Years ago, probably when I was in school,I first attempted to prepare chapathis / Roti. They would be stiff as a card board and I used to be very embarrassed when I compared that with mom's super soft and fluffy chapathis.Years later, after I started blogging, I saw this recipe - Khakhra . The chef mentioned that these can be compared to crispy chapathi!I smiled at myself , I had unknowingly prepared khakras!!When Srivalli announced the theme for this month's Indian Cooking Challenge, it got back all those memories...
We were given the basic khakhra recipe and I prepared Methi Khakra. Khakra's are from the Gujarati cuisine. They are prepared from wheat flour and roasted to get a crispy flatbread. There are several varieties of khakhras and there are several ways of serving these too.
I used:
Wheat flour - 1 cup
Methi / Fenugreek leaves - a fistful
Ghee- 1 teaspoon
Cumin - 1 teaspoon
Pepper powder- 1/2 teaspoon
Asafoetida powder- a pinch
Salt to taste
Rice flour for dusting
1. Combine all the ingredients and knead to a smooth dough adding a little water.Let it rest for 10 minutes.
2. Divide the dough into small balls.
3.Roll out the balls into thin circles dusting a little rice flour. The chapathis have to be really thin like this...
4. Heat griddle and when it is hot, lower the flame and place a rolled out chapathi on it.
5.Cook till small bubbles appear.Drizzle a little oil on the side.Using a chapathi preser[pic below] press well on the surface of the khakhra and cook on both sides in the similar manner till it turns crispy.
6. Transfer onto a kitchen towel.
7. Repeat for the remaining dough.
8.Do not stack the khakhras till they are completely cook, else it will turn soggy.
9. Store in airtight container.
Serve with tea / curd and pickle or enjoy as it is....
Note
- While adding methi leaves, include just the leaves. The stalks will make the rolling out a little difficult.
- You can also use a cloth napkin that is folded to press the khakras.[in step 6]
- It is very important that you don't stack these till they are completely cooled.
- The thinner they are rolled out, the crispier they will be.
I rolled out a portion of the dough and used a knife to cut wedges. They are excellent finger foods.I loved this with a little lemon-green chilli pickle dipped in fresh yogurt....
Labels: * Indian Cooking Challenge, Flatbreads, Gujarat, Methi
