Mamak shops are shut & bread is sold out in the supermarkets…Don’t panic…here’s what you do…make chapatis at home!

• By Mariam Mokhtar

If you can’t get bread at the supermarket during this curfew, and the mamak shop is shut for your favourite curry and chapati, you don’t have to worry.

As long as you have some flour and salt in your larder, then you won’t go hungry. I’ll show you how to make chapati with this very easy recipe.

Ingredients
200 g of white or wholemeal flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
180 ml of boiling water

200 g can make 10 pieces of chapatis with each chapati measuring around 10 cm each in diameter.

Method

1. Put flour and salt into a large bowl and stir.
   I use white flour as that was all I had in my cupboard and there was no wholemeal or atta flour in the shop.
2. Add boiling water, and stir until well mixed.
   Take care because the mixture is still hot
   Hot water is used because it will absorb more water. It is easy to break down the protein molecules in flour and third, the kneading is easier.
3. When the mixture has cooled slightly, knead the dough.
   If the ingredients feel a little dry, wet your hands and knead the dough again.
   Knead for 5 minutes.
4. If the mix feels a little dry, sprinkle a little flour till you get the right consistency.
5. Roll the dough into a sausage shape, wrap it up in cling flim and leave it in the fridge for 10 minustes.
6. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut it into 10 pieces. Each portion will weigh around 40 g.
7. Shape each slice into a ball, dip it in flour and place it on a plate. Cover the balls with cling film to prevent them from drying out.
8. Use a rolling pin to flatten the balls into a circle measuring 10 cm diameter across. Roll both sides of the chapati.
9. Heat a large skillet. Use a medium heat. ( I have a gas hob).
   Flame intensity is important. If it’s too low, chapati will become hard like a biscuit.
   If it is too high, the chapati will burn easily.
10. Place the chapati on the hot skillet or frying pan. Watch for the colour change when the uncooked dough becomes cooked as it is heated. After 30 seconds, you will see air pockets in the chapati. This is when you flip the chapati and cook the another side for 10 seconds.
11. With a pair of tongs, or chopsticks, place the cooked chapati over a naked gas flame and watch the chapati puff up like a balloon. Flip over onto the other side. Remove the cooked chapati from the heat. Place on a plate and serve immediately.
12. If you have no curry to serve with the chapatis, hot chapatis can be spread with butter and a sprinkling of white sugar, rolled up and eaten whilst still warm.

Chapati puffing up like a balloon on a naked gas flame

Enjoy!

-rebuilding malaysia