Naturalist

A Chapti is a unleavened pancakelike bread from India, usually made from a simple mixture of whole-wheat flour and water. The dough is rolled into thin rounds and baked on a griddle. Pieces of chapati are torn off and used as a scoop or pusher for many East Indian dishes.A Roti Prata is a dough-based flat pancake that is cooked by heating over a flat grill plat.


Chapati recipe

Ingredients:

2 Cups - Pillsbury Chakki Fresh Atta
1/4 teaspoon Salt
3/4 tablespoon Oil
water
Little oil for making chapathis

Method:
Mix the salt and oil to the flour. Add water little by little and Knead the dough. The consistency should not be too sticky or too hard.

Make small balls and roll each ball. Dredge in the flour if its sticky.

Heat a Tawa and place a rolled chapathi. After you notice the chapathi slightly puffing, immediately apply very very little oil and press all around and turn around the chapathi ( Do not allow the other side to become too dry). Press the Chapathi. Again you will notice the chapathi puffing. Again apply very little oil on the upper side and turn around the chapathi again. After a couple of seconds, take away the chapathi from the Tawa. The final product should still be soft. These chapathis are healthy and remain soft for longer duration.

This information can be found at http://www.paajaka.com/2007/03/soft-chapathis.html

A Jalebi is a delicious dessert. Jalebis are orange yellow in color and are about 3 inches in diameter. They are essentially deep fried batter in a coiled form soaked in sugar syrup.You Tiao, or You Zha Gui, is breadsticks fried in pairs (two sticks stuck together).


Jalebi recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups All purpose flour (maida)
11/2 tbsp fine grained semolina or rice flour
1/4th tsp baking powder
2 tbsp curd (plain yogurt)
11/4th cups warm water
1/2 tsp saffron threads, slowly dry-roasted and powdered
3 cups sugar
2 2/3rd cups water
1/2 tsp green cardamom seeds powder
11/2 tbsp kewra water or rose water
Ghee or vegetable oil for frying

Method:
Mix the flour, semolina or rice flour, baking powder, curd and 3/4th cup of the water in a bowl (preferably a ceramic bowl). Mix well with a whisk.
Mix well and then add remaining water and 1/8th tsp. of saffron powder, and whisk until smooth.
Set aside for about 2 hours to ferment.
Whisk thoroughly before use.
Prepare one string syrup by dissolving sugar in the water. Just before the syrup is ready add saffron and cardamom powder.
Heat oil in a kadhai. Pour the batter in a steady stream ( or coconut shell with a hole) into the kadhai to form coils. Make a few at a time.
Deep fry them until they are golden and crisp all over but not brown.
Remove from the kadhai and drain on kitchen paper and immerse in the syrup.
Leave for at least 4-5 minutes so that they soak the syrup.
Take the jalebi out of syrup and serve hot.

This information can be found at http://www.diwalicelebrations.net/diwali-recipe/jalebi.html