IMBB 18 Frying!

When I heard about the fried food required for this month's Is My Blog Burning (IMBB) my head was full of all sorts of fabulous deep fried goodies, Ayam Goreng, Fish and Chips, Donuts. But then I remembered that I have implace a vieto on homemade deep fried goodies, to much fat everywhere and it can only be a sliding slope from there (I mean to deep fried goodnes all the time ;) ). So when I found my Chapati Press last week I new that FRIED BREAD or Chapati would be in my near future and would be perfect for this IMBB! YAY! The recipe/method I used is courtosey of Nupur who lovingly left her longest and most useful comment which contained everything I needed to make this yummy bread! To go with the yummy bread I needed something Indian that was smooth and would be perfect to be picked up with the tender Chapati. I found a recipe for Dudhi Channigewhich was perfect to eat with the Chapati, it was actually not only perfect but delicious and one of the best meals I have made in awhile :).

To make the Chapati I found a HUGE Indian Grocer in Ashfield which had the required 'Atta' flour for $1.30 for a Kilo! The Chapati where very easy to make, whilst I was kneading the dough I was delighted with how smooth and tender the dough became, the dough was alittle wetter than you would normally make it for bread, but as I kneaded I noticed that this was good, I think it also prevented the dough from drying out as I pressed them later on. I made sure to knead the dough til it was really smooth and stretchy which is important when you are trying to make the Chapati really thin later. Whilst I don't yet have a griddle pan I used my Le Creuset Saute dish which when really hot worked really well, I found out that the thinner I could make the dough the better they puffed up. Even if you don't have a Chapati press I would definately recommend making them as they are so easy and delicious.

Thanks Linda for choosing such a yummy theme for IMBB
Chapati Dough( Courtesy of Nupurs comment :) )
Chapati dough is simple enough to make: simply whole wheat flour, pinch of salt and water kneaded together to make a soft smooth-as-a-babys-bottom dough, cover with a damp towel and let it rest for 20-30 minutes, then make golf-ball size balls and roll ( or press) out the chapatis. Bake them over a hot griddle/ frying pan. After dry-roasting the chapati, remove it from the fire and drizzle with a few drops of oil or ghee so it stays soft till it is eaten. Having said that, here are a few notes:
1. The flour that is used for chapatis has a texture coarser than all-purpose flour and finer than the whole wheat flour found in Western groceries. A good idea would be to locate an Indian grocery and buy a package of flour there. It is called "atta".
2. Some people add a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil while kneading the dough to make it more pliable.
3. Authentic chapatis are not merely flat breads, they are LAYERED flat breads. Here is how you could do it. Make a ball of dough. With a rolling pin, roll it out a bit till it is a small circle. Dab some oil all over the circle. Now fold the circle into half and then quarter. Pat this shape into a ball and then press it out into a chapati. what happens is: after cooking , the layers seperate and puff up, helped by the dab of oil between the layers and you get an authentic chapati.

Dudhi Channige
250 gms chana dal
1/2 kg bottlegourd (dudhi) ( I didn't use this I use a chopped sweet potato and a chopped red capsicum)
3 onions, chopped finely
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
2 cm piece ginger
4 green chillies
2 tomatoes
1 lemon
2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
oil as needed
salt to taste

seasoning:
1 clove garlic
1 red chilli
a pinch of cumin seeds
a pinch of asafoetida
a small piece of ginger, sliced

Heat 2 tbsps oil and fry the onion till golden brown. Add chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, chopped ginger, green chillies and chopped tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes. Add the channa dal and water enough to cook till dal is soft. Peel and cut the bottlegourd into small pieces and add to the dal mixture. When the vegetable is cooked, add the garma masala powder and salt to taste. Squeeze in lemon juice. Heat 2 tbsps oil, fry the whole red chilli, sliced ginger, crushed garlic, asafoetida and cumin seeds. Pour over the dal mixture. Garnish with coriander leaves.

I also had a Cucumber Raita you can find my recipe here