singhade ke atte ki roti...(सिंघाड़े के आटे की रोटी) | step by step recipe..

Singhada is Water Chestnut for those are wondering what this weird name is. Singhade ke atte ki roti is an easy recipe if you understand the process step by step. Try it if you are on a gluten free diet or if you are fasting and want to have some roti subzi, you would be able to make a decent roti in fist try I am sure.

Does this one look like a perfectly made chapati, the burn marks et al? I made just one singhade ke atte ki roti to take the pictures of kneading the dough, rolling the chapati and then roasting it on a Tawa (flat griddle). Fluffing the chapati finally on the gas flame, as we do for the whole wheat chapatis.

This flour is not glutinous in texture and hence doesn't make a good dough. When you try to bind it in a dough it doesn't come together first when you add water and then it gets all gooey if added any more water.

But interestingly, as soon as you cook the watery slurry it becomes gummy and ready to bind. So cohesive that it sticks to your fingers like hell.

Let' see how we make the dough first.

Equal quantities of flour and water to start with. One cup of both, the water is heated till it boils. I used my trusted Microwave, you can do that in a round bottom pan (for the ease of churning and kneading later)..

About 3/4th cup of the flour is added to this hot water, the temperature comes down immediately (more because my singhada flour was refrigerated), proceed to whisk to make a slurry, and you don't notice anything unusual. I mean if you use cold water to make this slurry, it would behave the same way.

Using hot water quickens the gelling of the slurry later when you heat it again.

Now the slurry is microwaved again for a minute(for this quantity) or till the periphery starts looking set and darker in color. See picture below...

When doing it in pan you would have to stir it all the time till the slurry almost becomes a dough.

Now use a sturdy spoon to churn or stir the dough in circular motions. You would feel the dough has become 'stronger' and resists churning. This is good.

If you feel the dough is not enough hard to be rolled out into chapatis, add some more flour.

By this time the temperature of the dough would have come down and you can use your hands to knead the dough till it behaves like a regular chapati dough. It feels sticky and cohesive and your fingers wouldn't like it. Using some dry flour to keep kneading helps.

Pinch a ball and smoothen it rolling between your palms. Place on the floured rolling board.

Flatten with your fingers...You would still notice cracking edges. But this is fine.

It rolls out normally like a whole wheat chapati.

Lift up and flip over a hot tawa (griddle)..

Turn as soon as a few bubbles appear, and let it cook on the other side too....

Now lift the chapati, which would be quite hardened to use tongs to lift it up, and grill directly over the gas flame...

Both the sides...I like it flecked with those brown spots...The chaapti normally fluffs up to become all round, I made just one and it fluffed about 80%. Good enough.

The chapati is soft, folds well and gets softer when cooled...

Can be served with any curry, wrapped around some grilled paneer or dipped in some Baba ghanoush, as I did. Baba ghanoush can be made without garlic for fasting days and would be a great nourishing side dish because most Indian fasting recipes are carb loaded, you need some protein in the meals.

This Singhada flour is mostly carbs and a protien rich Baba ghanoush could be a great companion with it.

This Paneer curry with white cashew gravy could be a great side dish with this chapati too...

Raw singhada flour can be mixed with boiled and mashed Arbi ( Colocacia) to make a dough and then can be rolled out and fried like pooris. The boiled and mashed Arbi is quite gummy in texture and binds the Singhada flour well to make a cohesive dough. The pooris are very crisp and kachori like in texture. Those are really tasty with aloo ki subzi. I rarely made them as they soak a lot of ghee, not good for a fasting body :-) My body to be precise. Chapati suits me well.

If you have been looking for a substitute for those singhade ki poori, you know you are at the right place.

This Singhade ke atte ki roti makes a nice gluten free roti/chaapti as well. Try it if you are looking for gluten free options.

I hope this post is helpful to many who are fasting during the auspicious Navratri. It was a long due post and a few of my friends and readers would be glad to see this. Are you?