My Imperfect Chapati's

 

    They are supposed to be soft, round and delicious to eat with any type of curry or daal. However, mine did not come out soft or round (but they were delicious!). I gave myself an A for effort after I finished making them even though they do not meet the normal chapati standards.  You all know that I do not like to stay in the kitchen too long. I like recipes that are easy, quick and nutritious and these seemed to fit the bill. Chapati's usually don't take my mother too long. So, I always thought that when the time comes it will be just as easy for me. Nope. Sure, I have made them before. I can count on one hand the number of times I have tried to make them. Maybe that is why I haven't perfected them yet? hmm.. practice makes perfect I guess.

    

   For those that are not aware of this wonderful accompaniment and substutituon for rice in Indian cooking; its a flat pancake-like bread cooked on a griddle or otherwise also commonly known as Roti. I make mine with whole wheat, for obvious health reasons. 

     

      So getting back to how imperfect they turned out. I fed these to my hubby this week along with some yellow daal (varan,the recipe is on here in one of the previous posts) and I knew they had come out a little hard, but he did not complain. He even took them to lunch the next day, so I had no reason to mention that they had not turned out has expected. However, this weekend when we went up to my mother's, my sister -in- law created the most wonderful chapati's that beat mine to the dust! He could not stop raving about how supple, soft and wonderful her's were. I did not fret- I took them as a challenge. This blog is a post to show that not all things I cook come out right, you cannot see them in the pictures- but they weren't that great. I will be making these again with some tips that my momn gave me, so that I too can create the most delicious chapati's in the world. So finally my husband can say "Resh, these are bangin." But they photograph so well don't they?

 

My mistakes:

1. I left them on too long on each side of the pan (abut 3-4 minutes each) when 30 seconds on each side will do
   
2. I had it on high flame instead of medium
3. I pressed down on them as they were cooking instead of leaving them alone.

AVOID the above- follow the steps as is, and I guarantee that they will come out absolutely perfect!!!

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup room temperature water or as needed 

In a large bowl, add the whole wheat flour. Add water to the dough, and keep kneading it. Add some more water till the dough reaches al elastic consistency but is not sticky. Add the olive oil and knead till well combined. The oil will help with the sticky factor as well.  Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is smooth. Divide into 10 parts, or less if you want bigger breads. Roll each piece into a ball. Let rest for a few minutes.
Heat a skillet over medium heat until hot, and grease lightly. On a lightly floured surface, use a floured rolling pin to roll out the balls of dough until very thin like a tortilla. When the pan starts smoking, put a chapati on it. Cook until the underside has brown spots, about 30 seconds, then flip and cook on the other side. Continue with remaining dough.