One of my favourite Parsi tea time snacks to eat is the Chapat. I love it so much that it was one of the first things I blogged about three years ago when I started this blog. Studded with chironji seeds or cashews this mix between a crepe and a pancake is the perfect example of Parsis taking an existing dish and completely making it their own. The best Chapat I have had so far are from Pervez Hall in Dadar Parsi Colony.
Originally this Parsi kitchen run by the Dadar Parsi Youth Assembly used to produce a wide menu of Parsi food that used to be gobbled up with much fervour, especially on weekends. Their Sunday Dhansak was more well known that Ripon Club’s current Dhansak Wednesday. Sadly, nowadays their kitchen due to staff and licence issues only produces small takeaway snacks. Luckily, they do still make Chapat and I am always sure to order some whenever my in-laws order in their week’s supply of Dar ni Pori which is a tea time staple in my household.
My one gripe with Parsi tea – time or even breakfast dishes is though that everything is sweet! As much as I love sugar, I can’t have it early morning for breakfast (though apparently that’s the best time to indulge your craving I hear). The other day I had some shredded chicken leftover from making one of Baby M’s meals. Nowadays, being at home for breakfast is a rare occasion since the Bawi Bride Kitchen moved to its new location in Mahim. I decided to make the most of my day off and actually make something a bit innovative as I know its been radio silence here on the blog from me these past couple of months. Not wanting to make a sandwich, I decided that a good base for breakfast would be my favourite Chapat and then inspiration struck that I could fill it with all my favourite ingredients – I didn’t have bacon in my fridge that day or it certainly would have featured on here too. And so, the Russian Chicken Chapat was born!
I’ve used the same recipe and proportions as my original Chapat recipe but I simply substituted the sugar with some chilli flakes and dried herbs I had lying around in my pantry. You can of course add many other things to this Chapat but I’ve learnt the hard way that things taste better when you just put 2 – 3 toppings and not your entire fridge of leftovers. Hope you enjoy making this one.
Russian Chicken Chapat
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 stalk spring onion
- 300 gram boneless chicken, shredded
- 100 gram mayonnaise
- 60 gram cheese, grated
Chapat Batter
- 1 cup flour (maida)
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 pinch red chilli flakes
- 1 pinch dried herb of your choice like oregano or thyme
- 1 cup milk
- Oil or Ghee for Frying
Instructions
- Make the chapat batter by mixing the flour, herbs, salt and chili flakes together.
- Whisk the eggs separately and add them into the batter. Add milk in a steady stream and keep whisking until you have a smooth batter. If the batter is too thick add a little more milk and if it's too thin, you can add some flour. You want a batter that is slightly thinner than pancake batter.
- Shred the chicken, finely chop the spring onion and mix both of these with the mayonnaise. Check for seasoning and adjust as required.
- In a frying pan, add a little ghee and a big ladle full of your batter. Your Chapat should be thicker than a crepe but thinner than a pancake or uttapam
- When the edges start to come off, it is done on one side and it is time to flip it.
- Once the other side is done, spread your chicken & mayo mixture evenly across your Chapat. If you like your cheese melted, close the Chapat in half and cover your pan for 2 - 3 minutes until the cheese has melted.
- Enjoy piping hot with a cup of tea
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