Dhalpuri

Ingredients

Dough

• 500 gplain flour
• 1 tspbaking powder
• 1 tspsalt
• 300 mlwarm water
• 2 tbspoil

Filling

• 250 gyellow split peas
• 4 clovesgarlic
• 1 tspturmeric
• 1whole hot pepper
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspsalt

To cook

• 100 mloil or ghee

Directions

1. Boil the split peas with the garlic, turmeric and the whole hot pepper for about 20 minutes, until just tender but still firm enough to hold their shape.
2. Undercook them slightly, drain them very thoroughly, and spread them out to dry for 20 minutes.
3. The dhal must be genuinely dry. Wet filling turns to paste, bursts through the dough as you roll it, and is the single reason most home dhalpuri fail.
4. Grind the drained peas to a fine, dry, sandy powder in a food processor or a mill, then mix in the cumin and salt.
5. Make the dough by mixing the flour, baking powder and salt with the warm water into a soft dough, knead for 5 minutes, oil the surface and rest it for 30 minutes.
6. Divide into six and flatten each piece into a disc.
7. Put 3 tbsp of the ground dhal in the centre, gather the dough up around it like a purse, pinch it firmly closed and rest it seam down for 15 minutes.
8. Roll it out very gently to about 20 cm, turning often and using light pressure so the filling spreads evenly without breaking through the dough.
9. Cook on a hot tawa for 1 minute, brush with oil, flip it, brush again, and cook 1 to 2 minutes a side until pale brown spots appear.
10. Do not press the middle down with a spatula. Let it puff, because that puffing is the sign the layers have separated properly.
11. Stack the cooked dhalpuri in a cloth as they come off, which keeps them soft and pliable.
12. Serve wrapped around curry goat, curry chicken or channa and aloo.

Technique

• Dry, fine, cool filling. Those three qualities are the whole difficulty of the dish and everything else is ordinary flatbread work.
• It is the Indo-Trinidadian roti of choice for wrapping curry, precisely because it is soft rather than layered and flaky.
• The filled discs can be rested for hours before rolling, which makes them easier to handle.

Substitutions

• Chana dal in place of yellow split peas, which is closer to what is used in Trinidad.
• A spice grinder in batches if you have no mill.

Variations

• With ground roasted cumin through the filling.
• Made small, as individual wraps.
• Buss up shut, the layered paratha, which is the other great Trinidadian roti.

History

The Indo-Trinidadian roti of choice for wrapping curried meat, the dhal ground fine and sealed inside the dough.

Frequently asked questions

What is Dhalpuri?

Dhalpuri is a bread & pastry from Trinidad and Tobago: soft flatbread filled with seasoned ground split peas, used to wrap curry. The Indo-Trinidadian roti of choice for wrapping curried meat, the dhal ground fine and sealed inside the dough.

How long does Dhalpuri take to make?

Dhalpuri takes 40 min plus 45 min resting of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 roti. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Dhalpuri?

Yes, within limits. Chana dal in place of yellow split peas, which is closer to what is used in Trinidad. A spice grinder in batches if you have no mill.

What is the most important thing to get right in Dhalpuri?

Boil the split peas with the garlic, turmeric and the whole hot pepper for about 20 minutes, until just tender but still firm enough to hold their shape.