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The cuisine of Jammu is criminally underrated, what people do not realise is that it is fairly distinct from the typical Kashmiri or Ladakhi fare. Being from Delhi, we are used to taking multiple trips to Vaishno Devo Temple, and before the direct train to Katra was introduced, travelers like us had to stop by at Jammu Tawi. Tawi is a river along the banks of which the city of Jammu was built. The ancient city has seen many rulers, but one of its golden eras was during the reign of Dogra dynasty. The founder of the dynasty, Gulab Singh was the son of Kishore Singh Jamwal, who once served in the army of King Ranjit Singh of the Sikh empire. Jammu has thus had a very close and historical association with Punjab, the strong Punjabi influence is even reflected in the cuisine of the city. From buttery parathas to chole bhature and Lassi, I have had it all in Jammu, however, alongside I have also stumbled upon many unique offerings, such as Kalari Kulcha, which is kulcha stuffed with local, creamy cheese called Kalari, also called the ‘Mozzarella of Jammu’. Other interesting delicacies you may find in Jammu are Dry Fruits Naan or Naan embellished with dry fruits and tutti-fruity, Kachalu Kulcha or Kulcha stuffed with dry and saucy arbi chaat and Bun Chole.
For Bun Chole, white chickpeas are boiled until soft. They are then tossed with chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, tamarind pulp, cumin powder, chopped green chillies, salt, red chilli powder, garam masala, lemon juice, anardana chutney, chopped coriander leaves. Everything is well-combined in one thick and mushy mixture. If you are making it at home, there is no need to add any water here, and the soaked chickpeas will be oozing some amount of water, which will make the mixing easy, besides, the whole idea is to keep the mix dry and light to be stuffed inside toasted buns. It is a good idea to grease the pan with butter when you are toasting your buns, for the extra kick of indulgence.
An excellent brunch recipe, bun chole is all things eclectic which make it a hit across ages. So when are you making it at home?
