Festive greetings to all on this fabulous blog/forum site:)

I am wondering if anyone can give me a tip on how roll chappatis/paratha so the shape comes out nice and neat, round in perfect symmetry please?

I never observed how mum did it and I have been trying to master the technique for years.

My friends and their mothers laugh at my attempts as I get all sort of shapes which usually end up oblong lol

Cheers and Happy New Year to all

June

Start with the same size balls of dough, and press out flat a little, then use a rolling pin, to roll forwards a little, turn, roll, turn, roll,turn, roll...

Most mothers/daughters do it in their hands....doing a similar turn press, turn press, turn press... etc...

Steve

ps it doesn't really matter about being the same size/shape as long as they do the job...:-)

I have given here instructions on how to roll out roties or chapattis; http://www.mamtaskitchen.com/recipe_display.php?id=10101

Rolling pin has to be rolled lightly over the dough ball, with flicking of your wrists, so the whole chapatti is sort of moving under your rolling pin as you roll it. This video is quite good http://www.ifood.tv/recipe/making_chapatti Be warned, the guy cooking looks very young and by the look of his kitchen, probably working in some Dhaba type of roadside restaurant as a kitchen boy.

This next one is not in English, but a good video; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHLXiD-hlJQ&feature=related

Many Indians eat very thin chapattis, frowning upon women who make thick chapattis. In old days, if a bride could not make thin, perfectly round chapattis, her mother-in-laws would taunt her about her mother having failed in teaching her to cook, food being a woman?s responsibility. People who ate thick ones, were(still are to some extent) considered rather ?coarse?, thin chapatti eaters sort of looking down upon them! Personally, I do not like very thin ones; there is no ?bite? to them. So I guess that makes me a bit coarse too LOL!

The parathas do not have to be round. They are often made as triangles or squares; http://www.mamtaskitchen.com/recipe_display.php?id=10100

Many thanks for the tips. I will preservere.

Manta, my friends mother was telling me about how important it is for the prospective Indian bride to know how to roll them by the prospective mother in law.I hope times have changed for Indian women.

June

Time has changed a lot in certain fields, but stood still in others. :-). Some women still do not understand that if you show love and respect to your DIL, she will do the same to them and their family. Love begets love I think! I think I was just lucky, my MIL always told off her son, never me :-)!

the video is in english and the lady is old-school like our lovely mamta. she shows you how to do it. note that she is making chapati with gluten free flour and still manages to do a better job than me! amazing. these old-school cooks are something different.

http://www.tandooricookingexpert.com/blog/2010/11/22/recipe-gluten-free-juvela-white-mix-glutafin-white-mix-chapati/

Hello Lakshmi

Interesting video, I have never seen anyone rolling chapatties/roties using one hand only!

I have never thought of myself as an 'old school' cook Lakshmi, LOL! I thought I was always happy/eager to learn new things/recipes/cuisines/methods, as long as they were superior to the older ones. I have to agree though, I am getting old ;-)!