Parathas are an Indian unleavened bread and an integral part of many Indian meals. Any subzi (vegetable) or curry dish can be fabulous when accompanied with fresh, hot parathas. Try this recipe. It’ll be worth your while! Although we refer to this recipe as Chapatti in the video, this is actually a Paratha recipe. The difference between the two is that Chapattis are cooked without oil whereas Parathas are pan fried.
Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Flour – 1½ cups
Oil – 3 tsp
Salt – ¼ tsp
Warm water – ½ cup + 2 tbsp
Whole Wheat Flour – ½ cup
Oil for pan frying
Method:
- In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt well.
- Add oil and mix again to incorporate the oil into the flour.
- Slowly add warm water and knead to form a dough.
- Shape dough into a ball and rub a few drops of oil on it to coat.
- Cover and let it stand for at least 15 minutes.
- Knead dough once more and divide it into 9 ping pong size balls.
- Roll each ball in your palms and press into a flat circle.
- Put ½ cup of whole wheat flour in a flat bowl or dish.
- Dip a flattened ball into the dry flour and coat it on all sides.
- Using a rolling pin, roll out each ball into a flat disc – similar to a tortilla.
- Keep dipping the dough into the dry flour while rolling so it doesn’t stick.
- Heat a tava or skillet on medium heat.
- Place the rolled chapatti on the skillet.
- When bubbles start to form, flip the chapatti over.
- After about 10-15 seconds, smear the chapatti with a little oil and flip over.
- With a spatula, press the chapatti to make it balloon up.
- Smear the other side with a little oil and flip over again.
- Keep pressing on the bubbles gently to make the entire chapatti rise up.
- Chapatti is done when all the raw dough appears cooked.
Makes 9 Chapattis
Tips:
- Practice, practice, practice! The more you make chapattis, the better you will be at rolling them.
- While rolling a chapatti, gently rub your palm over it. You can immediately feel where it is too thick or too thin. Then, roll accordingly. The goal is to have a chapatti that is the same thickness all around.
- Invest in an insulated chapatti container. As you cook the chapattis, place them in the container and close the lid to keep them piping hot until dinner time.
Watch and learn.
Hi Ameena,
Some naan recipes use eggs in the dough. That means they add the egg while kneading the dough, not after it has been kneaded. You don’t need to add eggs for normal chapati/paratha.
The chapati atta (flour) available in Indian/Pakistani grocery stores is whole wheat. You can use the whole wheat flour available in American stores, but the chapati will be darker in color and the texture may be slightly different.
hello, can i use wheat flour for making chapatis?..
what i meant is, ”they add an egg in the dough..”
hello,
i found in some recipe, they add an egg into the dough?.i have done it before and it taste awful..can u suggest me anything..thanks,,
Yes, I guess that was the problem. Now they have come out very nice.
Hi Olga,
If you have followed the recipe/procedure exactly, the only thing I can think of is that you are overcooking the chapati. If the heat is low, it forces you to take longer to cook the chapati and the chapati will dehydrate. Try increasing the heat a little and cook only until the appearance of raw dough is gone. Higher heat will also help to puff up the chapati.
Hi! I had already tried few recipes before and now I have tried this one, and I always have same problem: although they taste quite well, the chapatis come out crispy, not soft, I mean totally crispy, definitely you can’t fold them as they would break and for sure you can’t use them to pick food. I guess I might be doing something wrong, but don’t have any idea bout what it might be. It seems to me that I am doing everything as shown in the video. 🙁 Please help.
Great website. I was thinking of creating a website like this and decided not to since this is exactly what people are looking when it comes to this type of food. Please continue the great job!
When I make chappatis/rotis I usually half cook it on both sides and then put it directly on the stove. Then when it is fluffy I take it off and then spread oil on it. Is it the right way to do it?
Just wanted to let you know the Chapati turned out perfect!! Thank you!!
I just found your website, and love it!! I love the video, every time my aunties come from India they try to teach me how to cook Indian food, but after they leave I can never make it the same. Your videos are wonderful. I am making Chapati tonight, so I hope its good.
I have been trying to make chapattis like our cook used to make in Pakistan without sucess until I watched you two wonderful girls. I tried it and it’s just like I remember. Thank you!
