Making Chapati

Cooking has been a very fulfilling event in my life and also serve as stress therapy. I like the sound of cutting the veggies, keeping the ingredients in order as well as the sizzling sound of chopped onions simmered in our local palm oil.  

There are many dishes I've tried cooking but I will always find myself changing the recipe or prepare a fusion of things. Of course, there are successful attempts as well as failed attempts. Like that time when I was trying to cook Sambal Hitam Pahang, it never end up like how my mother in-law prepared. Fourth attempt was a bit better.

As a Javanese descent (paternal side) I noticed how much I enjoy eating without any gravy but just with something fried, like Ayam Goreng Berempah. Meanwhile my Minang maternal side won't let my taste bud have less spicy. Food taste so bland without chilies.

The vast population of Malaysian used to the strong taste in food. May it be just a simple 'Maggi Mee' or the extravagant taste of rendang. Food with mild taste are for the sick, they say. 

I got my hands on chapati making skills as well as North Indian dishes when I was in Hyderabad. Northern Indian cusine is vegetarian best. Cooking the pulses is not really an issue, but making a good chapati is really challenging. You can't miss any step to get that aromatic atta dough popping on your stove.

Furthermore, I can never get my chapati round properly. It feels like inexperience of cooking rice, how much water is enough to get that perfect texture. Practice is past due. 

Last Friday, I decided to prepare Indian style dinner yet again. Actually it's just to practice my chapati making skills. So I prepared the dough and knead it like nothing else matter. 

I bought a good quality atta flour for making the chapati. After straining it and airing it, I add a little bit of salt to taste and pour a good amount of oil. This time I melt some butter and mix it to the flour. Add water little by little so that the dough doesn't end up like mash potatoes.

Continue knead until you get that good consistency of the dough, soft but still can be shaped. The texture of the dough will determine the taste of your chapati. I would taste a bit to check on the salting. Add salted butter if you wish to add taste and adjust your dough again.

Now, leave it to rest for at least 30 minutes, cover the dough with a dry towel. I used to skip this step and continue to roll out the dough, but after several attempts it shows difference when I rest the dough first. I'll usually keep it to rest for an hour.

After resting, the dough will have to be knead again. The better the kneading, the fluffier the chapati will become. Then, I'll make a round portions for each chapati. It's time to roll the dough into a flat round pancake shape.

Before rolling the chapatis

Somehow rolling the dough into a perfect round shape is not an easy task for me. On lucky occasion it'll come out round. But many time it either become Borneo shape or Australia shape slices. Anyway, these shapes then should be cooked on a flat frying pan or 'tawa'. 

Flips the chapati halfway cooked to the other side. By this time, the chapati starts to bubble with a little air. Switch on the other stove and take out the chapati from the 'tawa' and bake the chapati directly on the fire. Prepare your food clip to handle the bread. The chapati will bloats up with air fully and quickly flips it on the stove. Put the chapati on a plate and spread some ghee if you wish.

Getting the chapati bloating is not something easy to do, like I said before, don't miss any steps in preparing the dough. It is essentials to have a fluffy and soft chapatis. You can skip the ghee if you don't like oily bread.

Here are what my chapatis look like. It has not been oiled with ghee, as my husband likes plain. The wife likes the one with ghee though. These chapatis may not look much but eating it with proper pulses will make you feel like eating a plate of rice.

Plain Chapatis

Diced Carrot with Green pea in cashew gravy

 















Bon Appetite!