Kham Balep

Ingredients

• 14⅛ ozFlourfor the dough, partly wholemeal as well
• 1 cupWaterlukewarm, work in gradually
• 1½ tspSaltmix into the flour
• 2 tbspGheefor the dough and for brushing; neutral vegetable oil as substitute

Method

1. Mix the wheat flour and salt thoroughly in a bowl. If you like, swap half the white flour for wholemeal.
2. Pour in the lukewarm water bit by bit and add the ghee. Knead everything into a soft, supple dough that no longer sticks to your hands — add the water in small splashes rather than all at once.
3. Shape the dough into a ball, cover it and let it rest for about 30 minutes. This relaxes the dough and makes it much easier to roll out later.
4. Divide the dough into equal pieces and roll each one into a smooth ball. Keep the balls covered so they don't dry out.
5. Roll the balls out one at a time on a lightly floured surface into round flatbreads.
6. Heat a pan until it is properly hot and cook the flatbreads one by one with very little fat or none at all, until the underside releases and the first bubbles rise.
7. Flip and cook the second side until pale brown spots appear. Don't overdo it — the breads should stay soft and pliable.
8. Stack the finished flatbreads, keep them covered and warm, and cook the remaining pieces of dough the same way.

Tips and variations

For more flavour, brush the finished breads thinly with ghee on both sides. You get layers if you brush the rolled-out rounds with fat, dust them with coriander, cumin, garam masala and chilli, roll them up and roll them out again. Rolled very thin — about 1 mm — and cooked only briefly, Kham Balep can be rolled like a wrap. Let leftovers cool, store them airtight with baking paper between them and warm them again in a dry pan.