Daksha Mistry, a finalist and runner up from the prestigious culinary television program, BBC’s MasterChef shares how she makes a Perfect Chapatti.
The most popular and handy Indian dish is the roti or chapatti, a favourite for both adults and children. It is usually made from wheat flour. Roti is often served with vegetable curry, legume, or curry dishes. It is straightforward to make yet requires intense practice to obtain soft and round chapattis. Well, practice makes perfect, and you should not worry if you make your roti shapelessly.
Just be tolerant and start with a baby step. For instance, start with making three chapattis, it is how I learned from my mother. My mother can make a fluffy and soft roti from almost any dough.
Conversely, nothing is more irritating than chewing hard chapattis. Here is how you can make tasty and soft chapattis for dinner and watch your family gulp down them down with delight. Making a delicious and perfect roti is effortless. Get ready to learn how you can do that:
Tips for soft and Perfect Chapatti/ Roti
There are numerous reasons why your chapattis do not become soft. The formation and kneading of the dough is essential. The two are the top-rated tips to make your chapattis soft.
Use warm water as it helps to make wet dough adding water little by little.
Add 2 tsp of oil in 2 cups of wheat flour as it will ensure the chapattis are soft for a long time.
Ingredients to Make 14 Rotis
- Water
- Whole-wheat flour for dusting
- A pinch of salt
- 2 cups homemade or Atta flour
How to
- Use your hands
In an extensive deep basin, put salt and flour. Ensure you have a well in the centre and mix it with oil. Mix up them with your fingertips. Further, add two tablespoons of water to combine the dough. Assemble everything and blend well.
As you start, the dough will glue all over your fingers and palms. Rub off all flour from your fingers and palms from time to time. You can add a little flour as you go if need be. Continue until you have a smooth dough.
Press and knead the dough with your palms toting up a little water.
Press it for 2-3 minutes and coat the dough with two tsp oil and cover it with a kitchen napkin.
Give it fifteen minutes to relax, and hence make it easier to roll.
Using a stand, food processor with a dough hook.
I like using hands only, nevertheless, do the following if you are using a mixer:
Mix salt, oil, and floor together.
Throb or pulse several times.
Add water simultaneously
Then mix on low pace until blended into uneven dough
In addition, take it out and knead using your hands
Then coat the dough with oil and allow it to rest
Now, your dough is now ready, as you will notice that it has become as soft as butter. Put some flour in a bowl for dusting. Divide the dough into fourteen portions and coat them with flour on a clean surface, roll and sprinkle flour to make every piece into a 150 mm thin circle. Use little flour while rolling to ensure your chapatti does not become hard.
Preheat cast flat iron skillet. Maintain on the lowest blaze and melt your ghee in a small metal bowl.
Melt the ghee, increase the heat of your stove to make it hot, and then lay your chapatti in it. Moreover, ensure your flame is on medium-high. You will start seeing your chapatti change in colour, and little suds begin to appear. Flip your roti on the other side.
Continue cooking the roti on high heat for some minutes and then turn it on direct fire using pincers. At this point, the chapatti is entirely puffed up just like a balloon.
In addition, apply oil on the two sides and cook for one minute.
After the roti has cooked, remove it with a pair of piercers and put it in a snowy kitchen owl or napkin.
Lastly serve the soft and tasty chapattis with dal, gravy, or vegetable curry.
Daksha is now developing her concepts of ‘Global Gourmet’, taking classic dishes from many different cuisines across the globe and reinventing them.
Specialising in catering for private events Daksha is keen to speak with other caterers to discuss collaboration.
For more information click here