Today we are going back to basics. I am sharing a very simple, basic recipe that is quite common in millions of kitchens in India – Phulka. Phulka is an Indian flat bread, that’s directly cooked over fire until it puffs up. Roti or Chapati are also very similar to Phulka, but the key difference lies in the form of cooking. Chapati is a flatbread cooked on the tawa with either oil or ghee. Roti is often cooked on the tawa or directly on the flame or in a tandoor oven (if it is tandoori roti) with or without oil/butter/ghee. Between fulka, roti and chapati are also used interchangeably depending on where you grew up and how you were introduced to this Indian bread. The only distinction with Phulka is that it spends less than 30 seconds on the tawa and rest of the time directly on flame – that way it puffs up beautifully.
So why Phulka recipe? When almost every other Indian household makes it at home every day? The reason is simple. Though basic, it can also be that one difficult recipe to nail. Not everyone can make perfectly puffed up fulka and in this recipe, I am going to share tips and tricks that I learnt over the years of practice. Growing up in South India, phulka or roti is not often made at home – at the max once in a week or two weeks. May be that or having grown up eating rice all the time, I love wheat-based main course. North Indian curries/gravies always fascinate me and, in my mind, a home-made restaurant style meal will always have a type of Indian bread with a comforting paneer/mushroom/egg based side dish.
What are the secrets to making perfectly puffed up Phulka?
It is simple and straight forward with just a few things to keep in mind.
📖 Recipe
In a mixing bowl add whole wheat flour, salt as needed. Mix well. Add water little by little and knead it into a soft pliable dough. Knead the dough with the palm of your hand for 5-6 mins gently until it is soft. Add a few drops of oil on top and let it rest covered for 5-15 mins.
Divide the dough into small balls, equally sized. Roll the balls of dough between your palms to make it even and smooth.
Take a ball of dough, dust it lightly with whole wheat flour and roll it into disc of ~10cm diameter and it should be about 1mm in thickness. Dust with a little flour if it sticks to the rolling pin. Repeat this with rest of the dough, keeping each rolled out fulka on a newspaper or plate, not sticking with each other.
Meanwhile heat a tawa on medium flame. Once hot, put a rolled out fulka. Cook for 10 secs and then flip.
Cook the other side for not more than 10 secs and flip again.
Now using tongs, lift the half-cooked fulka and put it directly on flame. You can have two burners going on or you can lift off the tawa with one hand and handle the fulka with the other hand (like I did)
In next 20 secs, the fulka will puff up to its fullest. Carefully lift and flip it, cooking the other side for 10 secs.
Place it back on the tawa or a plate, spread homemade ghee or oil. Repeat this with rest of the rolled out fulkas and stack the cooked ones on top of the other. Place them between tissue papers/cotton cloth in a box or hotbox to retain freshness and softness for many hours after making.
Serve hot with any curry/gravy of your choice.
I use store-bought atta (both Aashirvaad and Pillsbury are good – not sponsored/affiliated) and the phulkas turn out well enough. If you have access to a flour mill, you can make atta at home. Adjust salt and water depending on the taste and how much your flour absorbs water respectively.
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