Chapati Cooked with Coconut Milk

You may think of chapatis as an Indian food, but they are very common in East Africa as well. Substituting coconut milk for the water adds a rich, velvety taste and texture to this staple food. If you are using canned coconut milk be sure to get the unsweetened kind. Shake or stir it well to mix in the cream before using. You can use white flour or whole wheat flour. I like to use white whole wheat flour, which is a whole grain flour made of a lighter and sweeter variety of wheat.

Ingredient list

• 3 cups white flour plus extra for dusting countertop
• 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1 ⁄ 2 cups coconut milk
• oil or ghee for brushing pan

Preparation

1. Mix flour and salt in a large bowl.
2. Add coconut milk and stir to form a soft dough. Add more flour or liquid as needed to make a dough which is soft but can still be handled without sticking.
3. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces and roll into balls. Cover with a damp cloth and leave for at least 30 minutes.
4. On a floury surface, roll out balls into very thin discs about 8-10 inches in diameter.
5. Preheat a large cast iron skillet. Brush the surface with oil or ghee. Place the first chapati in skillet. Press surface lightly with a paper towel to make air bubbles appear in dough. This makes a nice speckled surface. Cook for about 1 minute, then flip and cook other side, pressing dough again with towel. When dough is cooked through and lightly browned in spots, remove from pan. Continue with remaining chapatis. Usually you do not need to add more oil to the pan after the first chappati. You can stack chapatis on a warm plate as they are taken from the pan.

Yield: 12 chapatis