Hi Deanna,
If you have followed the recipe and method exactly, there are a couple of things which could change the texture of the chapati. The temp of the tava/skillet should be nice and hot before you put the first one on. Also, the thickness of the rolled chapati could affect the texture. The thinner you roll it, the lighter it will be. Like you said, it takes some amount of practice to get it right. Good luck!
Hi, this recipe was great. I’ve tried it thrice now but need lots more practise in rolling the dough out into perfect rounds. please could you tell me why is it that some of my chapatis come out nice and light while others are heavy and chewy? Please could you also post a recipe video for naan? thanks very much!
You can store cooked chapati or roti in the refrigerator for a week. Just make sure, you have it in an air tight container. To re-heat, you can put it on the tava or in a toaster oven. Do not microwave.
hello… how can i store cooked chapati and roti for a week?
Hi Dhingli,
Roti dough is usually a little on the softer side (less firm). Also, oil is not used when cooking the rotis. They start off the same way (cook both sides on a tava), then the roti is placed over the flame and allowed to puff up with hot air. Ghee (clarified butter) is applied to it at the end.
hi a quick question! amm this one was for chappati… now is it okie to use same method for roti…
please advice thanks
~dhingli
Hi mam!
Thank u for your reply!!!
Hi Leesha,
We have a video for making chapatti atta in bulk. Please see the following link:
https://34.233.61.50/2008/09/18/chapatti-dough-in-bulk/
You do not need to let the dough rest before freezing.
Hi, thank your hard work. I want to try your parathas/chippathis but please advise me on how to use the food processor and how to freeze. Now, do I add the same quantity when use the food processer. Then do I still need to coat the dough with oil and let it sit for a while before freezing. And lastly, do I just place the quantity I need in a ziploc bag and freeze, and tell me how to thaw.
Thanks
Hi Priya,
Anywhere from 4-6 should be ok. It all really depends on your tava (skillet). Thicker bottom ones can take more heat.
hi mam!!
Sorry one more doubt.. my electric stove has numbers corresponding to heat! 1 to 10. can u suggest the no for medium heat….? kindly help.
thanks,
priya
hi mam!!
Priya again!! Thank u so much for your chappati help!!! they are far better than wat i had mentioned. Also,i have started using ghee. After making it,i take it of the stove,and spread some ghee(little on both sides) on it. this is for my husband!!! he is thin.. and says that he is ok with ghee!! For me..its oil! 🙂
You have made cooking so nice and encouraging!
thank u once again!!!
hi Mam!
Thank you for reply. I would do as u say and definetly get back to u! I did go to an indian grocery store but ended up buying a 10 lb bag of sujata atta. I did see laxshmi brand…but just your reply today! Bad luck. 🙁
ill surely buy it next time i go to an indian grocery.
Thank u once again.
Hi Priya,
First, start out by making the chapatti/paratha just a plain round (without folding and making layers). They don’t have to be dry – you can still use oil while frying them. The folded triangular parathas are delicious when they are hot off the tava, but they tend to get tough for later use.
Next, try buying a insulated container to keep the paratha in. Simply covering with a cloth still dries out the paratha. The insulated box will keep them hot as well as moist.
Try to follow this recipe exactly and let us know if you still have problems.
I use Laxmi brand atta which is available in most Indian grocery stores.
Hi mam,
Pl help me for sure mam since im having a very bad time with chappati’s also. Weekly thrics my husband prefers to take chappatis to office..and i end up making those imperfect ones as i mentioned in my first comment.
hi mam,
Can u please suggest me a proper atta brand available here in US.Currently im using Sujatha brand. Being a south indian,my husband prefers paratha(triangular) to dry chappati. He always says that they are not kinda cooked from inside but look very much cooked from outside. My paratha gets that small bubbles wen put on the tava as usual and later puff up entirely after a few turns(i do add oil for shallow frying). They look great but trust me,not that good to eat. I mean..they become kinda chewy and hard as we eat. offlate i started using curd while kneading thinking it will soften my chappati. 🙁 no use! I use oil while kneading,cover them with a cloth immediately after i remove it from tava etc etc. The heat measurement in my electric stove is in the forms of numbers..1,2,3 etc. Pl help me.
hi hetel and anuja
i enjoy ur recipes a lot,especially rava idli is awesome.hetel can u please post makki ki roti fo me.i want video for that recipe.ur site is good with limited number of recipes.
bye
I tried the chappatti’s and they really turned out well.. I have tried making chappatti earlier but they never turned to be as good as this.
