The Curious Case of Chole Bhature

The story of a culinary survivor from the turmoil during the Partition of India, that still dominates the streets of Delhi.

Chole Bhature; Image: CN Traveller

In 1947, the Radcliffe line was drawn up, separating the South Asian subcontinent into two countries, India and Pakistan. Some fit their entire lives into small briefcases, but many came with nothing. Despite this tumult, a few curiosities defied the imperial boundaries; be it old memories, documents, loose change in one’s pocket, or in the case of one Punjabi gentleman — a recipe.

Peshori Lal Lamba was one of many people who left Lahore and came to India during the Partition. Here, he opened Kwality restaurant in Connaught Place and made many colonial favourites — au gratin, puddings, and mulligatawny soup. None, however, had the pull that Chole Bhature, a new dish that paired spicy chana and fluffy deep-fried puris, seemed to have.

Other accounts claim that it wasn’t Lamba, but Sita Ram, another refugee from West Punjab, who introduced Old Delhi to its long-standing street snack. After arriving in Delhi, it is said that Sita Ram, and his son Diwan Chand, sold the ‘first plate’ of chole bhature for a sum of 12 annas out of a humble push cart with a side of aloo sabzi.

Regardless of where it came from, these fluffy golden bhatura and their distinctively Punjabi flair cast a culinary spell over Old Delhi. Whether paired with refreshing onions, mint chutney, or a glass of lassi, chole bhature continued to seize Delhi’s hearts throughout the twentieth century. Come winter, this historic dish can be spotted everywhere today — from vendors preparing the snack in its labyrinthine lanes to high-end fine dining establishments.

Eventually, the dish spread to other parts of India, as far as the South, and is now a mainstay even at many regional Udupi restaurants. In fact, when the ‘Festival of India’ took place in the USSR in 1987, where Gorbachev and Rajiv Gandhi famously sat side-by-side, chole bhature was one of the many specialities shipped for at its kiosks that sold out as quickly as they came. In India, Peshori Lal’s Kwality restaurant in Connaught Place still continues to serve the same chole bhature they are famous for. Other than a temporary closure during the proclamation of the Emergency in India in 1976, the iconic eatery has continued selling its culinary fare. Sitaram’s legacy, too, has continued with his grandson Pran Nath Kohli, who is now the third-generation owner of Diwan Chand Pran Nath. Looking back on the push cart days of his family business, he nostalgically recalls how his father and grandfather would wander through the Paharganj area and sell chole bhature to traders and residents.

"Today, we sell 1 full plate for INR 55 which contains 2 bhaturas, salad, pickle along with a bowl of chola," says Prem Nath, adding that they have even served celebrities and famous personalities who are unable to personally visit the eatery. Their secret throughout all these years, he believes, is maintaining the same original taste of chole bhature.

It’s likely many other migrants like Peshori Lal and Sitaram also ran similar businesses post-partition, with their own unique take on the recipe. However, the lack of archives means such stories might be lost to us. But through the ones we do have, like that of Peshori Lal and Sitaram, we can catch a glimpse of the intriguing past of chole bhature and the world it emerged and gained popularity in.