Curried Flatbread Recipes

CURRIED FLATBREAD

Steps:

• Mix the flour, salt, yeast and oil in a large bowl and add enough water to make a soft, but not sloppy, dough. Knead well. Put into a lightly oiled bowl to rise for 1 hr until doubled in size.
• Roll out the dough into a square 25cm in diameter on a lightly floured surface. Then spread over the sultanas, curry powder and chutney leaving a 1cm gap around the edges. Fold over one side of the dough (like a book) and press down to seal. Roll the dough out again to the same size. Divide the dough into 8 pieces, about 250g each, and use a rolling pin to flatten each one into a circle, 15cm in diameter and about 1cm thick. Put the pieces on a lightly floured baking tray to prove for a further 5 mins.
• Heat a large frying pan to a medium heat and dry-fry each piece of dough until browned on both sides, about 5 mins in total, then set aside to cool slightly before serving.

DOUBLES

Steps:

• For the bara (or flatbread): Put the sugar and yeast in a medium bowl. Stir in the warm water and let it sit until bubbles begin to form, about 5 minutes.
• Stir to combine the flour, salt, cumin, black pepper and turmeric in a medium bowl. Add the water and yeast mixture to the flour and knead, using your hands or a mixer with a dough hook attachment, until the dough is smooth and glossy, about 2 1/2 minutes.
• Lightly oil a large bowl with cooking spray and place the dough in the bowl. Spray the dough and place plastic wrap directly on top of the dough, then add plastic wrap to the top of the bowl as well. Let the dough sit in a warm draft-free place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
• Heat the oil to 350 degrees F in a large Dutch oven or cast-iron skillet. Turn the dough out onto a flour-dusted work surface. Working one at a time and keeping the unused portions covered, flatten a small ball of dough with a rolling pin to the thickness of 2 tortillas, about 4 inches.
• Working in batches, fry the flattened dough until puffed and golden, about 45 seconds per side. Drain on a paper-towel-lined plate. Transfer the baras to a plate and cover with plastic wrap to steam and keep warm.
• For the chickpeas: Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over low heat. Saute the onion, garlic, minced chile and a large pinch of kosher salt, about 10 minutes. Add the curry powder, allspice, cumin, nutmeg, paprika, black pepper, cayenne, bouillon cube, chickpeas and chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and cook until all the liquid has reduced, about 1 hour. Right before serving, season with salt and lime juice to taste.
• For the tamarind sauce: Add the sugar, tamarind paste and 1 cup water to a small pot over low heat. Warm until the tamarind paste has dissolved into the water, about 5 minutes. Remove and cool.
• For the pepper sauce: Put the habaneros, garlic, white balsamic vinegar and a pinch of salt in a blender and puree until smooth.
• For the cilantro sauce: Add the cilantro, white balsamic vinegar, and salt to a blender and puree until smooth.
• For the garnish: Toss the cucumber and cilantro in a bowl with a pinch of salt.
• To assemble: Place two baras slightly overlapping on a plate, then top with 2 to 3 spoons of chickpeas. Top with a little tamarind sauce, pepper sauce, cilantro sauce and grated cucumber and cilantro.

MALAYSIAN FLATBREAD (ROTI CANAI) WITH CURRIED LENTIL DIP

Steps:

• Combine bread flour, sugar, kosher salt, egg, melted butter, and water for roti canai in a mixing bowl. Mix with your hands until a shaggy dough forms. Transfer to a work surface and knead until a smooth, elastic dough forms, about 7 minutes.
• Divide dough into 8 equal pieces and form each one into a ball. Coat each ball with vegetable oil, transfer to a plate, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 8 hours, to overnight.
• Melt butter for dip in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, ginger, garlic, kosher salt, curry powder, paprika, cumin, black pepper, and cayenne pepper; stir together and saute until onion has softened and spices are fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook until it starts to toast and caramelize on the bottom of the pan, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in cold water and coconut milk. Add lentils; stir and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 40 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. Reduce heat to low and keep warm while you prepare the roti canai.
• Place 1/4 cup melted butter in a bowl. Transfer rested dough balls onto a lightly oiled work surface. Flatten each ball slightly and rub a little melted butter on top. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let it warm up slightly, about 10 minutes.
• Press on top of the plastic wrap to flatten warmed dough. Remove plastic wrap and add a bit more butter. Stretch each piece from the center out to get it as thin as possible (until almost see-through), adding more butter as needed. Don't worry if there are a few small tears.
• Sprinkle on more melted butter, then pull two sides in towards the center until touching and overlapping slightly. Pull the other two edges in the same way to form a square. Cover with plastic wrap and flatten roti canai one more time.
• Add some melted butter to a skillet set over medium or medium-low heat. Add roti canai and cook until browned, flaky, and crispy on the outside and fully cooked through on the inside, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
• Remove from the skillet and smush it with your hands to fluff it up and separate the layers of dough. Repeat to cook remaining roti canai.
• Sprinkle the curried red lentil dip with cilantro and sliced serrano peppers and serve alongside the roti canai.

CURRIED CAULIFLOWER FLATBREAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Put cauliflower in a roasting pan, drizzle with a tablespoon of oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss. Spread into a single layer and roast until tender and nicely browned, tossing with a spatula halfway through, for a total of 15 to 20 minutes.
• While cauliflower roasts, put flour into a bowl. Add one teaspoon of salt and coconut milk, whisking to eliminate lumps. Batter should be about the consistency of pancake batter. Set aside.
• When cauliflower is finished roasting, sprinkle it with curry powder and toss; fold cauliflower into batter.
• Pour remaining oil into a 10-inch nonstick ovenproof skillet and put in oven. Wait a couple of minutes for oil to get hot, then carefully remove pan, pour in batter, spread it into an even layer and return skillet to oven. Bake for about an hour, or until flatbread is well browned, firm and crisp around edges. (It will release easily from pan when it is done.) Let it rest for a couple of minutes before turning it out and cutting it into wedges.

FLATBREADS

Steps:

• Sift the flours and 1 tsp salt into a large bowl. Add 1 tbsp of the oil and 150ml warm water. Bring together into a soft but not too sticky dough (you may need up to 175ml water). If it feels too wet, add some flour. If it's too dry, add water.
• Tip onto a floured surface and knead for 4-5 mins, or until smooth. Put the dough in an oiled bowl, cover and leave for 30 mins.
• Tip onto a floured surface. Divide into six balls and roll each out into a thin, 18-20cm wide circle using a rolling pin. If you prefer, you can divide again into twelve balls to make smaller flatbreads.
• Brush a heavy-based pan with oil and cook one flatbread over a high heat for 1-2 mins on each side, or until golden and starting to puff. Put on a plate and brush with butter. Repeat with the rest of the dough.