CHAPATI, or Roti, is a traditional Asian, unleavened flatbread and is a popular staple not only in Pakistan, but also in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

People in Pakistan eat chapati three times a day, and although the bread can be re-heated, it is best eaten fresh. There are a few different ways to cook chapati - Paratha chapati is cooked with butter;

Tandoori chapati is cooked in a clay oven, while straight forward, everyday chapati is cooked either on a a hot plate, gas hob, or wood fire. Paratha is traditionally served at breakfast and is also very popular in Pakistan with children who can easily take it to school for a break time snack.

Tandoori Roti is however, my all-time favourite. Cooked in a very hot clay oven, it comes out lovely and crispy and is the perfect accompaniment to any Asian dish.

However, not every home in Pakistan has a tandoor (clay oven) to cook the Roti, so most use a hot pan, either on the gas hob, or on a wood fire.

Traditionally, wheat flour is used to make chapati.

Farmers in Pakistan grow wheat crop every year, and it is one of the main crop farmers grow in Punjab.

Chapati.

Ingredients:

Wheat flour (Chapati flour), water

Method:

1 Make a dough by adding water to the flour. It needs to be just a little softer than you would make for pastry.

2 Knead to get all the cracks out and until it is nice and soft. Leave for about half an hour.

3 Divide the dough into small pieces and shape them into small round balls.

4 Roll them out into flat rounds.

5 Cook on hot plate each side, turning them over every 30 seconds.

Do make sure the pan, or plate, you use to cook your chapati is really hot before you put the mixture in it - if it is not hot enough, your chapatis will dry out and will not taste as nice.

Also, to make them nice and fluffy, and also to cook more quickly, once you have turned them a couple of times, take a tea towel and press it on each side of the chapati, keep turning.