Spiced Beef Flatbread (Khima Chapati)

This East African snack—a cousin of the Indian stuffed flatbread mughlai paratha—calls for shaping dough into a spiral and flattening it before adding spicy beef and an egg and sealing the ingredients in a tidy packet. Click here for step-by-step instructions on making this dish.

Serves
serves 6

Thinner and chewier than paratha or naan, these earthy Indian flatbreads are made with whole durum wheat flour, called atta in Hindi. See the recipe for Spiced Beef Flatbread »

Ingredients

2 cups flour, plus more for rolling
¹⁄₂ tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. melted ghee
2 tsp. dried mint, crushed
2 tsp. garam masala
1 tsp. coriander seeds, cracked
1 tsp. crushed red chile flakes
1 tsp. cumin seeds, cracked
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 (4") piece ginger, minced
1 lb. ground beef chuck
1 medium tomato, minced
2 tbsp. yogurt
3 sprigs cilantro, minced
4 red or green Thai chiles, stemmed, seeded, and minced
1 small red onion, minced
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 eggs

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Instructions

Step 1

In a large bowl, stir together flour, salt, and 1⁄2 cup water until a dough forms. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, 4-6 minutes. Divide dough into 6 pieces, roll into balls, and transfer to a round 9" dish. Pour 1 cup ghee over dough balls and cover dish with plastic wrap; let rest for 2 hours.

Step 2

Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp. ghee in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add mint, garam masala, coriander, chile flakes, cumin, garlic, and ginger and cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add beef, tomato, and yogurt and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro, chiles, red onion, salt, and pepper; set meat mixture aside to let cool.

Step 3

Transfer dough balls to a work surface, reserving ghee in the baking dish. Working with one ball at a time, roll dough into a 10" circle. Brush 1 tsp. of the reserved ghee onto dough and dust with 1 tsp. flour. Starting from edge closest to you, begin making 1⁄2" accordion-like folds, laying one fold on top of the other until you have a single long, stacked strip of dough. Leaving dough strip on its side, so that the accordion pleats face you, twist the strip of dough into a spiral, tucking the loose end underneath. Using a rolling pin, flatten the spiral into an 8"-10" circle. Place one-sixth of the meat mixture in the center of the dough and form a well. Crack one egg into the center of the meat mixture. Fold edges of the dough over the egg so that the edges meet in the middle; pinch edges together to form a closed square packet. Transfer dough packet to a baking sheet, cover with a moist towel, and set aside; repeat with remaining dough circles, ghee, flour, meat mixture, and eggs; set dough packets aside.

Step 4

Working in 3 batches and wiping out skillet between each batch, heat 2 tbsp. of remaining reserved ghee in a 12" nonstick skillet over medium heat; add two of the dough packets and cook, flipping once, until golden brown and the egg inside has just set, about 12 minutes. Repeat with remaining ghee and dough packets.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, salt, and 1⁄2 cup water until a dough forms. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, 4-6 minutes. Divide dough into 6 pieces, roll into balls, and transfer to a round 9" dish. Pour 1 cup ghee over dough balls and cover dish with plastic wrap; let rest for 2 hours.
Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp. ghee in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add mint, garam masala, coriander, chile flakes, cumin, garlic, and ginger and cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add beef, tomato, and yogurt and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro, chiles, red onion, salt, and pepper; set meat mixture aside to let cool.
Transfer dough balls to a work surface, reserving ghee in the baking dish. Working with one ball at a time, roll dough into a 10" circle. Brush 1 tsp. of the reserved ghee onto dough and dust with 1 tsp. flour. Starting from edge closest to you, begin making 1⁄2" accordion-like folds, laying one fold on top of the other until you have a single long, stacked strip of dough. Leaving dough strip on its side, so that the accordion pleats face you, twist the strip of dough into a spiral, tucking the loose end underneath. Using a rolling pin, flatten the spiral into an 8"-10" circle. Place one-sixth of the meat mixture in the center of the dough and form a well. Crack one egg into the center of the meat mixture. Fold edges of the dough over the egg so that the edges meet in the middle; pinch edges together to form a closed square packet. Transfer dough packet to a baking sheet, cover with a moist towel, and set aside; repeat with remaining dough circles, ghee, flour, meat mixture, and eggs; set dough packets aside.
Working in 3 batches and wiping out skillet between each batch, heat 2 tbsp. of remaining reserved ghee in a 12" nonstick skillet over medium heat; add two of the dough packets and cook, flipping once, until golden brown and the egg inside has just set, about 12 minutes. Repeat with remaining ghee and dough packets.

