Every traditional Kenyan home knows chapati is part of the menu during Christmas celebrations. It does not matter what other foods you have prepared. Your family and friends will ask for chapatti even if they eat it every other time throughout the year. Chapati is special to Kenyans during Christmas but many people have a hard time getting them soft and well-cooked.
Tips on cooking soft chapati
Home-cooked chapatis taste amazing and preparing them should not be a problem. Besides, practice makes perfect. Here is how to ensure you prepare soft, well-cooked chapati.
- Choose a heavy pan
If you need your chapatis soft and well-cooked, choose a heavy pan. A lightweight pan will cook your dough quickly and cause your chapatis to come out dry and flaky. Shop for a nice, heavy pan at the market and you are one step closer to mastering the art of chapatti cooking.
- Knead properly
You should knead your flour properly. As a beginner, all you need is salt, warm water, cooking oil, and wheat flour to get started. Ensure you have enough water at hand for the amount of flour you are using. Add water to the flour and not the other way round, and start mixing by hand.
Knead the flour properly until it detaches from your hands on its own. After that, add oil to the flour to give it a nice, soft feel. Be generous with the oil, but not too much. You do not want chapatis that are too oily.
Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel and allow it to rest for around 30 minutes before you start cooking. If you cannot find a kitchen towel, use the flour packaging paper, with the inside on the dough for hygiene purposes.
Do not use hot water to knead flour. Hot water temperature means the flour will start cooking even before you have it on the pan. You may end up with soft chapatis but they will not taste good; they might be too soft too.
- Moderate heat
On a countertop or kitchen table, take your flour and roll it out into a circle. Apply a thin layer of oil on it and start cutting into strips that you will roll after to make balls. Alternatively, after you allow the dough to rest, make balls using your hands instead of rolling out the dough. You will then roll out each ball using a rolling pin and start cooking.
Now, when it comes to frying your dough, make sure you use moderate heat to ensure the chapatis cook properly on the inside and don’t dry out.
- Oil when frying
Make sure the pan is well-oiled before placing your dough on it to prevent cooking dry chapati. Make sure you apply enough oil on the top side before turning. Cook both sides of the dough to achieve a nice golden brown color. The bottom line here is being generous with cooking oil, but make sure it is not much to prevent you from cooking chapatis that are too oily.
Chapatis do not have to be hard to cook. Follow the above tips and cook often to perfect your skills. With time and practice, you will be able to prepare soft, delicious chapatis that will earn you a good name among your friends and family. You can later try out other recipes if you like.
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