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* Breads and Crepes |
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Whether they are humble everyday staples or creatively flavored and artfully prepared, Indian breads are integral to the country's cuisine. With roots well before Vedic times (the Vedas is a collection of Hindu scriptures believed to have been written about 5,000 years ago), no meal is complete without some form of bread made from dough or from a batter, which are similar to crepes and pancakes. Breads are used as scoops to sop up curries and as wraps for all dry-cooked dishes. Even the rice-eating communities, like those in the south and in the east of India, serve breads along with rice. Indian breads are great-tasting, quick-cooking, easy enough to be made fresh at every meal, and nutrient-rich, because most are made with whole-grain flours. Made with whole-grain flours (except for the occasionally consumed naans, kulchas and bhaturas) and flours made from legumes, Indian breads are great-tasting, full of healthful nutrients, quick-cooking, and easy enough to be made fresh at every meal. Whole-wheat flour (gehun ka atta or atta) is by far the most popular for breads. The whole-wheat flour used for Indian breads is typically made by stone-grinding the whole kernel of wheat--bran, germ, and endosperm. Although all varieties of whole-wheat can be used to make the flour, Indians generally use a winter variety called durum--the hardest wheat of all. It is white and has a high protein-to-starch ratio and more gluten, which is necessary to bind the breads and give them their characteristic light texture. On the other hand, American whole-wheat flour, the type available in supermarkets, is made with a soft summer wheat and is not best suited for Indian breads. This flour is reddish in color, has a coarser texture, and yields heavier breads. Stone-ground durum wheat flour is available in most health food markets and in all Indian markets. If you can't find it, mix two parts whole-wheat flour with one part all-purpose flour, although even this leads to heavier and drier breads. There are many types of Indian breads distinguished mainly by how they are made. Of course, there are variations and exceptions, but this classification generally holds true. GRIDDLE BREADS: Made on the tava (concave Indian griddle), these are mostly non-leavened, round, triangular, or square flatbreads called roti, chapati, phulka, rotli, and parantha. DEEP-FRIED BREADS: Fried in an Indian wok or deep skillet, these leavened and un-leavened breads are called poori, kulcha, lucchi, or baati. They can be as small as 3 inches in diameter or as big as 1 foot across. TANDOORI BREADS: Baked by slapping them along the inside wall of a tandoor oven, these breads, called tandoori roti, parantha, naan, or kulcha, can be round or triangular. CREPES AND PANCAKES: Griddle-fried and made with batters rather than a dough, and eaten in place of standard breads; these breads, called dosas, uthapam, pudhas, and chillas, are generally round. Most of the everyday breads such as the chapatis (whole-wheat griddle breads) and paranthas (griddle-fried breads) are typically made on a tava--a round, slightly concave, cast-iron griddle. It looks like an omelet pan, with a gentle, gradual curve to the bottom but without a lip. A tava comes in various sizes--anywhere from 10 inches to 3 feet, but only the smaller 10- to 12-inch ones are used in homes. Look for tava griddles in Indian markets. Tava griddles, though crucial to Indian bread making, can be replaced with a regular square or rectangular cast-iron or nonstick griddle. To keep your breads from sticking to it, season it every time you wash it. To season, h at the tava over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Put 2 to 3 drops of melted ghee or oil on it, and quickly, with a clean cotton kitchen towel; spread the oil all over the tava. There will be a lot of smoke for a minute or two, until you wipe off the oil, so turn on the exhaust fan and open the windows, if you have any in the kitchen. Do not wash the tava with soap and water after each use. As long as you use your tava only to make breads, after using it, just let it cool completely, wipe off any excess flour, and store it someplace dust free. I store mine in the oven. Organize your recipes and simplify meal planning...Download the Cook'n Recipe Organizer for FREE!
SIMPLE GRIDDLE BREADS Basic Whole-Wheat Dough Whole-Wheat Griddle Breads Multi-Flour Griddle Breads GRIDDLE-FRIED BREADS (PARANTHAS) Basic Griddle- Fried Breads Griddle-Fried Oat Breads with Ajwain Seeds Griddle-Fried Legume Breads Griddle-Fried Spinach and Red Bell Pepper Breads My Healthy Griddle-Fried Mashed Potato Breads. Griddle- Fried Layered Mint, Ajwain, and Black Pepper Breads Griddle- Fried Layered Green Chile Pepper Breads Griddle-Fried Flaky Onion Breads Griddle- Fried Mughlai Breads with Almonds and Poppy Seeds STUFFED GRIDDLE-FRIED FLATBREADS Basic Stuffed Griddle-Fried Breads Potato Parantha Stuffing Cauliflower Parantha Stuffing Daikon Radish Parantha Stuffing Paneer Cheese Parantha Stuffing Ground Lamb Parantha Stuffing Sweet Jaggery-Stuffed Paranthas PUFFED DEEP-FRIED BREADS (POORIYAN) Basic Deep-Fried Puffed Breads Deep-Fried Puffed Breads with Ajwain Seeds Deep-Fried Puffed Breads with Mint (or Fenugreek) Deep-Fried Puffed Breads with Fresh Spinach Deep-Fried Stuffed Puffed Breads Deep-Fried Sweet Saffron Puffed Breads Deep-Fried Bengali-Style Flour Breads Deep-Fried Leavened Flour Breads OVEN-GRILLED NAAN AND OTHER BREADS Basic Oven-Grilled Leavened Breads Oven-Grilled Garlic and Turmeric Breads Spicy Oven-Grilled Breads with Kalonji or Sesame Seeds Oven-Grilled Breads with Dried Herbs and Spices Stuffed Pepper Jack Cheese Oven-Grilled Breads Oven-Grilled Tofu Breads Baked Semolina Breads SPECIAL BREADS Punjabi Griddle-Fried White Corn Breads Griddle-Fried Chickpea Flour Breads Griddle-Fried Leavened Breads Griddle-Cooked Flour and Potato Bread for Spicy Wraps Griddle-Fried Millet Breads with Potatoes Griddle-Fried Sorghum Breads with Onions Griddle-Fried Gujarati Fenugreek Breads Griddle-Fried Opo Squash Breads Basic Rajasthani Rolls Potato Stuffed Baati Rolls Rolls with Oat Bran and Fresh Mint CREPES AND PANCAKES Basic South Indian Rice and Bean Crepes Semolina Crepes Stuffed South Indian Crepes Rama's Sweet Crepes Crispy Chickpea Flour Crepes Traditional Lentil Pancakes Yellow Mung Bean Pancakes Stuffed Mung Bean Pancake Rolls Rice Flour Pancakes with Carrots Semolina Pancakes with Tomatoes and Bell Peppers From "1,000 Indian Recipes." Copyright 2002 by Neelam Batra. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Sign up for our free monthly newsletter, with recipes, cooking tips and more! |
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