Chapati (Roti)

Chapati belongs to the ancient family of unleavened breads found throughout the peasant cuisines of the Indian subcontinent. Its daily presence on tables, from Punjab to the Deccan, bears witness to a wheat culture transmitted over millennia, long before the arrival of refined flours and modern oven baking. Traditionally prepared morning and evening in households, it embodied everyday bread, simple and unadorned, in contrast to richer festive breads containing more fat. Its direct cooking on cast iron or terracotta griddles, a gesture repeated by generations of women in family kitchens, has made it a symbol of domestic life and shared meals. Even today, the act of flattening the dough by hand before placing it on the tawa remains identical to the practice followed for centuries.

• 500 g whole wheat flour (atta)
• approximately 300 ml warm water
• 1 pinch of salt (optional depending on region)
• 1 teaspoon of ghee or oil to lightly grease the griddle
• dry flour for shaping

1. Pour the flour into a large bowl and form a well in the center to gradually add the water.
2. Knead the dough by hand for several minutes until achieving a smooth, homogeneous texture, neither sticky nor dry.
3. Let the dough rest under a damp cloth for about twenty minutes to allow it to relax.
4. Divide the dough into small, uniform balls, then flatten them with a rolling pin on a floured surface to obtain thin discs.
5. Heat a cast iron griddle (tawa) and place the dough disc on it, turning it over as soon as small bubbles appear.
6. Finish cooking for a few seconds directly over an open flame, which causes the chapati to puff up and gives it golden-brown marks.
7. Lightly brush with ghee if desired, then serve immediately while hot, stacked under a cloth to keep it soft.

Chapati offers a soft, slightly elastic texture, with a fine, tender crumb contrasting with discreet charred marks on the surface. Its taste is mild and slightly rustic, carried by the notes of whole wheat and, sometimes, by the buttery flavor of ghee applied at the end of cooking. It is a neutral bread, designed to accompany and absorb sauces rather than to stand out on its own.