Reg does Two in One: Puri and Chapati/Roti

Here, you'll witness a Reg tip that he held secret for decades, even to his kids! Be it puris or chapatis, find out how to make the perfect bread accompaniment to any curry dish!

 Useful Reg advice:

"Don't measure the dough - make it what you feel. Add milk/flour as you need, to ensure the perfect texture of the dough."

"Don't worry about the shape - you're not going to eat the shape, you're going to eat the ingredient."

"As snack can have it with mango pickle and yogurt."

Preparation time: 10 minutes         Cooking time: 5 minutes         Spice level: Non-regsistant

Ingredients (Serves however many you want)

Note: Reg refuses to measure dough (see Reg advice above)

Wheat flour for the dough
Plain flour for sprinkling

Milk

Pinch of salt

A wok full of oil for deep frying

Dough Instructions

Make the dough and knead it well (we wish we could tell you more than that but Reg encourages "feeling the food").

Puri Instructions

Pour a good amount of oil into a wok and begin to heat. Sprinkle a clean surface with plain flour. Take a half golf ball-sized piece of dough and roll it into a ball. Place the ball onto the floury surface and press it with 3 fingers to make the ball flat. Try and keep the dough circular throughout. Roll the dough into a flat circle (around the size of your palm), flipping and turning the dough to ensure a consistent shape and texture. Add flour as you need - if it sticks to the surface or rolling pin.

To cook, test if the oil is ready by pinching off a tiny piece of dough and putting it into the oil. If the dough floats immediately, it's ready for cooking. Carefully place the puri(s) one-by-one into the oil. Keep covering both sides of the puri with oil or flip to ensure they cook evenly. Once the puri has puffed up "like a balloon" and is golden brown, take it out of the pan and put it onto kitchen roll to absorb excess oil. Make as many as you want: Reg usually makes a batch of around 20. If you're making lots, use folded newspaper to store them before cooking (it doesn't stick to the dough and keeps them from drying out).

Chapati Instructions

Take a golf ball-sized piece of dough and roll into a ball. Flatten with your fingers and roll out into a plate-size, flipping and turning and sprinkling with flour as you roll. Spread two tspns of oil onto one side of the chapati, avoiding the edges. Roll chapati into "a little carpet" then spirally fold the carpet into a "snake". Squash it flat and roll out into a plate-sized circle again.

To cook, heat a frying pan, and when hot, place in the chapati oil-surface down. After a few minutes, brush the upper surface of the chapati with oil. When "blebs" start to appear, flip the chapati over and cook for a further minute. You can brush the other side with oil again and flip it over quickly one more time if you need to. Now your chapati is ready.