ROTW (2): Chapatis, made right

Everyone has that one dish that they make so expertly themselves, they have no interest in ever trying it away from home. It could be a fresh-ground morning cup of coffee, your Kraft mac-n-cheese, or that family recipe for matzo ball soup. You know what I'm talking about.

Enticing chapati, to which I did succumb
(Ggaba, outskirts of Kampala, on Lake Victoria)

Anyway, my "twin" has this thing about chapatis. Fresh and incredibly delicious chapatis are sizzling on almost every street corner in Uganda (see exhibit A above), and she doesn't even sniff in their general direction. Meanwhile, I am drawn to them like a mosquito to my ankles! That's how I came to realize that I had to find out her recipe.

So, I here present you with the secrets to making a most superior chapati:

Ingredients
1 cup warm water, 1/2 packed cup grated carrots (or grated coconut, onions, or some other flavor of your choosing), 1/2 tsp salt, 3 tbsp oil (or ghee...mmmm), 2-3 cups wheat flour, lots more cooking oil

Special equipment
rolling pin, hot skillet (preferably cast iron)

Instructions
1. Soak carrots in warm water
2. Add salt to taste  - it should taste just a little too salty at this point, since this is going to flavor the whole dough
3. Add oil to look

Oil - this is what makes the chapatis soft, but not too soft! I know it's not the most gorgeous photo, but I wanted you to see what I saw - the precise science of adding just enough oil for the oil droplets to barely cover the surface of a shallow mixing container

4. Gradually add the flour - first turn with a spoon, then with your hands. It is ready when the dough is soft, springy, and no longer sticky
5. Roll the dough into a rough "baguette", cut into 8 chunks, press into small discs, then roll out each disc into a chapati about 8'' in diameter - keep them about 1/4'' thick, since you want nice, chewy chapatis that you can maneuver through the cooking process
6. Heat your skillet over medium flame, then roast each chapati til bubbles form on both sides. Set aside

Roasting - I am told that this is they key step in making a great chapati, for it brings out the carrot/coconut/onion flavor. Just like some greedy person in the shadows of this photo (who IS that?), you're going to want to eat them right now, but hold on for one final step

Seems pretty healthy so far, right?
Well.
That is about to change.

7. Heat about 1/4 cup oil on the skillet til smokin'. Lay down roasted chapatis 2 at a time so the lower side sizzles while you smooth over the top side, adding oil between turns and flipping every minute or so til you have nice big brown bubbles on both sides of all chapatis

 Frying - apparently the top chapati is very important to the chapati below. First, it keeps in the moisture; second, it applies even pressure. You can also use a spoon or your hands to press down 

Chapatis - (left) fried, finished, ready for feasting; (right) roasted, waiting for a hot oil bath

8. Keep chapatis covered until ready to eat. Then, DEVOUR THEM ALL! These are particularly yummy with just about anything, but beans and eggs are the most common pairings here. Avocado good, too.

Our dinner of chapati and white beans