1 1/2 cup flour, unbleached
1/2 cup flour, whole wheat
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp ghi
1/2 cup ; water
Directions
Mix flours, salt, and butter and add just enough water to make a firm
dough, somewhat like a biscuit dough. Knead for 10-15 minutes - the
more the dough is kneaded, the lighter the bread will be. Shape the
dough into a ball, cover with a sheet of plastic and let it rest for
at least 1 hour. If left to rest overnight in the refrigerator, the
finished bread will be even lighter. When ready to bake, take a small
piece of dough about the size of a golf ball, or a bit smaller. On a
lightly floured board, roll the dough into a thin circle, about 5
inches in diameter. Repeat with all the dough. Heat a griddle or
heavy-bottomed iron skillet until it is very hot (you will notice the
smoke rising from it). Place the rolled out chapati on the griddle
and let it cook for 2-3 minutes, depending on how thin you have
rolled it. Using a pair of kitchen tongs, you can lift the chapati to
see if the underside has turned a golden brown. Flip, and cook the
other side about 1 minute. As they are cooked, store the chapatis on
a towel in a warm covered container until ready to serve. Serve as
soon as the last chapati is baked. NOTE: In India breads sometimes
are baked in the fiery clay tandoor, where they develop brown spots
and bubbles. To achieve a similar effect at home, you can use tongs
to hold each chapati over a hot gas flame until it puffs like a
little balloon. The chapati will collapse as it cools.
Servings: 10 servings
Chapatis Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Asian; Indian
The History of Recipes
It is quite possible to track the history of recipes way back into history, in fact as far as the ancient Egyptians, and maybe further still. Having said that, sadly, these ancient cook books were just basic hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for food preparation.
Interestingly, the most ancient recipe discovered so far, according to Professor Solomon Katz, is a series of tablets in Sumerian which describe the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made those who drank it feel `blissful`. Closer to modern times, there were a couple of books dating from the 14th Century : one book called `Forme of Cury`, and another titled `Curye on Inglish`. Amusingly, these books are nothing to do with the indian food that is familiar to us all today, but instead recipes for the types of meals served to the rich people of the time. During the succeeding few centuries, the rich and powerful families of Europe strove to lay on the most exotic banquets, and because of this the best cooks and their collection of recipes were greatly in demand. Even so, it wasn`t until the 1800s that haute cuisine and recipe books became popular. Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Merritt Farmer in the USA, devoted much of their lives to collecting, testing, and publishing recipes that were common in the better off homes of the day. Like it or not, the introduction of TV brings us celebrity TV chefs and the accompanying recipe books. Which brings us neatly to the present day and the internet revolution, permitting everybody to access massive numbers of recipes such as those found on this site. |
We hope you enjoy this Chapatis recipe.
