Chapatis – Indian bread

Ingredients :
For 20 or 24 chapatis:

  • 3 cups of whole wheat flour or flour to roti
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 tablespoon of ghee or oil
  • 1 cup of lukewarm water

Preparation :
Reserve about 1/2 cup of flour for rolling chapatis.

Pour the remaining flour in a large bowl, add salt and oil or ghee. Pour all the water at once, mix and knead 10 minutes until dough is firm enough (more kneaded, the more light will chapatis).

Roll into a ball and cover with a cloth and let stand 1 hour. If the dough restovernight, the chapatis will be very light and crispy.

Divide dough in making the balls the size of a large walnut, flatten each ball on floured plate, giving it a circular shape as thin as a pancake.

Heat a crepe pan or heavy skillet and cook the chapatis.

Place the chapati on the skillet and cook about 1 minute, cook the other side for 1 minute by gently pressing the edges with a spatula, this promotes the formation of air bubbles and make inflate the chapati. Once they are cooked, wrap in a clean cloth to keep warm.

Serve with butter, dry curries or vegetable dishes.

In India the  pieces of chapati are rolled into cones to be used as a spoon to eat the dhal sauce.

Tips : In India, chapatis are cooked on the tawa (iron plate) and it holds any moment directly over the fire, causing them to swell up like balloons. This little get on the gas flame, holding it with pliers.

Anecdote : In 1857, the British watched a strange practice that some believe could be the signal for the outbreak of the Indian Mutiny. A chain was formed, perhaps from Kampur, as follows: each village guard, called chaukidar, preparing chapati ten of which he gave a pair to another chaukidar, reaching five villages, all villages in the valley Ganges and being joined in ten days. Some think that this is the method used to transmit the signal for insurrection. However, all historians do not agree with this interpretation, and for them the chain then keeps all its mystery, and is perhaps originated in a magic act, religious or otherwise which has not yet been discovered.