Recipe: East African Chapati
Chapati is a popular flatbread in Eastern Africa that is slightly reminiscent of the Indian flatbread by a similar name. Made with mainly flour and water, this ‘tortilla’ of sorts is grilled or cooked in oil over the stove and either eaten plain or rolled up with a filling inside (Rolex). While I was in Mawanga, Eddy honored us by preparing this treat one of the nights we stayed in the village. We even used them to make pizzas!
(photo credit)
Ingredients:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (sifted)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• warm water
• cooking oil
• (optional) finely chopped onions (use the 1/2″ purple kind)
• (optional) finely chopped garlic
Directions:
1. Allow ingredients to warm to room temperature if they have been refrigerated.
2. Mix flour, onion, and salt in a bowl.
3. Slowly, mix in enough water to make a thick dough.
4. Knead dough for a few minutes adding small amounts of flour until dough is no longer sticky
5. Cover bowl of dough with a clean cloth and let sit for about a half-hour.
6. Pre-heat (medium high or high) and lightly grease a skillet or fry pan.
7. Divided the dough into tangerine sized balls.
8. Using a rolling pin, on a floured board flatten the balls into six-inch circles.
9. Lightly flour the chapatis before stacking while rolling additional chapatis.
10. Fry until each side has golden-brown spots, flipping once.
11. Cover the cooked chapatis until served. To keep warm, wrap the stack of finished chapatis in a heavy plastic grocery bag or place in oven on lowest setting.
12. Slice into quarters if desired.
(http://raebear.net/recipes/chapati.html)
Enjoy, and stay tuned for more recipes!
