Phulka- A Whole Wheat Puffed Flatbread#BreadBakers

The difference between a Phulka and Chapatti is that the Phulka puffed up on the gas flame, where as a chapatti is made on a tawa/griddle, both are made with whole wheat flour . This is a traditional flatbread which is practically made every day in a Indian household. These Phulka's goes well with any dal, curries or a side dish.

When I got married, did not know how to cook or make phulkas or chapatti. When I started to learn, it used to take me 45 minutes to make 4 chapattis for hubby and me to take for our tiffin, that too they use to be like rubber by the time we had it for lunch. Since this is made every day for our lunch as well as dinner, sometime even for breakfast, slowly I, learnt to make these. How long it took me to master them I really don't remember. But today - 31 years later, can proudly say, am an expert in making flatbreads, be it any type, can make perfectly round ones. So do not hesitate to try these, it can get a little overwhelming in the beginning, but, with experience you can become an expert.

My phulkas or chapatti is always oil/ghee free. Sometimes brush it with desi ghee. Since my daughter is vegan, we mostly have them without brushing it with any oil or ghee. The key to make soft phulkas or chapatti is kneading a soft smooth dough and resting the dough for at least 30 minutes.
1 Cup =250 ML Cup Measurement

Makes 8 Phulkas
Ingredients
2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
½ Teaspoon Salt - optional
1 Cup Minus 1 - 2 Tablespoons Water
Desi Ghee - for brushing - optional

Method

Let's make the dough
In a large bowl combine the flour and salt, add a little water at a time to make firm soft dough and knead for a few more minutes until smooth. The water quantity depends on flour quality, some flours take more some less.

Set the dough aside to rest covered for minimum 30 minutes. 

Knead once again and divide the dough into 6 - 8 balls.

Preheat the tawa/griddle on medium low heat.

Generously dust the work surface with flour and roll each ball of dough into smooth round ball. With the palm of your hand flatten the ball. 

With a rolling pin roll this thin round circle. As you roll them out, you can keep dusting the work surface with flour, this will prevent it from sticking to the work surface.

Baking it as indicated in the steps below.

Place rolled dough on the hot tawa/griddle. In a few seconds you will notice that small air pockets, bubbles start to form on the surface.

At this point immediately flip the rolled dough to the other side and increase the flame to high.

When bottom side has got brown spots and it start to puff, lift the tawa off the flame and place the phulka(using tongs) directly on the flame. 

It will balloon into a spherical shape and puff up immediately.

Therefore this is called a Phulka. This is flame side, so do not over cook or else it will burn, when is puff remove it from the flame.

Remove the phulka from heat, place it on a cooling rack and spread little desi ghee/or oil with a brush on the side facing up (this is optional).

Continue the same process for the remaining balls of dough and the same process of baking them on the tawa. Keep stacking them one over the other. 

To store the phulka, place a ring ( this a cooker ring) on the tin. 

Then place a kitchen towel/tissue on it 

Now place the phulkas they will not get soggy, I made these for both the meals they stay soft till dinner time. Serve the Phulka (Roti/ Chapati) with any gravy or sabzi for a lunch or dinner.

My favorite way to enjoy a just made phulka for breakfast is to brush it with desi ghee or butter and a teaspoon of jam slathered on it.. love love it. Also enjoy this with my favorite fruit, banana or mango like a roll, this I have for lunch or dinner, when I want a change from the regular meal.

My Notes

Making the rolled out phulka dough puff into a balloon comes with practice. So give yourself time if you are new to flatbread making.

Even if your phulka does not puff the first time or the times after, the phulkas that you have made are cooked and edible, so you could enjoy them with your choice of vegetable, curry or any side dish.
Labels: Phulka , Flatbread, Indian Breads, Breads, Bread Bakers, 100% Whole Wheat, No Oil Or Butter, Healthy
#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month the Bread Bakers are making Griddle Breads, a theme chosen by Sneha from Sneha's Recipe.





And don’t forget to check out all the amazing Griddle breads baked by our talented bakers ~
Bread Baker's Event for March 2021- Theme Girddle Breads

Bread In A Frying Pan From Magical Ingredients
Buss Up Shut Bread From Karen's Kitchen Stories 
Buttermilk Scallion Flatbreads From Ambrosia 
Easy Sourdough Pancakes From Food Lust People Love
Ham and Cheese Corncakes From A Day in the Life on the Farm
Homemade English Muffins From Making Miracles
Malabar Partha From Zesty South Indian Kitchen|
Phulka- A Whole Wheat Puffed Flatbread From Sneha's Recipe
Purple Kale Paratha (Kale Flatbread) From Cook with Renu
Sourdough Crumpets From A Messy Kitchen

Gurasa - Sudanese Flatbread#Eattheworld

Sudanese cuisine is a multicultural one. Their cuisine is a mix of Arabs, Africans, Indians, Greek and Turks who settled in Sudan. Gurasa is a flatbread of Sudan which is a yeasted one. This is so soft and fluffy, perfect to go with the Peas And Potatoes Stew. We had the remaining for our dinner and they were soft as ever, no need to reheat them.
1 Cup = 250 ML 
Makes around 8 - 9 
Ingredients
1 Cup Whole wheat flour
1 Cup All purpose flour
¼ Teaspoon Baking powder
½ Teaspoon Instant Yeast
1 Teaspoon Sugar
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
2 Cups Water

Method

Take both the flours, baking powder, yeast, sugar and salt together into a large bowl and whisk well so that they are mixed.
Add the water gradually and mix well till it is as  thick as a dosa batter. 

