Chapathi | Phulka | Easy Rotis ~ Indian Flatbread

A whole wheat based Indian flatbread, that is essentially a part of every meal – called “Chapathi” or “Phulka” based on the size and way it is cooked…

 

 

One question that I am getting asked quite frequently now is – how do I feel without work? I guess it isn’t time to actually analyze the situation. It has just been around 10 days and out of that, four days were spent back home. At the moment, it feels like vacation for me. 😀 I will just wait for it to all sink in slowly, I suppose, InShaAllah… At the moment, the struggle for me is to get into a schedule. I have always had a time formatted life that now it is kind of open and I am feeling a little lost as to how to manage. Maybe I must just take it slow and give myself time… 🙂

 

Coming to today’s recipe post, chapathis or flatbreads are indispensable in Indian cooking. It is something that is eaten every single day in almost every household. Especially if you aren’t fond of rice, chapathis are always in rescue. But somehow, I am quite lazy to make them. I have already shared how I learned to make it from umma. It keeps the chapathis super soft, however kneading in boiling water is not someting that I enjoy all the time, considering how much trouble it causes to the hands. Somehow, kneading in cold water never helped my chapathis become soft unless I cook them in ghee, which defeats the whole purpose of eating them in first place.

 

 

That is when I saw the nuska that a dear friend uses in her Instagram stories. It was a very simple trick – add yogurt to the dough! Diary has a lovely way of making anything soft when added. Instead of kneading in regular temperature water, I used slightly lukewarm water. That also ensured that the dough stayed soft. There is no oil added into the dough or while even cooking them, which makes this chapathi a very viable and healthy option for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

 

Since the dough is really soft, I found it difficult bail out like I would do with my regular chapathi dough. But it still held shape and cooked amazingly well, without the use of any fat. But if you do like, a little bit of ghee would go a long way to add more flavor to this flatbread. Wasn’t there a time we would have ghee laded chapathis with a dash of sugar or a slathering of jam in it? Umma wouldn’t give it that regularly but I would really wait for it, when she would do so on those rarest occassions. This chapathi is perfect to relive those childhood memories. I have cooked them completely on the ‘tawa’ but you can cook them phulka style, by pulling them off from the pan directly onto the flame and cooking them till they fluff up, making sure not to burn.

 

 

If you are wondering what is in the backdrop, then that was the Palak Chicken, which was just the apt company it can be to these chapathis. I love my chapathis with anything, but if you ask me to show some favoritism, I would pick up the Dal Tadka to go with it…