I’m so grateful to you .You are excellent teacher and I pray to be a good learner
Hi Rach,
Try cooking your chapati on a lower temperature (flame). I am guessing that the outside burns well before the inside has a chance to cook. Also, chapatis that fluff up have a better chance of cooking evenly by the steam which is trapped inside.
Hope this helps!
Hetal
Help! My chapati don’t cook well inside! 🙁
Hi Dave,
You can definitely refrigerate or freeze chapatis. They won’t be exactly as soft as if you had made them fresh (right off the stove), but in a crunch, they can be a lifesaver. They will keep in the fridge for at least a week if kept in an airtight container. To reheat, put them back on a skillet or tava. You can even put them in a toaster oven, but do not microwave or they will turn chewy.
Hi, Great website .. I enjoyed looking at the recipes ..I was wondering if I can make chapatis and refrigerate them .. how long can they be fresh if refrigerated? Thanks.
Cool Site!!! Enjoyed every bit of it…
I tried making the chapattis yest and for the first time in my entire life that it turned out soft.
I did add a small amount of milk to the warm water. And less than 1/2 cup of warm water to make the dough.
I wanted to know how you make such perfect baloons puff out. I had many small small ballons only puff up!!! ANywayz , thanks a lot to you both and wish u luck on ur journey…
Got to try out the tandoori roti today!
Take care and good work….
Hi Shama,
The rolling pin we use is native to Gujarat, India. You may be able to find it in some of the larger Indian grocery stores that sell utensils.
Hello Malizea,
Making the perfect chapati takes a little bit of practice. The key to having your chapati puff up is to roll it evenly all over. Also, try not to make it too thin. Again, practice, practice, practice. Good luck!
Hi Beachlover,
We will put down Daebra on our list to do. Thanks!
Hetal/Manuja, can you guys tell me where can I buy the rolling pin from?
There are three sites i found the rolling pin at if you are still looking for them
redhotcurry.com
http://www.ishopindian.com/rolling-pin-thin-gujarati-style-pr-22685.html
http://www.spicesofindia.co.uk/acatalog/Rosewood-Chapati-Rolling-Pin.html
hi! this recipe is very good but i have a problem my chappati do not balloon up! could you tell me why and help me to resolve my problem!
sorry for my bad english ( iam french!)
I was wondering if you had a recipe for daebra you could send me. I would greatly appreciate it. My mother was friends with a Gujarati lady who cooked the best food. I have never been able to find her type cooking in a restaurant, so I am going to fix it at home. I have found a shaak recipe that looks like hers, only hers had vegetables along with the potatoes in it. If you have a veg/potato shaak recipe I would also appreciate that. Thank you so much!
Hi Al,
Chapati or Plain Paratha like these are not traditionally eaten as appetizers…more as something to pick up your vegetable/meat curry. You can probably try the Aloo Paratha recipe (Potato Stuffed Bread) and use it as an appetizer with some yogurt or Indian pickle.
Hi,
what herbs could be sprinkled on top of the chapati to serve it as an appitizer? Thanks for this great recipe.
Hi Meeta,
We would call it “gentle force”. You definitely don’t want to squeeze the life out of the chapati, but at the same time, you need to press on the part that bubbles up to force the air into the remaining parts. Good luck!
Hi,
I like to idea of pressing the chapatis with a spatula. Should I do it gently or with some force. I never succeed in this. Please share your tips on that.
Thanks in advance,
Hi George,
We have used 1/2 cup of water. Sometimes, the camera angle makes the the amount of water in the measuring cup look different. Honestly, we do not know if altitude or climate affects the amount of water needed. Please try the recipe and let us know how it turns out.
Hi there
I noticed that your recipe says 1/2 cup of water, but the video shows more than 1/2 cup. I have not made chapatti yet, but I bought some atta today for a dinner I am making later in the week. Does the amount of water differ for altitude or climate?
Thanks
Hi!
Its really good to learn such recipe in the most easiest way specially girls like us who very net savvy. I have learnt many recipes from ur site .
I have one request I want to learn how to make butter nan can u plz keep my request
looking forward for more such tasty and easy recipe.
Regards,
Hiya
hi Hiya! I love this website! there’s also another indian cooking website. I have made naans from this recipe and it comes out fantastic 😀
http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/2007/05/22/naan-bread/
Good website. Enjoyed reading the recipes. Keep up the good work.
SJ