Chinese Scallion Flat Bread 蔥油餅

A savory, flat unleavened bread made by folding chopped scallions on dough,

flattening it, and pan-grilled until golden brown and crisp.

Chinese Scallion Flat Bread 蔥油餅

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Scallions, chopped
1 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour
1/2-1/3 cup Water, warm
1 1/2 tbsp Canola Oil
Salt and White Pepper to taste

Instructions:
In a bowl, mix flour with a bit less than 1/3 cup of warm water; Knead until fully combined. (The dough should be a little soft.)

On a floured surface, knead dough until smooth and elastic.
Roll into a ball. Cover with a damp cloth and let sit for 15 minutes.

Separate dough into 2 pieces, and roll into balls.
On the same floured surface, roll out dough flat, about 2 mm thin.
Evenly spread chopped scallion pieces on the flattened dough.
Sprinkle salt, and add a pinch of white pepper.
Roll it up tightly, and roll into a thin flat sheet.

In a flat-bottomed frypan, Add oil and bring to a medium heat.
When the oil is hot enough, fry the flattened dough on both sides (Keep medium
to low fire!) until golden and crispy.

Serve on a plate immediately with a soy dipping sauce.

Note:
This flat bread can be eaten as a snack, or part of the main stable meal, with soup.

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Soy Dipping Sauce 醬油沾醬

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tbsp Soy Sauce
1/2 tsp White Rice Wine Vinegar 
1/2 tsp White Sugar

1/4 tsp chilli, finely chopped
1 stalk scallion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced 
Pinch pepper to taste

Instructions:
In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and sugar. Mix well until sugar is dissolved.
Add-in the chili, scallions, garlic, and pepper. Stir well.

Note:
For a variation, add 1/2 tsp of rice vinegar and/or 1/2 tsp of chili sauce.

You can make up a larger quantity, and keep it in the fridge for several months.

Lachha Paratha (Multi-layered Indian Flat Bread)

Lachha Paratha (Multi-layered Indian Flat Bread)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups plain Flour or Wheat Flour

1/2 cup Ghee, melted

1 tbsp Oil

1 tsp Sugar

1/4 tsp Baking Powder

Salt to taste

Water or Warm Milk as needed

Chili Powder (optional)

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, mix-in the flour, baking powder, salt, oil, sugar & water/milk to make a soft dough. Knead until fully combined.

Cover with a plastic wrap, and keep aside in warm area for 30 minutes.

Take some extra flour in a plate for dusting.

Knead the dough with wet hands, and then roughly divide the dough into 12 equal parts.

Place them on a tray, cover, and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.

When ready, dust your hands lightly with the extra flour and take a portion of the dough and roll it in between your palms in to a ball. 

Place the ball of dough into flour and press flat, dusting on both sides.

Now place the dough on a clean countertop, and roll into a 6’ circle with a rolling pin.

Sprinkle salt and red chili powder (optional) over the dough. Brush and spread oil or ghee over the surface of the dough.

Hold one side of the dough and start weaving inward to outward folds. (*like weaving when making a paper fan.)

After finish weaving, take one side of paratha and roll.

Then press to seal the end part with the main body of the rolled up dough.

Place the rolled up dough into the flour and press flat dusting on both sides. Then, place it on the countertop, and roll into a 6" diameter circle.

Gently shake off the paratha to remove excess flour.

Preheat a flat griddle on medium heat, and grease it with little oil. 

Place the prepared paratha on the hot greased griddle, and let it cook. 

In about 30 seconds little bubble will start appearing. Using a spatula, flip the paratha, and cook for 30 seconds, then turn it back. (If the paratha sticks to the griddle, it is not hot enough, if it is too dark or burn, it is too hot, adjust the heat accordingly.)

Brush ghee or oil on both sides of the paratha, and continue cooking.

Gently press the paratha with the spatula in a circular motion to make it crispy, repeat on both sides.

After every few seconds, flip the paratha few times for about 2 minutes, or until it becomes light brown from on both sides.

Remove from the griddle; or cook until you get desired crispiness from both sides.

Serve hot with Indian Curries. Enjoy!!

Naan (Indian Flat Leavened Bread)

Popular bread in India, traditionally cooked in a clay oven or "tandoor".

