Halwa Puri Breakfast with Spiced Chole

⏱ 90 min · Serves 4

A beloved Pakistani Sunday morning ritual — fluffy deep-fried puris served alongside silky semolina halwa and a boldly spiced chickpea chole. This is the kind of breakfast that turns a lazy morning into a celebration, filling your kitchen with the warm aromas of cardamom, cumin, and ghee.

Per serving: 920 kcal · 22.0g protein · 118.0g carbs · 42.0g fat

Ingredients

• For the Puri Dough: 2 cups (250g) plain flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
• 2 tbsp ghee or oil
• Water as needed (approx 3/4 cup) to make a firm dough
• Oil for deep frying
• For the Semolina Halwa: 1 cup (170g) coarse semolina (suji)
• 1/2 cup (115g) ghee
• 1 cup (200g) sugar
• 2.5 cups (600ml) water
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
• 10 strands saffron soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk
• 2 tbsp slivered almonds
• 2 tbsp pistachios chopped
• For the Chole: 2 x 400g tins chickpeas drained and rinsed
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 large onion finely chopped
• 2 tomatoes finely chopped
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp amchur (dried mango powder)
• Salt to taste
• Fresh coriander to garnish
• 1 green chilli sliced

Method

1. Make the puri dough: Mix flour, salt, ajwain and ghee in a bowl. Add water gradually and knead into a firm, smooth dough. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
2. Make the halwa: Heat ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add semolina and roast, stirring constantly, for 10–12 minutes until golden and fragrant. Meanwhile bring water and sugar to a simmer in a separate pan until sugar dissolves.
3. Carefully pour the hot sugar water into the roasted semolina — it will splutter so stand back. Stir vigorously over low heat until the mixture thickens and leaves the sides of the pan, about 5 minutes. Stir in cardamom and saffron milk. Top with nuts and keep warm.
4. Make the chole: Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add onion and fry until deep golden, about 8 minutes. Add ginger-garlic paste and cook 2 minutes.
5. Add tomatoes and all the dry spices except garam masala. Cook until the oil separates, about 8 minutes. Add chickpeas and 1/2 cup water. Simmer 10 minutes, lightly mashing some chickpeas to thicken the gravy. Stir in garam masala and amchur. Adjust salt.
6. Fry the puris: Divide dough into 16 equal balls. Roll each into a 12cm circle, not too thin. Heat oil in a deep pan to 180°C. Fry puris one at a time, pressing gently with a slotted spoon so they puff up, about 30 seconds per side until golden. Drain on paper towels.
7. Serve immediately: arrange puris on a plate with a bowl of warm halwa and a generous scoop of chole. Garnish chole with fresh coriander and sliced green chilli.