This recipe was good, but it's easy to wind up with chapati that are hard and dry. To get chapati that are soft and flexible it is crucial that the skillet is very hot, as per the instructions, so that they are done in under 30 seconds per side. Don't be too stingy with the water or cut back on the oil. If your chapati are still too dry, try rolling them out thicker.
I spent two years in Kenya, and my friend Julie made these for us. She was from Uganda. She rolled her dough balls into long ropes,rubbed them with oil and coiled them into rounds then rolled them out. They were crispy and light. If you let them rest they will raise when put in the skillet. Thanks for the memories!
I did these tonight and they're excellent! They are great with some chicken curry! It's such an easy and good recipe my family's addicted to this bread by now. I find it's absolutely necessary to let the dough rest for about 30-45min. because by then it will be soft, easy to handle and it will cook perfectly and form little bubbles as soon as you put it on the heat.
Super fast and easy. Start making the dough before your main meal, so it has time to relax for rolling. You'll be much happier rolling if you wait 30 minutes after forming balls. Tastes best when it gets dark brown spots and puffs up a bit. Yum.
Although traditional chapati are wheat-based my mother's allergic to wheat so I used all-purpose flour. These are incredibly easy to make and taste quite good. I added a pinch of coriander to the dough for a little bit of flavor. Roll these out very thin or else they'll be a little on the chewy side!
I lived in Kenya for awhile and Chapati's were a main staple. I thought this recipe was great and very authentic with a few changes: -I just used all white flour because I didn't have wheat flour - I didn't let mine stand for very long - just let it relax for a few minutes while I stirred my curry, but definitely not 30 minutes like some reviews recommend - The big difference was rolling it out - traditional chapatis are chewy and oily. So divide your dough, and then each smaller ball of dough you want to roll out into a long tube. I put olive oil on my hands while rolling it into the tube to coat it on all sides. Then you coil that tube into a circle and roll that out with your rolling pin. You will have a very pliable dough when you're done and they will be softer and more chewy when cooked. And the hot pan is very important! It should be hotter than you think - my kitchen is usually a little smoky when I'm done cooking these. Good luck!
Good recipe. I enjoyed the mild nutty flavor of the wheat flour. Since it is just my husband and I it was easy to cut the recipe in half. I also added a couple pinches of sugar for just a hint of sweetness. I really enjoyed the fact it took me no more time to make the Chapati than it does to make biscuits! Another recipe for my binder of favorites. Thanks for submitting it!
I halved the recipe and made four chapati. I really did like the taste of it (I added some tumeric and a pinch of sugar as suggested by others.) Just make sure you roll them out thin and be patient when heating up the pan (it needs to be hot and smoking!) Medium High heat is better imo to get it hot so it will crisp up better. I served this with Chicken Tandoori and Indian Basmati Rice.
No more Indian restaurants for me!! Why go out if I can eat Chapati Bread this good. I tried it with the Chickpea Curry recipe submitted by Aminah A. Rahman. Fabulous!!!!
A lot harder to make than I expected.
