Another yummy recipe , courtesy of Ms. Bhavana Barot – the Chapati . Also known as Phulka or Roti.
Chapati is a flat bread consumed throughout India. It is named is literally derived from the word Flat (chapat in Hindi/Marathi).
Alternatively it is called Roti or Phulka(phulka comes from the word “phulna” which means to swell OR balloon up, a play on the fact that when half cooked Chapati is placed directly on the flame it swells up)!
Growing up rice was a regular food in my home. My parents are from South of India and hence rice was a more staple diet. Chapati was however the 2nd staple if you will and cooked at least once or twice a week. It was usually paired a lovely spicy sabzi(veggie) and a daal OR sambhar.
If my grandma made it then usually the chutney was the side dish.
I could gobble up 4 or 5 of them easily with the sabzis OR chutneys 😀
One of the most common practices during those days was to carry chapati and chutney(with less water) during travelling in buses or trains. Journeying across states in India usually took a long time back then, and if you wanted to carry your food, chapati proved to be a good solution!
Made up of just 3 ingredients mixed in water, this is as simple and basic as it can get.
Yet it tastes heavenly , especially when you eat it fresh and hot!
Hence when I saw BhavanaJi making fresh phulkas, I immediately took out my camera and started shooting her (of course with her permission!). This resulted in this yummy recipe below. Hope you enjoy it!
Chapati (Phulka/Roti)
The perfect partner for every curry, daal & veggie preparation 🙂
4
servings30
minutes10
minutes112
kcalIngredients
1 cup Whole wheat flour
1 tsp Oil
1 tsp Salt
Water as needed
Directions
- Preparation
- Add salt to the flour and mix
- Now mix the flour by intermittently adding a little water.
NOTE : Be patient as this step is most important. Add little water to get the right consistency - Once the flour turns into paste, begin folding and kneading.
NOTE: If you have a dough mixer, you can use that - Once the flour has turned into a wheatish soft dough its done
You can scrap any dough that is stuck to the base of the mixing bowl. Use dry flour to do so and add it to the dough mix - Cover the dough and set it aside for 10-15 minutes. After that you will see that the dough has slightly raised.
- Now add the oil and fold the dough 3-4 times gently till the oil has mixed in the dough
- Now separate the dough into 3-4 equal sized balls of dough
- Rolling the dough
- Take a ball and dip & press it on both sides into flour
This ensures that the dough ball does not stick to the wooden roti roller - Place the pressed dough ball in center and move the rolling pin up and down on it.
Let the dough ball rotate as well.
This combination of action leads to round shape (But DO NOT worry about the shape.. it comes with practice and does not affect the taste). - If the dough is sticking then do apply a little more flour to it
Be frugal when applying flour to the dough as too much flour will change the texture and taste of the final rolled dough - Cooking
- Take the rolled dough and place on a hot flat pan on a medium flame
- Cook it evenly on both sides till you see dark brown spots and the wheatish color of dough has turned into a lighter tone overall
- If you have a burner gas at home :
Cook the rolled dough half way and then place the half cooked rolled dough directly on the flame. Flip with tongs (this needs practice!).
You will see the rolled dough balloon up making a Phulka! - Thats it. Use the above step 2 OR 3 and your Chapati (or Phulka) is ready!
- Serve hot and enjoy with veggies(sabzi) and/or daal.
Equipment
- Wooden roti roller
- Rolling pin
- Flat frying pan
Recipe Video
Notes
- Nutritional values are an indication based on ingredients. Actual nutrition may vary depending on certain factors
