Recently the need for Pita was overwhelming, I was drawn and driven to make for myself family and friends, but as it would be the holidays where neigh and all purveyors of fine Ghee were closed... and not one of the Super or should i say sad markets had anything even vaguely containing a substitute for Ghee. this left me in a quandry, a curry had been made, albeit a soft one that children could imbibe. I had to make it..
not to even get me started on the imperialistic and oppresive nature of bulk super/quick markets that strip our society of its diversity and texture which we require as a means to an end.
the receipe follows:
flour -- enough to fill half way up your mixing bowl -- suppose about 3-4 cups or more
butter -- a lump
a dash of olive oil
a dash of powered cumin
a dash of salt that i forgot :-) added half way through
then BOILING water
mix till a pastely gewy mixture ensus.. MIX with a spoon
then slowly but surely kneeding .. with extra flour till the glue-ey texture disappears..
then break off 1 1/2 egg size lumps cover with flour .. prepare a surface with sprinkled flour and roll into mostly circular flat pankake like things..
then melt some butter add a little olive oil ..
paint the other side of the roti..
prepare the pan.. heavy cast iorn works well .. not to hot else it burns
oil/ butter in pan ..
pop in da roti and turn when small bubbles appear , turn twice again.. if they appear to dry paint with a little more oil ..
then put on plate covered with a lid to keep moist ..
cook for what seems hours to produce about 25 roti .. damn it takes long ..
reheat in micro before serving for about 45 seconds..
then tuck in..
you may ask why the Roti?
the roti is so awesome, perfect and malleable and yet so simple a metaphor for life.
complex chemical reactions out of simple ingredients. somehow the heat the oil/butter, flour and salt in the hot water seem to create fantastic polymers... the texture is so unlike bread, yet so awesome in taste. This would be the whole without the hole.. there are almot no holes in the whole. yet it is so wholesome? It is not even so heavy, unlike its light cousin the bread, which with holes can be heavy? somewhat of a paradox.
intructions to eat? eat it how you want, for some ethnic authenticity try breaking off pieces and scooping up the food with your hands and eating like that, it changes the perception and perspective of the food, completing the experience. often or not for us pigmentaly challenged individuals we are drawn to creating a wrap with salad and crap.. not to detract from the taste this tastes good, bu not the same.. the other paradoxical thing i have experienced with eating roti.. is that it is best eaten with stewy things with gue and gloop.. but dont forget the rice.. this adds te texture akin to life.
more another day.. just a moment of sharing
from your rambler in life..
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