Halwa Puri with Chana
Pakistani halwa puri with chana: puffed fried bread, semolina halwa and a spiced chickpea curry. A full weekend breakfast plate, with the method for each part.
- prep
- 9 h
- cook
- 1 h 40 min
- total
- 10 h 40 min
- serves
- 4
- level
- medium
Halwa puri with chana is a weekend breakfast in Pakistan, and especially famous in Lahore. Puffy deep-fried puri, a sweet semolina halwa cooked in ghee and a spiced chickpea curry (chana) come on one plate, and you alternate between sweet, salty and fried as you eat.
It looks like three recipes because it is. Stagger them: make the chickpeas first, since they improve as they sit, the halwa while the dough rests, and the puri last, because they must be fried and eaten within minutes. Puri puff when the dough is stiff, rolled evenly, and fried in oil that is hot enough, 190°C (375°F). Soft dough or cooler oil gives flat, oily puri.
Halwa Puri with Chana is one of the best breakfasts from around the world.
method
Drain the soaked chickpeas, cover with fresh water by 5 cm (2 inches), add 1/2 teaspoon salt, and boil, then simmer for 50 to 60 minutes (or 15 to 20 minutes in a pressure cooker) until completely soft. A black tea bag in the pot gives a darker color; remove it when done. Reserve 300 ml of the cooking liquid and drain the rest.
For the puri dough, mix the flour, 25 g of the semolina and 1 teaspoon of salt, rub in 2 tablespoons of oil, then add about 140 ml of warm water a little at a time. Knead for 8 minutes into a stiff, smooth dough, stiffer than roti dough. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
For the chana, heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a wide pot over medium heat and cook the onion for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown. Stir in the ginger-garlic paste for 1 minute, then the tomatoes and cook 6 to 8 minutes until they break down and oil separates. Add the coriander, cumin, chili powder, turmeric and 1 teaspoon of salt, cook 1 minute, then add the chickpeas and reserved liquid. Simmer 15 minutes, mashing a few chickpeas against the pot to thicken. Stir in the garam masala and cilantro.
For the halwa, heat 450 ml of water with the sugar and cardamom until the sugar dissolves, and keep it hot (stir in a pinch of orange food coloring here if you want the bright stall color). In a heavy wide pan melt the ghee over medium-low heat, add 150 g semolina, and stir constantly for 8 to 10 minutes until golden and nutty. Standing back, since it spatters, pour in the hot syrup, stir, and cook 3 to 5 minutes until it is absorbed and the halwa pulls away from the pan. Top with the almonds and cover to keep warm.
Divide the puri dough into 12 balls (about 35 g each) and keep them covered. Rub each lightly with oil and roll into a 12 cm (5-inch) round, about 2 mm thick and even, with no dry flour. Heat 750 ml of oil in a kadai or deep pot to 190°C (375°F).
Slide in one puri and gently press it with the back of a slotted spoon so it puffs. Fry 20 to 30 seconds, flip, and fry 20 seconds more until pale golden. Drain on a rack. Fry the rest, 2 or 3 at a time, and serve at once with the chana and halwa.
chef's tips
- Stiff dough and an even roll are the whole secret to puffing: thin spots do not puff, and soft dough soaks up oil. If a puri browns in under 10 seconds the oil is too hot; if it sinks and sits, too cool.
- Hot oil safety: dry each puri before it goes in, lower it in carefully, and never leave the pot unattended.
- The chana and halwa can be made a day ahead. Reheat the chana with a splash of water and the halwa in a pan over low heat.