Rice, breads and breakfast
by Deepti Sareen
(a leavened fried bread made of fermented white flour)
Bhatura is another quintessential punjabi bread version meant to accompany some typical Punjabi dishes like Pindi Chana, Chikkad chhole etc (in its plain form). It has other avatars in form of stuffed versions & even seasoned varieties which can be enjoyed with pickles & raitas…
We take up the plain version here.
Mix thoroughly the flour, salt, sugar & the eno powder.
Add the yoghurt and mix thoroughly. Add oil and knead well into a soft dough. Add a little water if needed.
Keep the dough ball in a covered, greased pot for 3-4 hours, to allow it to season well.
To fry cook the bhaturas, take a small kadahi, and heat some oil to the required temperature. Test the oil for appropriate temperature by putting a very small ball of the dough in it. If it rises immediately, the oil is hot enough to start frying the bhaturas.
Take a small ball of the dough, shape it with oiled hands, roll with a rolling pin and slide it in the hot oil.
Keep a slight pressure on the bhatura to keep it submerged in the oil. When adequately browned from the lower side, flip it over for a short fry. Take out with a slatted spoon (jhara).
Serve hot.
Actually once the oil is hot, it doesn’t take long at all for the bhaturas to cook, and one can easily cater to a table of six with this method.
