Om

Ok, Nik, I'll be the one to ask, because I know no one knows what you're talking about. What is chapatis and kitcherie?

Mmmm yummy! I took a crack at pakora the other night for the first time. Failure.

What is chapatis and kitcherie?

Chapati/roti - a type of Indian bread (mostly prepared from wheat flour; there are other types also). If it is prepared using ghee it is called a paratha; if ghee is applied after cooking then it is still a chapati.

I can prepare chapatis; but it doesn't come out in a perfect round shape, always

ghee - clarified butter

Kitchrie - I call it a sick man's diet. It is prepared from rice and pulses. The basic preparation involves: equal amount of rice and any type of pulse and put lots of water, a little salt, turmeric, asafoteida (sp?) and pressure cook. It is recommended when a person is having stomach related problems or are sick for any reason, as it is easy to digest.

Pakora is one snack I can have any time

oh cool I just figured out how to go back to the regular blog page.

Yeah Virgil chapati is a flat bread. It's really good :) as I used too much ghee, mine were a little gooey. I was reading in a recipe book about it today (after the fact :lol:) and you're also supposed to let the flour sit for a couple hours, which I didn't do.

And I guess, actually what I made were parathas then :D because I used ghee before also. I didn't really know what I was doing. :p but it turned out okay. I'm going to try again today.

Now I've heard of it before but what is pakora?

Originally Posted by Virgil

Ok, Nik, I'll be the one to ask, because I know no one knows what you're talking about. What is chapatis and kitcherie?

HEy I know what chapatis are
Only what is teh difference between chapati and naan?
That always confuses me ...

I made them again today and I tried to do things more correctly, but they didn't turn out quite as well. They were a bit smaller, on purpose, but also they weren't quite as good, I think if I can use more ghee somehow before cooking them, they will taste better. But with some sabje and a little salt they tasted sooo good!

Mmm, chapatis are lovely. I like paratha better though (okay, yes not quite as healthy though, but yummy)

Pakoras are like bhajis but smaller and more compacted, and they can be vegetable or chicken.

NikolaiI, are you using a hot enough pan?

I would have thought parathas are healthier. Anyway, I maybe shall have to learn how to make parathas because I think they are better too. I am not sure though.

The paratha (non-stuffed) that I make are triangular in shape. This is what I do:

-take a little dough, and make it round
-roll that dough in dry flour;just enough that it makes flattening easier
-flatten it out a little
-apply some ghee (only a few drops), and spread as much as you can
-fold it into half (it will be in a D shape)
-fold it again (it will become a triangle)
-apply on both sides some dry flour again
-and flatten it out completely, or as much as you want (but too much will make it hard and crispy, like a papad, when cooked)
-put it on a moderately heated pan (if it is too heated, the chapati will burn or will not be cooked properly)
-let it cook; turn it over and let the other side cook a bit
-apply some ghee now, and repeat the step above
-when it becomes brown on all sides; you would know that it is cooked.

Only what is teh difference between chapati and naan?

chapati is made on the stove and usually one at a time.

Naan is made in a tandoor and from all purpose flour. Tandoor is cylindrical in shape mud stove (or is furnace is the right word?). It is heated and the flattend naans are stuck on the inside walls of the tandoor; you can make many naans at a time. Once it is baked / cooked it is taken out and if you do not like it too dry you can put butter or ghee over it.

Okay, parathas are basically what I made at first then. I think they're a lot better. Thanks for explaining, Madhuri.

And, Virgil... you could make some! All you need is some chapati flour and ghee, which you could buy at an Indian store. :)

Originally Posted by NikolaiI

Yeah Virgil chapati is a flat bread. It's really good as I used too much ghee, mine were a little gooey. I was reading in a recipe book about it today (after the fact ) and you're also supposed to let the flour sit for a couple hours, which I didn't do.

Oh is that what that is. I've had that in Indian restaurants. Actually it sounds like at some point I've had everything mentioned by everyone in this blog, just don't remember the names of the foods. There is a section in Manhatten that has a long string of Indian restaurants and college school friends and I would get to go eat there.

Oh cool, Virgil! :)

I got some more experience with chapatis and I can make them perfectly now. It turns out puris are fried, and that's why everyone says they are not as healthy. :) I was told you can make chapatis with ghee in them before you cook them, but this person said it's better not to. I think I'd like to try it though, I think it will taste better.