paratha – MY KAMPALA NOTEBOOK

If you have been following me for a while, you know I am all about fun, colourful, delicious food, and the more vegetables I can put in, the better.

I like my chapati in all colours and flavours, so long as it is healthy (natural) and delightful to my taste buds.

These chapatis are like aloo paratha, but instead of a mashed potato filling, I made one with spicy steamed ripe plantain.

Can you peep the yellow plantain peeking through?

These delicious and filling chapati are a perfect lunchbox or tea time snack, or even with a delicious stew.

Let’s get started:

You will need 1-2 yellow ripe plantain. Boil or steam the plantain with one teaspoon of mixed spices and some salt and pepper.

This is the mixed spice blend I used this time round. I like it in chapati and vegetable dishes and bakes.

Once the plantain is soft and cooked, drain and set aside to cool down completely.

Move on to the chapati dough…

In a large bowl, mix 1 cup each of besan (chickpea flour), all purpose flour and atta (wholemeal) flour.

I like adding besan flour to my chapati, it makes them softer, adds a yellow tinge and some flavour too.

For the chapati dough, I used 2 tbsp of this coconut oil. Paracahute brand works well too.

To the flour, add one teaspoon each of salt and sugar, and 1 cup of warm water. Knead it all well till it becomes a soft and smooth dough.

Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 30-40 minutes.

Once the plantain is cooled down, mash till soft and add a tablespoon of chopped coriander leaves.

Now to make the chapati…

Divide your chapati dough into half, take one half and roll out into a large circle.

Apply a bit of oil, and sprinkle some flour.

Add half of the plantain stuffing, sprinkle a little more flour and roll into a tight jelly roll.

Cut in a similar manner to cinnamon rolls…

Pinch the top of the rolled chapati balls to close them then set aside on a floured surface, Proceed to do the same for the other half of the dough.

Once done, heat up your chapati pan on medium heat, not too hot.

Roll out each chapati as you make them. You do have to be more careful as they filling will seep out and they may stick to the surface you are rolling out on.

Place chapati on the now heated pan and let it cook on one side till bubbles form or rise, then flip to the other side.

You can either let them cook through and brush with oil after you remove from heat, or add the oil to the pan, like normal chapati.

Can you see the plantain patches on the chapati?

The chapati is soft but flaky, and there are little bits of plantain sweetness in each bite.

You can have them with a stew or curry, or for tea. Or just plain on it’s own. The kids loved them plain, I guess cause of the sweetness of the plantain which blends well with the savory spice and fried bread flavour of the chapati.

They are definitely worth a try!

What flavours do you like adding to your chapati?

One of the things I love about Kampala is access to fresh produce in all its glorious colours; and beetroot is in the top ten for a fan of colourful food like me. Beetroot is one of my favourites for its colour, taste, versatility and nutritional benefits. You can have it baked, fried, steamed, raw; so many ways!

Beetroot is good for you. It is full of antioxidants, helps in absorption of iron in the body, has vitamin C, potassium, manganese, fibre, just to name a few. It is such an underrated vegetable.

I always have some in the fridge or freezer for juicing, in a smoothie, salad, baking, even in DIY beauty regimes.
So, if you are a fan of colourful and nutritious food, let’s get started!

I do not have exact measurements as I usually eyeball my ingredients but here is an awesome and simple Kenyan Chapati Recipe.

The thing about Chapati is we all have our different ways of making it. Some add sugar and spices, carrot, pumpkin, coconut milk, all kinds of flours, it really is up to you. I like mixing up the above flours but remember, nothing is cast in stone, it is up to you.

Knead your flour and the beetroot to a smooth ball, cover and let it rest for about an hour, then roll out, apply ghee or oil, then fold into the balls as shown in the video I’ve linked above.