Beef Chole Bhature
Enjoy this meaty twist on a classic Indian street food. It’s meaty, rich and delicious, using a combination of smoky bacon, tender beef, chickpeas and spices paired with a crispy Bhature.
Step by Step Video Instructions
Ingredients
For the Bhature:
- Flour & Semolina: A blend of flours contributes to a more complex flavor.
- Smoked Bacon: Incorporates a smoky flavor directly into the bhature, elevating the overall taste and richness.
- Yogurt: Helps to balance the dough, and its slight acidity reacts with the baking soda, making the dough rise.
- Baking Soda: Acts as a leavening agent, helping the bhature puffs up while it’s cooked.
Channa & Beef Components:
- Beef Shank or Chuck: These cuts are prized for their flavor and texture, becoming exceptionally tender when cooked slowly.
- Beef Stock Cube & Water: Combine to create a flavorful cooking liquid that enriches the beef and channa with depth and savory notes.
- Dried Channa: Soaked overnight to soften, these chickpeas absorb the flavors of the spices and broth, becoming an integral part of the dish.
- Spice Mix: A selected array of whole spices and tea bags that steep into the cooking liquid, infusing the beef and channa with depth and aroma.
For the Channa Masala:
- Duck or Chicken Fat: Adds a layer of luxurious flavor to the masala, enriching the dish with every spoonful.
- Chole Masala: The cornerstone spice blend that gives the channa masala its distinctive, complex flavor profile.
- Tomato Puree: Tomato puree brings acidity and sweetness. You can either use store-bought tomato puree or blend together fresh tomatoes.
Garnishes:
- Ginger & Cilantro: Freshly julienned ginger adds a sharp zest, and cilantro provides a burst of freshness, beautifully contrasting the rich flavors of the masala and bhature.
Expert Tips
Spice Bag: This step is optional however is recommend as you can easily remove the whole spices before serving. If you don’t have a spice bag you can count the whole spices you add and remove them with metal tongs before smashing the chickpeas.
Sauce Thickness: If the beef chole sauce is too thin you can either, let it simmer uncovered for a few more minutes or smash the chickpeas with more. Either way will thicken the sauce.
Frying: To make sure the bhature is golden brown and puffed you should maintain the oil temperature at around 350°F (175°C). To test if the oil is hot enough without a thermometer, drop a small piece of dough into the oil. If it immediately sizzles and rises to the surface, your oil is ready.
Storage and Leftovers
After enjoying your meal, allow any leftovers to cool to room temperature. Then, place the beef chole and bhature separately in airtight containers. The beef chole can be refrigerated for up to 3 day. The Bhature is best consumed fresh but can be stored for 1-2 days.
Reheating Beef Chole: When ready to enjoy again, gently reheat the beef chole on the stove over medium heat, adding a little water if needed to adjust the consistency. Stir occasionally until it’s heated through and bubbling.
Reheating Bhature: Bhature are best enjoyed fresh, but if you have leftovers, reheat them in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for a few minutes until warm.
More Recipes You May Like:
- Beef & Bacon Upma
- Beef Tongue Dal
- Indian Ground Beef Recipe (Kheema Pav)
- Pork Vindaloo (Authentic Indian Recipe)
- Japanese Beef Curry
Beef Chole Bhature
Ingredients
For Bhature:
- 240 g Flour
- 30 g Semolina
- 60 g Yogurt
- ½ tsp Powdered Sugar
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Baking Soda
- ¾ cup Water
- 75 g Smoked Bacon
For Channa & Beef:
- 500 g Beef Shank or Chuck cubed
- 300 g Dried Channa Chickpeas, soaked overnight
- 1 Beef Stock Cube
- 1 cup Water
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 4 Green Cardamom Pods
- 2 Black Cardamom Pods
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- 2 Tea Bags
- ½ tsp Baking Soda
Beef Chole:
- 2 tbsp Duck Fat or Ghee or a netural oil like canelo oil
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 200 g Red Onion diced
- 1 tbsp Ginger chopped
- 1 tbsp Garlic chopped
- 2 Green Chillies sliced
- 5 tbsp Chole Masala
- 1 cup Tomato Puree or fresh tomatoes blended
- 1 tbsp Cilantro chopped
Garnish:
- Ginger julienned
- Cilantro
Instructions
Prepare Bhature Dough:
- Place bacon in a large sauté pan cold, then turn the heat to medium. Cook until the bacon is crispy, allowing it to render fat slowly. Remove the bacon, let it cool, and then chop it into small bits. Reserve the rendered bacon fat.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, semolina, sugar, baking soda, salt, yogurt, 2 tablespoons of the reserved bacon fat, and the crispy bacon bits. Gradually add water while kneading until a smooth dough forms. Cover the dough and let it rest for 1 to 2 hours.
Cook Beef and Channa:
- In an Instant Pot or pressure cooker, heat ghee then brown the beef with a stock cube. Add water, cover, and pressure cook for 25 minutes.
- Wrap bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon, and tea bags in cheesecloth. Add to the pot with soaked channa and its soaking liquid, baking soda, and spice bag then pressure cook for 17 minutes. If there is any beef scum floating on top of the beef broth, remove it with a strainer.
Make Beef Chole:
- In a large deep sauté pan or pot set over medium heat, sauté cumin seeds and onion in a mixture of duck fat and half the remaining reserved bacon fat until the onion turns translucent.
- Stir in ginger, garlic, and green chillies, cooking until they are softened. Add 4 tbsp chole masala and tomato puree, then gently bring the mixture to a simmer.
- Pour in the reserved cooking liquid from the beef. Cover the pan and let everything simmer for about 15 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Add the cooked beef and chickpeas to the pan, cover again, and continue to simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Use the back of a spoon to lightly smash some of the chickpeas to thicken the sauce.
- In a separate pan, heat 1 tbsp of ghee. Add chopped cilantro and 1 tbsp of chole masala, cooking until aromatic. Pour the ghee over the beef and chickpea mixture, stirring well to combine. Season with cilantro.
Prepare Bhature for Frying:
- Divide the rested bhature dough into six equal portions. Shape each portion into a smooth ball and place them on a baking tray. Cover and allow to rest for an additional 15 minutes.
- Drizzle or brush some reserved bacon fat over each dough ball. Using a rolling pin, roll out each ball into a flat disc, approximately 2 to 3 cm thick.
- Heat a deep pot of oil to 350°F (175°C). Carefully fry the bhature in batches, ensuring each one is browned and crispy. Transfer the fried bhature onto a wire rack to drain any excess oil.
Serve:
- Serve the beef chole garnished with cilantro and ginger, served with bhature.
