Learn how to make Indian restaurant style plain chapatis, perfect for mopping up your favourite curry sauces.
When it comes to Indian takeaway food, I am more than happy if I have some bread and some curry sauce. I’m a huge fan of chicken and lamb tikka, tandoori chicken, seekh kebabs, and pilau rice. But, give me a bowl of curry sauce and some puri bread or plain chapati, and I will be quite content.
To make these plain chapatis I first mix chapati flour and sea salt briefly in a bowl. Next I add a touch of oil and then water to make a dough. I knead the dough for 5-6 minutes by hand, or in a breadmaker on dough setting for 10 minutes. Finally, I transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl to rest for 30 minutes before use. When the dough is divided and rolled out, the plain chapati will cook in just a minute or so on a hot dry frying pan.
Making your plain chapatis puff up during cooking
As you cook your chapati, you can press down gently to encourage the chapati to rise. I also use a blow torch to encourage the chapatis to puff up as they cook. But, if you have a gas hob, you can carefully hold the chapati over the flame with a spatula. If your chapati fails to puff up, don’t stress. It will still be delicious!
With all of your chapatis cooked and generously brushed with oil or ghee, you can serve them alongside your favourite curry dishes.
I hope you’ll try this plain chapati recipe. If you do, let me know in the comment below how it went!
Soft, fluffy plain chapati – the classic Indian restaurant side dish!
- 150 grams chapati flour
- pinch sea salt
- 80-100 ml water
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon ghee or butter
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Add the chapati flour to a bowl. Add the sea salt and mix briefly. Slowly add the water until a dough forms. Add a touch of oil and mix once more.
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Lightly oil a work surface and knead the chapati dough for around 5 minutes until soft.
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Lightly oil a bowl, add the chapati dough, cover with a clean damp cloth and set aside for 30 minutes.
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Heat a dry flat frying pan or tava pan over a medium heat. Divide the dough into equal pieces (this recipe makes enough dough for 3 large or 6 small chapatis). Roll out each piece of dough and place carefully on the hot pan.
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Allow the chapati to cook for around 30 seconds on the first side, or until small craters or bubbles begin to appear. Carefully flip the chapati and cook for a further 30 seconds. Flip once more and the chapati should begin to puff up (you can assist the chapati by pressing down gently with a clean tea towel or using a blowtorch as shown in the video).
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Brush the cooked chapati with ghee, butter or vegetable oil and set aside. Repeat the process until all of the chapati breads are cooked.
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Serve the warm chapatis with your favourite curry dishes!
Recipe Video
Do you like this plain chapati recipe? If so, buying a copy of my book might appeal to you! In The Indian Takeaway Secret you can find a host of restaurant style recipes that you can make at home. You’ll learn how to make chicken pakora, seekh kebabs, south indian garlic chilli curry and more! You can buy The Indian Takeaway Secret in paperback or kindle form here.
