These soft and light plain chapati breads are so simple to make and can be on the table in under an hour. Ideally, your plain chapati will puff up during cooking, resulting in an even softer end result. With experience (and, I find, a little help from a kitchen blowtorch), your chapatis will puff up every time, or at least more often than not. Should they remain flat however, fear not, they will still be utterly delicious!
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
-
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.
-
Lightly oil a work surface and knead the chapati dough for around 5 minutes until soft.
-
Lightly oil a bowl, add the chapati dough, cover with a clean damp cloth and set aside for 30 minutes.
-
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.
-
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).
-
Brush the cooked chapati with ghee, butter or vegetable oil and set aside. Repeat the process until all of the chapati breads are cooked.
-
Serve the warm chapatis with your favourite curry dishes!
If you like this plain chapati recipe, you might be interested in buying my book: The Indian Takeaway Secret
