak, pepper and a pinch of sea salt. Let it come to the boil, then turn down the heat to low and leave to simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 mins. Add more water if you would like the curry to be looser.
• Fill a large pan a third full with sunflower oil. Heat to 180C on a thermometer or until a cube of bread sizzles immediately when lowered in and browns within 30 seconds. Take golf ball-sized chunks of dough, roll into balls, then flatten and roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface until you have a saucer-sized disc, about ½cm thick. Gently lower into the hot oil with a slotted spoon and let it rise to the surface - it should puff up. Fry for 1-2 mins until golden, then drain on kitchen paper. Serve with the channa, red onion, a little yogurt and a sprinkling of coriander.

Steps:

• Sift the flour, salt and baking soda into a large bowl; beat the egg and add it to the flour with the sugar, yogurt and water.
• Mix to a fairly soft dough, adding more water if necessary.
• Add the ghee and knead the dough until it is smooth and pliable; put it back in the bowl, cover with a damp cloth and put in a warm place for about 4 hours to rise.
• Knead the dough again and divide into ten balls; roll out each one on a greased board to a circle about 4 inches in diameter.
• Heat the oil in a deep frying pan or wok and fry the bhaturas, one at a time turning them so that they tur that they turn pale golden on both sides; drain on paper towels and keep warm while you fry the remainder.
• Note: This cookbook has a picture included of the bhaturas frying in a large deep frying pan that seems to contradict the instruction to fry one at a time.
• In the picture all ten are frying at once.
• My guess is that the instruction is meerly to make sure you have enough room to be able to turn them over and brown the other side.
• The 5 hours prep time includes the 4 hours rising, and the 30 minutes cooking time is an approximation that will depend on how many you try frying at a time and how quickly they brown.