Chakla Belan
Chakla Belan
There are many staples in Indian cuisine, with one of the most popular side dishes being the delicious chapati. Also known as roti, chapati is a type of flatbread originating in India, with most people having tried this scrumptious side dish alongside their favourite Indian curries.
If you want to start cooking homemade curries in your kitchen, then you will definitely want to try your hand making fresh chapati – the combination is out of this world!
Better still, making a roti at home is surprisingly easy, with few ingredients required and a simple method for making and cooking the dough.
However, there is a type of Indian cookware that you may want to consider buying for your homemade Indian flabtreads – a chakla belan
What is a Chakla Belan?
Chakla belan may sound complex, yet the utensil is incredibly simple. It is essentially a flat board and rolling pin used to made Indian flatbread. It looks like a small, round chopping board, while the rolling pin looks like most conventional rolling pins, albeit with narrower handles.
Despite its simple design, a chakla belan is an essential component for making authentic Indian flatbread. It provides the perfect surface for rolling the flatbread dough, which you can roll to the perfect thickness using the rolling pin.
Reasons to Buy a Chakla Belan
If you make a lot of Indian food at home – or want to start making more – then it’s a good idea to invest in some Indian cookware for the most authentic finish to your meals. Roti is a staple of countless Indian dishes, while being incredibly popular in many other cuisines, so if you love a good flatbread this well worth buying.
Store bought flatbreads and chapatis may be cheap and easy to make, yet their taste doesn’t compare to freshly made roti. Just compare a store bought chapati to one you get in a restaurant and you’ll understand how much better they are when made fresh.
Indian flatbread is also incredibly simple to make, requiring just a few ingredients to make the dough. However, the dough can be tricky to roll into a flatbread without the right utensils, which is where the chakla belan helps.
Simply place the dough onto the board, roll it out flat using the pin. Each chapati cooks quickly on a frying pan with a little oil, and a good chakla belan lets you quickly prepare as many flatbreads as you need for you meals.
Furthermore, a chakla belan is great for preparing all kinds of doughs for different Indian flatbreads such as paratha, kulcha, poori, and even nan bread. It is not just suitable for Indian cuisine either – you can use it to prepare pizza dough,
Choosing the Best Chakla Belan
A chakla belan is possibly one of the easiest types of Indian cookware to buy. You don’t need to look for much, as the utensil has a basic design, with just a few features that you need to consider.
Material
Wood is usually considered the best material for a chakla belan. It is easy to clean, durable, and looks great with most kitchen décor, providing a stylish addition to a countertop space. Marble is another popular option, although it usually costs more than wood.
When looking at these materials, always make sure to choose something with a high density, such as a hardwood like teak, oak, or white marble. These materials are the best at preventing bacteria developing on the surface of the chakla belan.
Size
Make sure to choose a chakla belan that is a suitable size for your needs. Consdier the worktop space available in your kitchen, as larger models may take up a lot of space. Also, the larger it is the bigger the flatbreads you can make.