Chapatis from scratch

For five years now, Wednesdays have been Curry Wednesdays. It was the first thing we decided as new flatmates and somehow it's just always stuck. We used to plot the menu for an entire week, often not finish making it until way past midnight and rarely even make a dent on the masses we'd cooked.

I've finally managed to scale down productions to just one, or maybe two (who can say no to dahl?), but after discovering how to make chapatis, I feel I might still be cooking into the small hours for quite a few more Wednesdays to come. It's not that they take long to make or are fiddly in the slightest, they're just really fun and one is never enough for me.

The recipe below is the simplest form, and then once you've mastered that, just add whatever you feel like- maybe a little curry powder, plain soy yoghurt (works just as well as dairy yoghurt) cumin, chopped coriander...or whatever takes your chapati fancy.

Makes enough for 12

Ingredients
2 cups of wholemeal flour or chapati flour
1 cup warm water
Pinch of salt
2 tbsp sunflower/vegetable oil

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl, then gradually add in the warm water. Next add the salt and any flavourings you wish to add also.  Work the mixture until it is all combined in a soft dough, and if you have time, leave aside this for 10-30 minutes. If you're making a curry along side this, I would get all the ingredients cooked now, until you are just waiting for the curry to reduce- then everything should be ready at the same time.

Chop the dough into segments- you should be able to get 12 from this recipe. On a well floured surface, roll the chapati out until it is as thin as you can handle it. The dough seems to absorb a lot of flour so keep the rolling pin and surface well covered if it starts to stick.

With a dry frying pan on a medium high heat, add the chapati and heat until it starts to puff up- then flip it over and do the other side. In this time it's easy to roll the next chapati, as long as you keep an eye on the pan.

Stack all your chapatis on the side, and while this is going on check on your curry if you are making one. I chose sweet potatoes, green lentils, spinach and chickpeas for last week's curry night.

Once you have finished all the chapatis, serve up warm or with a soy yoghurt dip. These also taste great the next day microwaved along with any curry leftovers- so remember to hold a few back!