Chole bhature

 

Bhature

This is my mom's recipe and it is truly the best! I've tried so many recipes but none has come out as good and as reliably as this! Everyone in my family, including the kids, simply love it!

Ingredients:

• 2.5 cups maida (all purpose flour)
• 0.5 cups sooji (semolina)
• pinch of sugar
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp eno
• Salt to taste
• Water as needed

Method:

Prepare the dough

1. Mix all the ingredients except water. 
2. Knead using water into a soft dough. 
3. Keep aside for 2-4 hours.

Make the bhaturas

1. Heat oil in a deep pan (kadai) at medium high heat.
2. Make small balls of the dough.
3. Roll each ball into circles (roughly 1/4 inch thick).
4. Fry each circle into a bhatura.
5. Note: the oil should be hot enough that when you put the circle into the oil it should puff up in a few seconds.

Chole

We tried Amritsari Chole and have been in love with them since! I use the recipe from here with some tweaks. These tweaks are to save time and to reduce the spiciness for the kids.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Chickpeas (soaked in water overnight)
• Whole spices:
• 2 tea bags
• 3-4 bay leaves
• 3 inch cinnamon stick
• 3-4 cloves
• Ground spices (if you need exact quantities refer to the recipe, I use quantity per the spiciness I need)
• Chilli powder
• Turmeric powder
• Coriander powder
• Garam Masala
• Amchur
• Cumin powder
• Kala Namak
• Hing
• Kasuri Methi
• 1 Onion, pureed (I've used chopped when I don't have time to puree it)
• 1/2 can tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp garlic, minced or finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp ginger, finely chopped
• 4 tsp oil
• To add extra heat
• Sliced chillies
• Garam masala
• Chilli powder

Method

1. Boil the chickpeas with 3-4 cups of water in a pressure cooker with the tea bags and the whole spices. When in a hurry, I skip the tea bags and the whole spices.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add onion. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add ginger and garlic. Continue sautéing till the raw smell of onion and garlic goes away.
4. Now add tomato paste. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add chickpeas.
1. To make true Amritsar style, drain and reserve the water from the chickpeas. However when in a hurry I just add all of it.
6. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes.
7. If you did not add water then add water now depending on the consistency you need.
8. To make it spicier:
1. Heat oil, add sliced chilies. Fry them.
2. Then add garam masala and red chili powder.
3. Pour this over the whole before serving.

The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo

 Author: Taylor Jenkin Reid

This is a very engrossing and entertaining book! It was also eye opening for me with respect to so many topics - Hollywood and how women were treated back in the day. 

As the title suggests, it is about Evelyn Hugo an award winning movie star. She was not always "Evelyn". Her beginnings were very humble when she aspired to get out of the "Hell's Kitchen" some day. She was so determined to do that, that she was willing to do whatever it took to get out of there. From a very young age, she was so beautiful - in face and body - that heads turned wherever she went. This she used to her advantage and one day landed in Hollywood. Soon she was acting in a movie and another and another. They didn't come easily - she had to appease people to get her roles. She was also very smart - she soon figured out how to get publicity, where are the right places to be in, who are the right people to be with so that she could keep climbing up the ladder. And that she did with all her smarts and beauty! She was like the Midas touch and people went to watch movies because she starred in them.

After she has aged and her career has come to an end (but not her stature), she decides she wants her biography written. For that she asks for Monique Grant from the magazine Vivant. Everybody, including Monique, is surprised on the choice of author. Monique is always curious why Evelyn chose her and often asks her directly. She is told that she will soon find out. As Evelyn unfolds her untold story, Monique learns some about life. How one needs to ask for they want and appear strong. She is actually able to use that for her benefit. And then the day comes where she finds out why she was chosen and some other saddening truths. 

As you read through the chapters, you're always wondering what'll happen next.