An Invitation to Indian Cooking - Madhur Jaffrey [106]
A word of encouragement about these breads. If they do not turn out perfectly the first time, do not lose heart. There are many Indians who have not mastered them either! So much depends on how well they are rolled out, and perfection in this area comes only with long practice. If you are persistent, you will surely master them.
Here are some of the basic breads.
Chapati
SERVES 4
This simple bread requires only whole-wheat flour and water. It needs to be rolled out very evenly on a floured surface. Indians keep a quantity of plain whole-wheat flour on the side and keep dusting the chapati with it as they roll. Next, the chapati needs to be cooked on a hot griddle. Give the griddle time to heat before you put the first chapati on. When both sides of the chapati are roasted, it is taken off the griddle and placed on an open fire. This makes it puff up with hot air. A chimta or some flat unserrated tongs are essential for the making of the bread. Note: Some whole-wheat flour is very coarse. Many Indians prefer to mix it half and half with all-purpose white flour.
1 cup whole-wheat (not coarse, stone-ground) flour for dough
About ½ cup finely ground whole-wheat flour to keep on the side for dusting
Place the flour in a bowl. Slowly add up to ½ cup water and mix until all the flour adheres and you can knead it. (You will probably need a little less than the ½ cup water.) Now knead it for 7 to 8 minutes. Roll into a ball. Cover with a damp cloth and leave for ½ to 3 hours. (If you wish to leave it longer, cover it with a plastic wrap and refrigerate. It will easily stay 24 hours.)
Dampen hands and knead the dough again. Put the tava or cast-iron griddle or skillet on a medium flame to heat. Knead dough while the griddle is heating. Divide the dough into 8 balls. Keep balls covered with damp cloth. Flour the rolling surface and keep some dry flour on the side for dusting. Take out one ball. Flatten it. Dip it in the dry flour. Now roll it out evenly into a chapati about 5 inches in diameter. You can get it even bigger and thinner if you like. It will stick to the surface as you roll it unless you keep dipping it in the dry flour. Always keep your surface well floured.
The tava or griddle should be smoking hot by now. Place the uncooked chapati on it. Within half a minute or so bubbles will start rising. Now turn the chapati over with the chimta or tongs. Let the other side cook for half a minute. Both sides should have light brown spots on them. Lift off chapati with the tongs and lay it directly over the medium flame of another burner. (You could use the same burner, but you would have to lift off the tava or griddle every time. As a matter of fact, this is what most Indians do!) Keep it there a few seconds. It will puff up immediately. Now turn it over and keep the other side over the flame for a few seconds.
Either serve hot immediately, or butter on one side very lightly and place chapati on a large sheet of aluminum foil. Fold over the aluminum foil and shut edges firmly. Do all chapatis this way. They will stay warm for 20 to 30 minutes if well covered in the foil and kept in a warm place.
To serve: Chapatis are eaten with nearly all Indian main dishes.
Poori
SERVES 4–6
The dough here is rather like that of the chapati, only a little oil is added. Some people like to add a bit of salt as well to the dough. It is then kneaded and rolled out. Deep fat is heated in a wok, karhai or deep skillet, and the pooris are fried quickly in it. They puff up like the chapati. It is important that the fat be smoking hot. Pooris can be made ahead of time and wrapped lightly in aluminum foil. They do not stay puffed this way, but they still taste good. They can be reheated (in the foil) in a 300° oven for 10 minutes. Instead of using only whole-wheat flour for the dough you can use a combination of whole-wheat flour