CHAPATI - Indian Cooking Recipe

CHAPATI

This is the most popular of Indian breads, It is nourishing and healthy as, unlike some other breads, it is eaten immediately it is ready and should always be freshly made . It is not fermented and is very quick to make . It can be made from 75% wholemeal wheat flour and is dry-roasted on a flat pan, or griddle . It is normally rolled thinner than any other bread and is easily digested .

Ingredients 

75% wholemeal wheat flour

any kind of oil or ghee

water, salt

Method

1. Put the flour in a small bowl and add a little oil . Mix well and add a little water to make a medium dough, Knead lightly with slightly oiled hands .

2. Divide the dough into say, golf-ball size pieces ( or break off individual amounts as you work ) and roll out as thinly as possible , taking care to maintain a circular shape .

    ( The small round rolling platform used in India is called ad 'adni' and the rolling pin 'lodhi' (tavo). )

3.Pre-heat a griddle or any flat , heavy pan ( in India this is called a 'tuvar' ) on a medium flam.

4. The Chapati may be awkward to handle because it is so thinly rolled out . The best thing to do is to take it in the flat of the palm and slap it into the hot pan . Leave it to cook untill small bumps appear on its surface ( at this point the chapati is half cooked ) . 

Immediately turn it over . Cook until small golden to dark brown spots appear on its surface .

5. Remove pan from flame  ( or have another burner  going ) and place the chapati directly on to the flame first side ( i.e. the half-cooked side ) down .

6.Chapati should puff up with the heat , turn it quickly for a brief moment on to the other side and then place it on a flat dish or plate and spread with a little melted ghee

( After much practice , the chapati can be turned using the hands, but until that time it is advisable to use a fork or tongs )

Hints

To make a successful chapati takes patience and much practice . If you think the chapati is not cooked properly , it could be that the first side has been turned soon . If it is overdone, or the dough was too hard, the chapati will not rise in the flame and will be hard . ( The best way to learn correct chapati-making is to watch a demonstration by someone who knows )

i) When mixing the wholewheat flour and water, make sure that there is no flour left loose in the bowl and that the sides are completely clean .

ii) After mixing the dough , lightly oil the hands and the whole lump of ready dough. This will ensure that when you remove a piece of dough for rolling it will not be sticky in the hand .

iii) Generally , it is good  idea to make your dough half-an-hour before it is required . Do not use very cold or very hot water to make your dough - this will make the dough very sticky . Water should be room temperature .

iv) The chapatis can be stacked one on top of the other on the serving plate .