Cling wrap it and keep it aside till it doubles in volume.

Once it doubles in volume, give it a good stir and let it again rest for 15 minutes.

In the meantime heat a nonstick pan till just hot and brush with oil, sprinkle a little water and wipe it clean with a kitchen towel. 

The pan should be warm, now pour a ladle or two of this batter, and spread as much as like a dosa, in a circular motion with the ladle.

Keep the flame in medium low and cook till the bottom side is golden brown and the top is dry.

Flip it and cook this side for just a minute. 
                           

Remove on to cooling rack lined with paper towel. 

Like wise make the rest, but do not grease the pan with oil, just wipe it with a wet cloth, then pour the batter and spread it in a circular motion with the ladle. If the pan is too hot then, switch off the flame and wipe the pan with a wet cloth, or else the batter with clump and you will not be able to spread it with a spoon. 

These are so soft and fluffy.

Serve with your favorite stew, we enjoyed this with Peas And Potatoes Stew ( this recipe will be posted on 20th Feb).
Labels: Breads, Flatbread, Yeasted, Sudan, Eat the World, Whole Wheat Flour ,Main course, Oil Free, Vegan

Join us as we Eat the World!!!

Each month Evelyne of CulturEatz invites us to visit a country and explore their foods. This month it's Sudan.

Check out all the wonderful Sudanese recipes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!

 Palatable Pastime Best Easy Hummus 

Magical Ingredients: Sudanese Tamia 

A Day in the Life on the Farm: Sudanese Peanut Stew 

Pandemonium Noshery: Kamounia - Sudanese Stewed Beef 

Sneha’s Recipe: Gurasa - Sudanese Flatbread 

Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Red Lentil Soup (Sudanese Addas) 

Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Basbousa and Karkadé

Chatpata Leftover Rice Paratha#SundayFunday

Leftover food  is  a regular affair in every household. Of all those leftover food, rice is one of the most common leftover food. So what do you do with that leftover rice?  Yes!! you can reheat the leftover rice  which can easily be consumed in the next meal as it is.  

But, transforming the same leftover  food   into something interesting and delicious, by adding some basic ingredients  that can be enjoyed/relished by all and is different.  So here I have combined the leftover rice with whole wheat flour, spices and made a chatpata and delicious paratha out of it for a wholesome breakfast or main course meal.  

Ingredients 
2 Cups Leftover Boiled Rice 

1½ Cups Whole Wheat Flour 
½ Teaspoon Red Chilly Powder 
¼ Teaspoon Turmeric Powder 
1 Teaspoon Coriander Powder 
½ Teaspoon Cumin Powder  
½ Teaspoon Salt 
½ Teaspoon Chat Masala 
1 Tablespoon Coriander Leaves

For Frying 
Oil + ghee - as required

Method

Reheat the rice in the microwave by sprinkling some water over it for 2 minutes on high power.
In a large bowl take the leftover rice , wheat flour and mash it it well as you are combining both. Now add in rest of the ingredients and knead a soft dough add just little water for kneading to make a soft dough. Cover the dough with damp cloth and rest it for 10-15 minutes.

Make small balls out of the dough. Dust the work surface with flour and roll them gently using rolling pin to make round paratha. Keep the aside, covered with a damp cloth.
Heat a tawa/griddle on medium low flame, when hot place the paratha and let is cook for 2 minutes. Flip it the paratha and increase the flame to medium high and spread ghee or oil and on top and the sides, when one side is cooked again flip and cook until the paratha turns golden brown when it gets cooked. See that both the sides are cooked well.

It's soft and moist, serve hot with pickle and yogurt.  Do try this recipe with the leftover rice you have in the refrigerator and Enjoy!

Labels : Leftover series, Cooked Rice, Sunday Funday, Breads, Flatbread, Breakfast, Main Course, Parathas

For our event called Sunday Funday, wherein we share recipes our families will love to enjoy on a Sunday. I thank our host for this week's event Stacy of https://www.foodlustpeoplelove.com 

Sunday Funday: Holiday Leftovers Transformed! 

