Indian Chapati or roti are quick unleavened flatbread that takes minutes to make and seconds to cook and they are perfect with drier curries but great with a saucy dish too!
I add cumin seeds to my roti dough but you can change it up with onion, fennel, ajawain seeds or keep them plain.
Indian Flatbread.
In many of the images of the Indian recipes that I have here you will find some form of flatbread. Granted much of the time it is naan bread but the good ol’ roti or chapati often gets a look in too!
It is unleavened bread and cooked without oil and as a result, is simple and quick to cook.
If you cook them in oil then they are called paratha!
Chapati is traditionally made with a flour called ‘Atta’.
It is a whole grain flour but it is ground much more finely than typical whole grain flour.
What is the Difference Between Chapati and Roti?
I call these chapatis. It is the name I grew up with although they are more commonly known by the name roti today.
Essentially there is no difference between the two. I suspect the name chapati is much more common in, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
This is where a huge proportion of British immigration came from in the 70’s and hence my use of the name.
Roti is the perfect flatbread for a drier curry like the Madras pictured above or something like my Chettinad Chicken.
I’m also a dirty dirty man and love to brush my cooked chapati with melted ghee.
This is definitively not authentic but, c’mon melted clarified butter makes EVERYTHING better!
Indian Chapati Recipe
Indian food and flatbread are two peas in a pod and these cumin flavoured chapati are the perfect curry scoops!
Ingredients
- 125 g (1 Cup) Chapati or Atta Flour
- 1 Tbsp Cumin Seeds
- 1/4 Tsp Salt
- 1 Tbsp Ghee
- 65 ml (1/4 Cup + 1 Tsp) Water
Instructions
- Toast of the Cumin seeds in a dry pan to intensify the flavours being careful not to burn.
- Add to a mixing bowl with the flour,salt, melted ghee and water.
- Bring together to form a dough, it should not be sticky, add more flour or water as required.
- Cover the dough and leave to rest for at least 15 minutes.
- Heat a heavy-based pan over a high heat, I prefer a cast iron pan.
- Divide into 4 and roll into a thin circle approximately 2mm thick
- Place each chapati into a medium hot pan and cook until it starts to blister and bubble.
- Then flip over and use a piece of kitchen towel to gently press around the bubble to expand the bubbles.
- Cook until it is nicely coloured and blown up like a balloon.
- Wrap the chapatis in a clean tea towel (they will deflate) whilst you cook the rest and are ready to serve.
Notes
You can swap out the cumin in this recipe for other seeds, ones that work well include fennel, onion and poppy seed!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 147Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 149mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 4g
Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.
Tania | My Kitchen Stories
Saturday 27th of June 2015
Oh wow Brian you must be popular in that little corner of Hungary with people vying for a seat at your table. I am sure they could smell the cumin from down the street when you make this delicious Chapati
Brian Jones
Sunday 28th of June 2015
Very kind of you to say Tania... Hungarians find our eclectic taste in food 'interesting', primarily because they are flavours they have never been exposed to before. But it does go down well once they try it ;)
Charlene @ That Girl Cooks Healthy
Friday 26th of June 2015
I'm not one to shy away from the taste of cumin, this one gets the heads up from me. I would love to make a gluten free adaptation of your wonderful recipe.
Brian Jones
Saturday 27th of June 2015
I really don1t know enough about GF stuff but would be interested in seeing your adaptation, cumin rocks ;)