Vegetarian Recipe : Chapatis
Without chapatis an indian meal is not really real.

Serves 4

For this Chapatis recipe you need

The following ratio of flour to water will make 3 chapatis, 3 parathas, or 6 puris. The amount of water can be adjusted depending on the fineness of the flour being used, the coarser the flour, the more water is needed.

1 ½ cups fresh coarsely ground whole wheat flour or chapati flour
2/3 cup water for chapatis or parathas, or ½ cup water for puris

Chapatis Recipe - Making dough

Sift the flour through a medium sieve into a deep bowl. Make a hole in the middle and add the appropriate amount of water; mix well by hand.

Rub a little oil or ghee on your hands and knead the dough into a fairly dry, smooth ball. Add flour or water as needed to achieve a workable, elastic consistency. The dough should not stick to the fingers or be dry or hard.

With your knuckles, make a few indentations in the dough. Sprinkle on a few drops of water (more if dough is coarse ). Cover with an inverted bowl or a clean plastic bag. Allow the dough to stand for 2 to 2 ½ hours for chapatis, 1 ½ to 2 hours for parathas, and 1 hour for puris.

Ideally, the dough should be kneaded a second time just before dividing, but it can be used as it is if time does not permit. The softer the dough, the easier the bread is to cook.

Chapatis Recipe - To roll out the dough

After resting for 2 to 2 ½ hours, knead well. Divide the dough into peach-size balls.
On a lightly floured surface, flatten one ball of dough with your hand. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a thin, round patty, about 5 inches in diameter. Roll from the center, turning patty several times to prevent sticking. Try to make the edges slightly thinner than the center.

Rather than shaping all of the chapatis at one time, cook each one as soon as it is shaped. ( If you do shape them all at once, be sure to cover with a damp cloth to prevent drying.)

Chapatis Recipe - Cooking the dough

Preheat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Remove any excess flour from the chapati by tossing it quickly from one hand to the other. Flip the "stretched" and aerated patty directly into the skillet. When the color changes on the top and bubbles appear, turn it over.

When both sides are done, use kitchen tongs ( chimta ) to remove the chapati from the skillet. If you have a gas stove, hold the cooked chapati over a medium flame and it will puff up immediately. Turn quickly to flame-bake the other side. Do this several times, taking care that the edges are well cooked. If you have an electric stove, chapatis can be encouraged to puff by pressing them with a clean kitchen towel after the first turn on each side.

Repeat the shaping and cooking process until all chapatis are cooked. To keep chapatis warm as they are cooked, place them in a towel-lined bowl and fold over the sides of the towel. Serve hot, either completely dry or topped with a small amount of ghee or butter.

Chapatis Recipe extracted from the vegetarian recipes of the "Healing Cuisine" book, which contains over 200 tasty ayurvedic, vegetarian indian recipes (see full list of vegetarian recipes)