Blessings From My Kitchen: Beet chapatis/rotis/flatbread

The chapati, or roti, as it's generically known, is the Indian's way of telling the world they have mastered the art of the flatbread. Often upstaged by its renowned artisanal, counterpart, the naan, chapati, unfortunately, does not get the universal recognition it rightly deserves.

These tortilla- like breads, essentially daily sustenance on streets across India, are made of wheat and served with anything ranging from chutney to enriched curds,and/or the native curry fortunate to make its pair.

Wheat that's unleavened and, for the most part, unadulterated, is kneaded with a bit of water and an even tinier bit of oil. It's not frequent that one staple ingredient and a mere 2 essentials get you such satisfactory recipe leverage. Yet, the homemade, handkneaded bread carries an unassuming air, in its slim, dark spotted demeanor, and houses boss packed wholesomeness in a 6 inch frame.

Today is all about the chapati, taking on an artsy spin. If you can recall middle school art class and how you were taught to "envelope color to enrich, enliven, enthrall"...well, I believe I did just that.

Meet beet chapati.

This isn't the first time I painted flatbread. You've seen me do it before, where blended salad greens created foliage colored roti.

The general feels are that beets aren't the most popular vegetables on the planet. But before you come to a conclusion, or even dismiss the one someone else has come to, wait till I finish these next 100 words.

Ground beets camouflaged in wheat is pure brilliance and solidifies a universal truth: eye catching vegetables mashed to rival crayola are the perfect guise and an excellent nutritive addendum to food you normally can't get kids, no matter the age( even the grown up adult ones that refuse to make a single thing on their own- yes, you!), to eat. And now, who's the fool?

It's when these same ~~underlings~~ people clamor for frequent said meals that it makes an even truer testimony to the wantability(if that's word) factor for a given recipe.

Finally, addition of root puree is a luminous attempt in amping chapati's health quotient, aesthetics, and overall textural quality. It's so good, you'd happily eat to your mouth's content and simultaneously grab for a next one.

Before you begin, I've taken the liberty of jotting down some suggestions that could help in your own chapati maker journey.

⭐It's all in the knead. Apart from being a supreme stress buster, kneading determines the dough's consistency. After a few trials, the number of pounds and turnovers required for a soft, pliant bread becomes instinctual knowledge.
⭐️Get a feel of when enough is enough. Be it liquid, dry ingredient, salt, fat.Too much/too little of any one element could totally offset the result. One person's moisture content is not another's.
⭐ A perfect round can and will be achieved with practice. Even if your chapati is closer in shape to the outline of a small Eastern country on the map, and not the circle it's intended to be, no fret, because it will taste just as good. And you could purchase a large, round biscuit cutter.
⭐ Let your imagination fly. Play this any way you want- flavorfully, nutritionally, visually. Sneak in stuff your diet might be lacking in, yet tastebud urgings may not always be calling out for. Carrots, cabbages, zucchinis, turnips and collards could find a sure future as the rainbow on your plate.

Since accompaniment potential is limitless, this is the ideal meal prospect for the vegetarian, the non vegetarian and the undecided alike.

So, really, is there an excuse?

These are to be devoured before they get cold. But if you have motivated appetites, like the growing boychild who believes he has become the adult he clearly is not, you'd press out a few dozen before the actual process of cooking.

Ingredients:

2 beets, peeled and cut into cubes
2 cups water
2 cups whole wheat durum flour(know as chapati atta) (you could substitute with whole wheat flour)
½ tsp garlic powder
salt
5 tsp olive oil

Directions:

Peel and cut beets into small chunks. Puree in blender with 1 cup water on high until a nice liquid forms.
In a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer, whisk flour, garlic powder, salt.
Slowly add beet puree, along with 2 tsp oil, into flour mixture. Knead, using kneading attachment on stand mixer's high option. Add additional water, if needed, until mixture forms a smooth ball. Cover with a a damp cloth and keep aside for 15 minutes.
Take dough out and roll out 1 inch smooth balls. Keep covered, so they don't dry out.
Roll out each ball to a 5-6'inch diameter using a rolling pin on a floured surface, a very clean and flour dusted countertop will do. Try to roll out into
Heat a flat pan and smear with oil over medium flame.
Heat chapati on one side for not more than a minute, flip to the other side until done.