It's amazing.
Before our European ancestors put them under their yoke, the Old World Indians mixed pulverized wheat and water and patted out bread for each and every meal. And before they overran the America, the New World Indians mixed pulverized maize and water and patted out bread for each and every meal. No big deal.
Now, feeling all superior, you walk into your kitchen with that Viking or Wolf stove, look into the cabinets, and are paralyzed.
Savages.
Ralph and Marta Nicholas came over for dinner a couple of weeks ago. Ralph is an authority on India. Marta is an authority on Indian food. I made a couple of passable curries. Marta pleasantly surprised me by bringing a bunch of pickles. No, not for hot dogs, but distantly related. Tomato, lemon, lime, eggplant, and mango pickles. Sound disgusting? These all look just like the black grime that your mechanic scrapes from under the wheel well. I am not exaggerating. But I couldn't possibly exaggerate how delicious they are, how rich in subtle flavors. And they can and should be spread on bread of any variety, but obviously the best kind is the humble and rustic flatbread.
Preferably homemade.
Does that frighten you? Why? Is it our manifest destiny to trample the world and yet not to know the simplest things? Making breads shouldn't scare anyone, because it is what those noble savages can do with their eyes closed; even our children can do it. I can't account for the disconnect, but I would like to help with the reconnect. Start with a cup of flour. If your memory tells you that a cup of flour and a cup of water make a pancake batter consistency, then how much water will make a dough? Less, obviously. Begin by adding a little water to the flour and see how much you need to make a dough. Too much? Too gloppy? How do you solve that?
Cook them -- flattened, obviously -- in a heavy frying pan. That's all I'm going to say. The rest should be intuitive.
No flavor? How do you fix that? How about some seasonings next time? I'd start with the obvious, and I'd think before mixing them what the best way to get them to distribute with the flour. Never mind; you'll learn by doing. A little sugar? Why not?
What about lubrication? Oil? Butter? What works? In the batter? Before cooking? After cooking? Deep-fried? All are possible and all have subtle effects, which partly explains why there are dozens of different ways of making and using both Old World and New World Indian breads. Old World: papadum, naan, roti, dosa, chapati, bhakri, paratha, idli. New World: taco, tamale, sope, enchilada, pupusa, gordita, atole, pastel. They started with the basics and went from there.