Recipes

Spiced Beef Flatbread (Khima Chapati)

Name: Spiced Beef Flatbread (Khima Chapati)
Total time: PT0D0H0M
Yield: serves 6
Ingredients: 2 cups flour, plus more for rolling; 1 ⁄ 2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste; 1 cup plus 2 tbsp. melted ghee; 2 tsp. dried mint, crushed; 2 tsp. garam masala; 1 tsp. coriander seeds, cracked; 1 tsp. crushed red chile flakes; 1 tsp. cumin seeds, cracked; 8 cloves garlic, minced; 1 (4") piece ginger, minced; 1 lb. ground beef chuck; 1 medium tomato, minced; 2 tbsp. yogurt; 3 sprigs cilantro, minced; 4 red or green Thai chiles, stemmed, seeded, and minced; 1 small red onion, minced; Freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 6 eggs

Serves
serves 6

TODD COLEMAN

Ingredients

2 cups flour, plus more for rolling
¹⁄₂ tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. melted ghee
2 tsp. dried mint, crushed
2 tsp. garam masala
1 tsp. coriander seeds, cracked
1 tsp. crushed red chile flakes
1 tsp. cumin seeds, cracked
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 (4") piece ginger, minced
1 lb. ground beef chuck
1 medium tomato, minced
2 tbsp. yogurt
3 sprigs cilantro, minced
4 red or green Thai chiles, stemmed, seeded, and minced
1 small red onion, minced
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 eggs

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Instructions

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

In a large bowl, stir together flour, salt, and 1⁄2 cup water until a dough forms. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, 4-6 minutes. Divide dough into 6 pieces, roll into balls, and transfer to a round 9" dish. Pour 1 cup ghee over dough balls and cover dish with plastic wrap; let rest for 2 hours.
Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp. ghee in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add mint, garam masala, coriander, chile flakes, cumin, garlic, and ginger and cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add beef, tomato, and yogurt and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro, chiles, red onion, salt, and pepper; set meat mixture aside to let cool.
Transfer dough balls to a work surface, reserving ghee in the baking dish. Working with one ball at a time, roll dough into a 10" circle. Brush 1 tsp. of the reserved ghee onto dough and dust with 1 tsp. flour. Starting from edge closest to you, begin making 1⁄2" accordion-like folds, laying one fold on top of the other until you have a single long, stacked strip of dough. Leaving dough strip on its side, so that the accordion pleats face you, twist the strip of dough into a spiral, tucking the loose end underneath. Using a rolling pin, flatten the spiral into an 8"-10" circle. Place one-sixth of the meat mixture in the center of the dough and form a well. Crack one egg into the center of the meat mixture. Fold edges of the dough over the egg so that the edges meet in the middle; pinch edges together to form a closed square packet. Transfer dough packet to a baking sheet, cover with a moist towel, and set aside; repeat with remaining dough circles, ghee, flour, meat mixture, and eggs; set dough packets aside.
Working in 3 batches and wiping out skillet between each batch, heat 2 tbsp. of remaining reserved ghee in a 12" nonstick skillet over medium heat; add two of the dough packets and cook, flipping once, until golden brown and the egg inside has just set, about 12 minutes. Repeat with remaining ghee and dough packets.