Bhatura — Leavened Fried Bread Technique (भटूरा)

Punjab — the chole bhature combination is specifically associated with Amritsar and Delhi's Punjabi refugee community post-1947

Bhatura is the leavened fried bread of Punjabi cuisine — a puffy, slightly chewy, golden oval bread that accompanies chole. The distinction from puri (its unleavened cousin) is the addition of yoghurt and a leavening agent (yeast or baking powder with baking soda) to the dough, which gives a softer interior and a more complex flavour. The dough requires resting for 1–2 hours after kneading to allow the gluten to relax and the leavening to activate — a rushed bhatura is tough and doesn't puff. The deep-frying technique is identical to puri: oil at 180°C, the bread submerged and pressed with a slotted spoon on entry to create the initial steam puff.

• The leavened-fried-bread technique parallels the Turkish bazlama and the Uighur naan in using yoghurt-and-yeast dough for soft-interior fried bread.

Always with chole (Punjabi chickpea curry), raw onion, and green chutney. The pairing is so established that ordering one without the other is considered incomplete.