Come Sunday, most of the North Indians prep for a lazy Sunday brunch. Now, depending on your taste and preferences, the choices might differ but there is an undying love for chole bhature across these states. Chole bhature is a heavy and filling breakfast or brunch dish that usually enjoyed on relaxing days. The fascination of Indians with deep-fried food is no stranger to us. We love having samosas, kachoris and pooris for breakfast or evening snacks. Surely, they are loaded with fats but who counts the calories when there is so much taste to devour.
Up in the hills too, we’ve found a similar tinkling for bhatura or rather bhatura’s pahadi cousin. Known by a plethora of names in the region, ranging from babru to bedwan and baturu, we’ll stick to the first one for now. Now, although we’ve said that the babru bears resemblance to the bhatura, it isn’t exactly the same. The latter is made from all-purpose flour dough that has been fermented to give it a stretchy texture and is deep-fried in hot oil after that while the babru is a cross between a poori and a bhatura. The dough is stuffed with black gram or urad dal and then fried until golden brown.
The crispy and crunchy texture of the babru is what makes it an ideal breakfast choice in the hills. Another point of similarity lies in the side dish that is served with the babru. Usually, bhaturas are paired with chole or chana and therefore, the name chole bhature has become inseparable. Akin to this match made in heaven, the babru is paired with something called madra. For those untouched by the phenomenon, madra is a mix of a variety of legumes that are cooked in a curd-based curry. These include kidney beans or rajma, chickpeas and black-eyed beans or lobia.
A nutrient-rich preparation of madra goes really well with babru and honestly, we aren’t even contemplating about it. It has to be delicious because it is chole bhature’s cousin after all. In case you’re not a fan of this savoury combination, babru has a sweeter side too. For the sweet version, babru is stuffed with some soaked urad dal as usual. To this, small amounts of jaggery syrup is added and then it is deep-fried. So which version do you like better?
Here’s a recipe of babru and chana madra that will surely up your breakfast game this weekend.
