The market · Grains and flours · South Asia

Atta

Finely ground wholewheat flour from hard Indian wheat — the flour for roti, chapati and paratha.

nutty · wheaty

What to do with it

Classics built on it
GujaratiUndhiyuA winter medley of flat beans, purple yam, sweet potato, baby aubergine and plantain, slow-cooked with fenugreek dumplings and a green masala of coconut and coriander.No one here has made it yetGujaratiTheplaThin, soft flatbreads of wholewheat flour kneaded with fresh fenugreek, yoghurt and spice, cooked on a griddle with a little oil.No one here has made it yetGujaratiDal dhokliPieces of spiced wholewheat dough simmered in a sweet-sour toor dal with peanuts, jaggery and lemon — a whole meal in one pot.No one here has made it yet

Kinds

Chakki atta
Stone-ground; a little more flavour.

If you can't find it

Indian grocers, as chapati flour.

  1. 1Plain flour
    Half wholemeal, half plain
    You lose some softness — atta is ground finer.

Goes with

gheesaltwater

Knowing it

Where to buy
South Asian grocers, in big bags. Supermarket wholemeal is coarser and makes a heavier roti.
Worth knowing
Knead it soft, rest it for at least 20 minutes, and roll thin — a rested dough puffs on the flame.

Kitchens that keep it in

Punjab — northern India and eastern PakistanPunjabiWheat, dairy and the tandoor: rich, generous cooking from the land of five rivers, and the source of much of what the world calls Indian food.10 classicsRajasthan — the Thar Desert and the Aravalli hills of north-western IndiaRajasthaniDesert cooking: millet, lentils and gram flour, ghee in generous measure, dried beans and berries that keep, fiery red meat from the Rajput courts and sweets made for festivals.9 classics

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