Halwa Puri Cholay is a classic Pakistani breakfast, best saved for the weekend. A combination platter of a savory potato & chickpea curry, sweet semolina pudding, and hot and fresh fried puris!
Halwa Puri Cholay is the classic brunch in Karachi, especially on a Sunday. Whether we were visiting for a few days or a longer trip, this brunch was an essential part of the trip.
It was, in fact, often the first meal of any trip to Karachi. This meant we’d land in the wee hours, drop off our bags, and gather to meet our aunts/uncles and cousins at the closest favorite spot for Halwa Puri.
Halwa Puri is a classic Sunday brunch! It is a must every time we visit Karachi, especially on Sunday mornings.
A classic Halwa Puri breakfast has 3 components:
- Sooji Halwa – a sweet semolina pudding
- Puri – classic deep fried bread
- Aloo Cholay – A savory, tangy curry made with potatoes and chickpeas
Typically all the components are served family-style on the table, while everyone gathers to eat. The puris are served hot, freshly fried, and there is always a cup of tea close by!
If you’re looking for other classic Pakistani breakfast options, you might also like:
- Daal Puri: Crispy Flatbread with Lentil Stuffing
- Masala Roti: Easy Soft & Spicy Flatbread
- Aloo Paratha: Potato Stuffed Flatbread
Halwa Puri Breakfast
Suji Halwa
This is a sweet pudding made with semolina, sugar, water and a little cardamom.
Ingredients
- Semolina – or suji – is roasted as the base of this pudding
- Ghee / Butter – The semolina is roasted in ghee or oil. Ghee is traditionally used but a little butter can be used instead as well.
Tips
- This pudding is sweet, but you can adjust the sugar to your liking. Start with 1/2 cup for the recipe below, and increase the amount if you prefer a sweeter pudding
- The longer the semolina/suji is roasted, the less sticky the pudding. Adjust to your preference.
Puri
Puri is a classic deep fried flatbread. The Puris must be served hot and fresh for this classic breakfast!
Ingredients
- Flour – All-purpose flour or roti atta both work for the recipe below. All-purpose flour will give you a slightly chewier puri.
- Water – use lukewarm water when making the dough for the best results.
Tips
- When making the dough, add in lukewarm water, just a bit at a time to form the dough. Your dough should not be sticky.
- Rest the dough for at least 15-20 minutes (or even the night before)
- For soft puris, make sure that the oil is hot before frying the puri so that the puri puffs up!
Aloo Cholay
The Aloo Cholay is a savory curry made with potatoes and chickpeas. A classic Aloo Cholay served at breakfast is a slightly spicy, tangy curry.
Ingredients
- Potatoes – Any type of potatoes will work with this recipe. Typically, white or yellow potatoes are used. The time it takes to cook will depend on the type of potatoes.
- Chickpeas – Using canned chickpeas makes this recipe quicker. You can also leave out the chickpeas if you prefer a potato curry.
- Spices – there is a long list of spices, but they each have a function in this recipe for that classic tangy taste.
Tips
- Grind the whole spices using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. You want the spices to be crushed, not ground to a fine powder.
- Make sure to cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces.
- Once the curry is ready, use a fork to mash some of the potatoes to make a thicker, textured gravy.
Tips for Halwa Puri Cholay breakfast
- You can prepare some of the components of this Halwa Puri Cholay in advance.
- The Suji Halwa (Semolina Pudding)can be made the night before and reheated when ready to eat.
- The Aloo Cholay (potato chickpea curry) can also be made ahead of time. You can leave out the chickpeas if you prefer only the potatoes.
- You can also make the dough for the puri ahead of time or even the night before.
- The puris, however, should be fried and served fresh, right before eating!
- Serve this classic breakfast with a hot cup of chai (tea).
If you give this recipe a try, we’d love to see it! Tag us on Instagram @thespicemess
Halwa Puri Cholay
Ingredients
Suji Halwa
- 1 cup Suji/ semolina
- 2 tablespoons Butter or ghee
- ½-¾ cup Sugar
- 1-2 drops orange food color optional
- 1-½ cups Water
- ½-1 teaspoon Green Cardamom powder
- slivered almonds optional, for garnish
Puri
- 1 cup roti atta or all-purpose flour
- ½ cup lukewarm water
- 1-2 tablespoons neutral oil plus more to fry
- Salt to taste
Aloo Cholay
- 2 Potatoes, large
- 1 cup chickpeas from a can, or cooked
- Salt as per taste
- 1-2 Green chili chopped, optional
- 1 Tomato chopped
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
Spices for Aloo Cholay
- 1 teaspoon Coriander seeds
- ¼-½ teaspoon Red chili flakes
- ¼ teaspoon Fennel seeds
- ¼ teaspoon Ajwain /Carom seeds
- 2-4 Black pepper whole
- 2 Cloves
- ¼ teaspoon Cumin
- ¼ teaspoon Fenugreek seeds
- ¼ teaspoon Fenugreek dried leaves
- ¼ teaspoon Mustard seeds optional
- ¼ teaspoon Garlic powder
- ¼- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon Kalonji Nigella Seeds – leave whole.
- 1 teaspoon Mango powder
Instructions
Sooji Halwa
- In a pot add butter/ ghee along with the semolina. Sauté the semolina (suji) for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the sugar, water, and cardamom powder and mix together. Add orange food color, if using.
- Mix well, and cook covered for 10 – 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed completely.
- Garnish with slivered almonds, if using.
Puri
- In a large bowl, add flour, salt and 1-2 tablespoons of oil. Mix well, then slowly add some lukewarm water, starting with a 1/4 cup, and adding a few tablespoons at a time (up to 1/2 cup), until a dough forms.
- Cover with a dish towel and set aside for at least 20 minutes.
- When ready to make the puri, knead the dough for a few minutes. Then divide it into 5-6 equal-sized portions.
- Take one at a time and use a rolling pin spread out in a circle.
- Heat oil on medium heat, in a large frying pan with a rounded bottom (like a wok) or a deep pot.
- Test if oil is hot by adding a little piece of dough. If it bubbles and floats to the top the oil is ready.
- Once the oil is hot, add the rolled puri into the oil, and immerse it into the hot oil to deep fry. The oil must be hot for the puri to puff, else your puri may be hard.
- Once the puri puffs up, turn and fry for another 10 seconds until golden brown.
- Remove and strain using a slotted spoon or strainer to drip off the excess oil.
- Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain off any excess oil.
- Serve immediately.
Aloo Cholay
- Grind together the whole spices using a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle. You want the spices to be crushed, not ground to a fine powder.Then, add in the ground spices – garlic powder, turmeric powder, and amchur/mango powder.
- Wash and cut potatoes into 1-inch or bite-sized cubes.
- In a medium pot, add together, (1 cup) of water, potatoes, along with chickpeas and tomato (if using). Then add in the spice blend.
- Cook for 15 minutes until potatoes are tender.
- Once cooked add in 2 tablespoons of oil, and mash some of the potatoes to make a thicker gravy.