Naan (Indian Flat Bread)

Ingredients:

3/4 tsp Dry Yeast

1/2 cup Water, warm

3/4 tsp Sugar

1 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour

1/2 tsp salt

3 tbsp Ghee (Clarified Butter)

3 tbsp Plain Yoghurt

Instructions:

Add the dry yeast and sugar to the warm water and stir till the yeast is dissolved. Cover and leave aside for 10 minutes, or until the mixture begins to froth. This indicates the yeast is active. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, sift-in flour and salt. Mix well.

Add-in the yeast mixture, 1 1/2 tbsp ghee and yoghurt.

Mix everything (using your fingertips) to form a soft dough.

Once mixed, flour a clean, flat surface, and knead the dough till it is smooth and elastic

Grease a large bowl with a few drops of cooking oil and put the dough in it.

Cover and allow to rest for about 90 minutes or till the dough doubles in volume.

When the dough is ready, punch the it down to release air, and knead again for 10 minutes.

Equally divide the dough and roll between your palms to form 4 round balls.

Lightly flour the same surface on which you kneaded the dough and roll out each ball until you have a circle, 7-8 inches in diameter (1/2" thick).

Gently pull on one edge of the circle to form the Naan into a teardrop shape. Do not pull too hard or you may tear the Naan.

Preheat your oven 200°C.

Lay a piece of aluminum foil in an oven tray and grease it lightly with cooking oil.

Place as many Naans as will fit without touching each other, on the tray.

Brush each Naan with some ghee.

Put the tray into the oven and cook till the Naan begins to puff out and get lightly brown. Flip the Naan and bake a few minutes more until puff and lightly brown.

Remove from oven and serve hot in a foil-lined basket.

Note:

Instead of rolling the dough out (with a rolling pin) you can also pat it into a circle with your palms.

Chapatti (Indian Flat Unleavened Bread)

Round, flat unleavened bread of India, that is usually made of whole wheat flour and cooked on a griddle.

Chapatti (Indian Flat Unleavened Bread)

Ingredients:

1 cup Wholewheat Flour

1/2 cup Yoghurt or Milk

1 tbsp Ghee or Olive Oil

Salt to taste


Ghee (for brushing top)

Instructions:

In a large bowl, prepare dough by mixing together flour, salt, and ghee.

Slowly add-in the yoghurt or milk. The amount of yoghurt or milk varies each time due to the variations in moistness in the air and flour quality. (Start with less yoghurt or milk and gradually increase.) Mix the yoghurt or milk in the flour as you gather the flour together to make a moist dough.

Knead well, folding and pushing until the dough is pliable, about 8 minutes. 


Cover the dough with a damp paper towel and let it rest for 30-45 minutes.

When ready, Knead the dough again for several minutes.

Then tear off enough dough and divide it into golf size balls, and dust with wheat flour.

Roll out each dough ball evenly to a thin texture into a circular shape (about 6" in diameter) on a clean floured tabletop board-6-7" in diameter. Do not stack the rolled out chapattis or they will stick to each other!


Warm up a cast iron skillet or a heavy non-stick griddle on medium heat.


To cook, place each chapatti on the pre-heated skillet, on low.

When it is well heated through, small white bubbles will appear. Using a plastic spatula, flip to the other side. (The chapatti will get more air pockets and should only cook about 1 or 2 minutes on the second side.)

When cooked, it will look a mottled brown, and be dry but flexible.


Remove from heat and serve. Brush ghee on top if needed.


Note:

Chapatti goes well with most Indian Curries and Dhal.

Piaya (Filipino Sweet Flat Unleavened Bread)

This is made from a very thin unleavened bread that is usually filled with muscovado sugar.

Piaya (Filipino Sweet Flat Unleavened Bread)

Ingredients:

1 cup All-purpose Flour

2 tbsp Butter

2 tbsp Water

6 tbsp Muscovado Sugar

1/4 cup Sesame Seeds

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, soften butter or cut into small cubes.

Mixi-in flour, and add water slowly and knead with your fingers to form a dough that is soft and pliable, and not sticky to touch.

Let rest for about 10 minutes wrapped in plastic.

Divide into six pieces.

Roll to flatten using rolling pin.

Measure about 1 tbsp sugar and compact that before placing at the middle of the flattened dough.

Gather edges together and pinch seam to close.

Flatten a bit with your palm. Sprinkle sesame seeds and press slightly for the seeds to adhere.

Transfer to countertop and flatten carefully with the rolling pin.

Keep covered in plastic until ready to cook.

Heat a nonstick pan on low. Lightly brown one side then flip. Some sugar may ooze out. Wipe the pan to remove excess sugar and sesame seeds before proceeding with the next batch.

Cool completely on wire rack then place in ziploc bag.