Kashmiri Tchot || Kander Tchot || Girda || Roti
Tchot is the traditional Kashmiri flatbread, sort of a naan but way more flavourful. Its slightly crisp crust with chewy insides sets it apart and delivers a delicious flavour.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- ¾ tsp sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp instant yeast
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
Wet Ingredients
- 2 tbsp ghee (melted)
- lukewarm water (about ½ cup)
- 1 tbsp yogurt
Garnishing
- 1 tbsp poppy seeds
Instructions
- To activate the yeast, take the warm water in a mug. Stir in the sugar and yeast. Cover and let it sit for about 10 minutes until the mixture is covered in froth.
- Sift rest of the dry ingredients: flour, salt and baking soda in a large bowl using a sieve. Whisk well.
- Add in the ghee and yogurt. Start kneading the dough by adding the yeast-water mix, little by little.
- If doing manually, knead well for about 10-12 minutes.
- Brush the dough with oil or ghee and cover the bowl with a cling film. Put in a warm place to allow it to rise, for 2-3 hours, until it doubles in size.
- Deflate the dough and knead for a minute again. Divide it into three equal portions.
- Preheat the oven to its highest temperature setting. And preheat an iron skillet or tawa pan on the hob.
- Roll out one portion with the help of your hands or a rolling pin. Use your fingers to make impressions all over, leaving a border by the edges.
- Brush it with water/milk and sprinkle poppy seeds on top.
- Place it on the preheated skillet, flat side facing down, and cook on medium heat for about 3-4 minutes.
- Remove from the skillet and place it on a baking tray and broil it in the middle rack of the pre-heated oven for about 2 minutes. (That is, bake it on the grill setting.) The time taken may vary from oven to oven, so be cautious not to burn it.
- Repeat the same instructions for the remaining two portions of the dough.
Notes
- This tchot can be frozen for freshness. Reheat directly from frozen just before eating, in an oven or toaster, and it is nearly as good as freshly baked.
- Ghee can be omitted. However, it tastes better with ghee (obviously) and lasts longer.
- Yogurt gives the tchot its chewy, stretchy texture. Some recipes use milk or milk powder instead.
- Egg wash gives it a shiny texture on the face. However, milk wash is the authentic way to go about. Brushing with water works well too.