Chapati or chapatti is a very common form of food item, where wheat, which is the staple of northern South Asia, is eaten or consumed by people. In India and other Asian countries, chapatis are consumed by most of the people as one of the main food items along with vegetables and pulses. Chapatti is considered to be the perfect accompaniment to most of the Indian dishes and foods. It is really very easy to make chapatis. However, practice is required to make perfect and round chapati.
Chapati Recipe –Ingredients and Preparation Overview
The ingredients that are required to make chapati are whole wheat-flour, water, salt and vegetable oil. Supple and pliable dough is made with the help of whole wheat flour and water. Some people add salt and oil to dough. After the dough is ready, small round portions of the dough are taken and rolled out into discs with the help of rolling pin (known as belan in Hindi). The dough that has been rolled out is thrown on hot dry skillet. The rolled out dough is cooked properly from both the sides. The dough will blow up like balloon if cooked properly. In northern parts of India, like Punjab, this blown up chapati is also termed as “phulka”. The chapati recipe may differ from one person to the other in terms of thickness and diameter. Clarified butter (ghee) is applied on the chapatti’s top. Some people do not prefer to coat the chapatti with butter. It entirely depends upon the wish of the person whether he or she wants to eat buttered chapati or not. The cooked chapatti is then eaten with cooked vegetables or other prepared dishes. A piece of chapatti is torn from the cooked chapatti and eaten with the prepared vegetables, which are an essential part of a meal. The torn chapati is folded in the form of a cone to eat liquid dishes like pulses.
Chapati Recipe- Variants
Chapati is a form of roti, but not roti itself. Often roti and chapatti are misunderstood to be the synonyms of each other. However, there is a little difference between the two. In real terms, roti is bread. Roti implies any bread, made without yeast or other rising agent. On the other hand, chapati is a kind of roti, which is made up of whole wheat-flour and is cooked on a flat skillet known as tava.
Chapati: Trivia
The size and thickness of chapatis varies from one region to another and from one kitchen to another. For example, in Gujarat, chapati is very thin like a tissue paper. In Delhi and Punjab, the chapattis are a little thicker than the paper. In most of the kitchens, the chapattis are of 15-18 cm in diameter. So, chapati recipe may differ from one part of the country to the other. Tandoori roti is also a form of chapati that is cooked in an oven called “tandoor”. This kind of chapatti is little crispy in nature and tastes good when eaten with non vegetarian dishes. Roti and chapatti are popular foods on northern south Asia. However, in other regions like peninsular south, north east and Kashmir valley, rise is preferred the most as compared to chapati.
