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Bhatoora (also known as Batoora, Bhatura, Batura, Pathora or Tamil puri) is a fluffy deep-fried leavened bread from the Indian Subcontinent. It's very popular in North India and is usually served in breakfast.

Bhatura is a kind of leavened bread, because we use baking soda to raise it and the deep frying of bhaturas makes them crispy.

Variations include aloo bhatura (bhatura filled with potato) and paneer bhatura (bhatura filled with cottage cheese).

A typical recipe includes white flour (maida), dahi (yogurt), ghee or oil, and either yeast or baking powder. Once kneaded well, the dough is left to rise, and then small balls of it are either hand-rolled or flattened using a rolling pin. Then the bread pieces are deep fried until they puff up into a lightly browned, soft, fluffy bread, which is elastic and chewy.

A non fried variant is the kulcha, which can be baked or cooked on a flat pan and is garnished with coriander leaves. It is cooked from the same dough.

Once my husband and I visited Berlin and we had chale bhature in one of the Indian restaurants, we liked it and after coming back we wanted t have it, we actually missed it a lot, so started making it at home because here we don't get it in restaurants.

It is often eaten with chickpea curry, chole or channe, making the traditional dish chole bhature.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Take all purpose flour/maida, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Mix well and pass it through a sieve. Add yogurt and sugar into it.

• Add water and mix gradually to make a soft dough by light kneading.

• Now add 2 tablespoons of oil into the dough and knead again. Cover the dough with a wet cloth. Keep it aside for an hour. For better results, keep it overnight.

• Divide dough into sixteen equal portions. Roll them into balls. Cover and keep to ferment for around 10 minutes.

• Grease your palms with a little oil and flatten the balls.

• Roll out into five-inch diameter diskettes.

• Heat sufficient oil in a kadai or a pan. When the oil is hot enough, place the rolled bhatooras into it. Deep fry the bhatooras on high heat till light brown. Flip it and fry till the other side also turns light brown.

• Drain on absorbent paper. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.

• Serve hot bhatooras with chole, salad and pickle.