• Chatpata Leftover Rice Paratha from Sneha's Recipe
• Savory Bread Pudding from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Thai-style Turkey Glass Noodle Salad from Food Lust People Love
• Turkey and Stuffing Quiche from Palatable Pastime
• Turkey Cranberry Sliders from Making Miracles
• Turkey Tamale Skillet from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Goalondo Chicken Curry With Bella Chara Porota#EattheWorld

Goalondo Chicken Curry is also know as a steamer curry or boatmen style chicken curry is a very rustic curry. more like a stew made with fresh cut chicken pieces with skin and just basic spices. This chicken curry used to be made by the Muslim boatmen on river routes. Since, there were very limited resources to make the chicken curry in boat/steamer, this usually made with freshly chopped ingredients. I added boiled eggs to the curry as it is mostly added by them. I made this in a traditional way using mustard oil and the curry tasted so good, that you won't get that smell of the oil while enjoying this curry. Do use mustard oil in this curry as it also gives a nutty flavor to the curry.  Do not add any water while cooking the chicken. We had this with Bella Chara Porota, a fantastic combo. 

The name Golando is got from 'Goalundo Ghat'. I believe in earlier years "If one went from Calcutta to Dacca the rail journey is broken at Goalundo  and from there people continued their journey by steamer, hence, the name of this rustic chicken curry. You will love the flavor and taste of this curry.
Ingredients
500 gm Chicken, Cut into Medium Sized Pieces

Grind to paste

3 Medium Onions - chopped 
2"  Piece Ginger - chopped 
10 Cloves  Garlic -  chopped 
5-6 Chopped Fresh Green or Red Chilies or according to taste

Other Ingredients
3/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 Curry Spoon Mustard Oil
Salt to taste
3 Quarter Boiled Eggs

1" Piece Ginger - cut into juliennes

2 Green Chillies - slit  

Method

Clean and wash the chicken nicely, drain water completely and  pat dry it with a kitchen towel.

In a bowl, combine chicken, ginger, garlic, onion and turmeric powder. Mix well. Set it aside for at least an hour.
In a another pan heat the mustard oil   very well still it starts to release fumes/smoking hot ( this process will eliminate the smell of the oil) switch of the flame and let it cool for 2 -3  minutes.  Now add the marinated chicken and stir over medium high heat for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste, give it a stir, cover, with a lid that you can add water on top, so that the chicken is cooked in its, own steam.  Cook for about 25 - 30 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally, till the chicken is tender. Stir occasionally,  when the chicken is cooked, add the eggs,  ginger juliennes, slit green chillies,  give it a quick stir. Keep it on low flame for another  4 to 5 minutes. Turn off heat.

Serve Goalondo chicken curry with Bella Chara Porota or steamed rice.

Bella Chara Porota 

A Bella Chara Porota is called Bella Chara since it's made without using a Belan /rolling pin. This process of making a porota is more like a pancake method only difference is that it puffs up like a porota. A particular technique is used to make this porota puff up. This porota is soft and  puffy, made from all purpose flour.  I, watched so many videos on you tube all their porota's puffed but mine, only one puffed a little.  Nevertheless these tasted good with the curry and they were more like pancakes.   They are good to enjoy for  breakfast or with non veg gravy. 

Makes 6 -7 Porota's depending on the size
Ingredients 
1½ Cups Of All Purpose Flour
½ Tsp Salt or to taste
2 Tbsp of Oil
¾  -  1 Cup Water
½ Cup Milk 

Method

Mix the oil, salt and flour well till it forms bread crumbs then add the water, milk and whisk well to make a thin flowing lump free batter, cover it and keep aside for 5 to 10 minutes .
In the meantime

Heat a non stick pan on medium low heat till it is hot, brush a little oil on the pan and wipe it clean with a tissue. 

Pour a ladle full  of batter on to the pan

let it cook till bubbles appear on top 

flip it and let it cook for 2 minutes, 

then spread oil on  all  sides

let is cook on medium high flame by pressing the sides with a spatula on all sides and keep turning,

flipping till nice golden brown spots  and it start to puff.  After every porota, wipe the pan clean with a kitchen towel so that the  pan is clean of any traces of oil, then only add a fresh batch of batter. 

Bella Chara Porota's are ready!!

Enjoy with this Bangladeshi Goalondo Chicken Curry.

Lables : Bangladesh, Breads, Chicken, Eat the World, Flatbread

Check out all the wonderful Bangladeshi dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us! 

 Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Fulkopir Chop (Bangladeshi Cauliflower Fritters) 

Pandemonium Noshery: Zafrani Pulao 

Sneha’s Recipe: Goalondo Chicken Curry With Bella Chara Porota 

Palatable Pastime: Jhal Muri (Spicy Puffed Rice Street Snack) 

Making Miracles: Bangladeshi Chicken Korma 

Kitchen Frau: Chingri Masala (Bangladeshi Prawn Curry) 

Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Shemai (Sweet Vermicelli Pudding) 

A Day in the LIfe on the Farm: Yogurt and Cilantro Marinated Chicken