Ingredients
- 2/3 cup water
- 5 ml Ghee for skillet
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 2 cup whole wheat flour
Combine the flour and salt
in a large mixing bowl. Slowly add the water. The amount of water
varies each time due to the variations in moistness in the air and
flour quality. Start with less water and gradually increase. Mix the
water in the flour as you gather the flour together to make a moist
dough. Knead well, folding and pushing until the dough is pliable:
about 7 minutes. Cover the dough with a damp paper towel and let it
rest for 30 minutes and up to two hours. This is a good time to prepare
the other foods that make up the meal.
When you are
ready to start making the chapatis, warm up a cast iron skillet or a
heavy non-stick griddle on medium heat. Knead the dough again for
several minutes. Then tear off enough dough and divide it into walnut
size balls. Roll out each ball of the dough evenly to a thin texture
into a circular shape on a floured cutting board-6-7" in diameter. Do
not stack the rolled out chapatis or they will stick to each other. To
cook, place each chapati on a very lightly oiled skillet.
When
it is well heated through, small white bubbles will appear. Using a
plastic spatula, flip to the other side. The chapati will get more air
pockets and should only cook about 1 or 2 minutes on the second side.
When cooked, it will look a mottled brown, and be dry but flexible.
Remove the chapati from the griddle and with a pair of metal tongs,
place it over a low direct gas flame or electric coil. The chapati
should puff up into a ball almost immediately. Remove from heat and
serve. If the chapati does not puff up, there may have been a small
hole in the dough or the dough may not have been kneaded enough.
