Reza Mahammad on chapatis: ‘The chapati suffers from an identity crisis. So often it’s treated as an afterthought, but it is as much a part of the diet as any other bread in the West. It’s great for dipping in dals and raitas and for mopping up thick, rich sauces. It makes a good replacement if you’re not in the mood for rice. As a child, I’d fulfil my Enid Blyton fantasies by having a chapati with lashings of butter and sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. But while she wrote about The Famous Five, my four siblings and I were The Infamous Five. Sadly we didn’t have a dog, so we made do with an elephant who was rubbish at fetching sticks.’
This is a very easy way of preparing chapatis. The dough mixture can be made in advance and refrigerated. It will keep for two to three days. Make sure that the dough is wrapped properly in cling film or inside a plastic food bag.
Makes 10-12
Ingredients
- 425g chapathi flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 230ml hot water
- 1 tbsp vegetable or corn oil
Method
Put the flour and salt in a bowl. Using the handle of a wooden spoon to avoid burnt fingers, make a well in the flour and gradually add the boiling water while stirring to incorporate the flour. Don’t panic as the dough gets lumpy, you are on your way to making a successful mixture.
Gather the mixture together with your hands and knead until pliable, adding the oil as you go along. This helps speed up the process, binding the mixture and giving it a smooth texture.
Allow the mixture to cool for half an hour.
Now take a palm full of dough and roll it into balls the size of a lime. Approximately ten to twelve balls can be produced from the quantity given.
Roll out each ball into a disc approximately 18 cm in diameter. Dry fry on a hot griddle (not ridged) or frying pan. Lower heat to medium to allow the chapati to cook through. When the colour of the bread changes, flip it over to cook the other side. At this point it will bubble and puff out. Now take a spatula and gently, starting at the edges, press the chapati back down onto the pan to make sure the bottom cooks through. Both sides should have little brown spots.
