How to Cook Soft Layered Butternut Chapati

Discover how to make soft and layered butternut chapati, a healthy twist on the classic flatbread. Perfect for nutritious meals and packed with the benefits of butternut squash. Chapati is a beloved flatbread in many households across the world, especially in East African and South Asian cuisines. It's a staple that pairs beautifully with both savory and sweet dishes. But if you're looking for a healthy chapati recipe that adds a flavorful twist to the classic, then soft and layered butternut chapati is your next must-try. This easy chapati recipe not only offers a rich, buttery texture but also comes with the added nutritional value of butternut squash.

5 Ways to Get Soft Layered Chapati Coil Method

I love tips and tricks to getting soft chapatis, so far I have several ways I have learnt to fold chapati so that you get the softest chapati full of layers. I have already done 2 ways that I have already shared on my Youtbe channel. This method is very easy and the more practise you do it, the better you will become.

Jinsi Ya Kupika KuKu Wa Kupaka

Kuku wa kupaka is basically Kienyeji chicken cooked in thick coconut sauce!

My Favourite Chapati Recipes

Chapati is also spelled as chapatti, chappati, chapathi, or chappathi, also known as roti, safati, shabaati, phulka and (in the Maldives) roshi.  Chapatis are made of whole-wheat flour known as atta, mixed into dough with water, edible oil and optional salt in a mixing utensil called a parat, and is cooked on a tava (flat skillet). Chapati dough is typically prepared with flour, salt and water, kneaded with the knuckles of the hand made into a fist and left to proof for at least 10 or 15 minutes to an hour for the gluten in the dough to develop. After proofing, the dough becomes softer and more pliable. Small portions of the dough are pinched off and formed into round balls that are pressed between the two palms to form discs which are then dipped into flour and rolled out on a circular rolling board (a chakla), using a rolling pin known as a velan or belan, into a flat disc.The rolled-out dough is then thrown on the preheated dry tava and cooked on both sides.

20 Minute No Yeast Doughnuts

Doughnuts have been my favourite snacks this couple of days.

Ndengu Curry in Coconut Cream:

Whenever I think about Ndengu or Pojo in Swahili or Mung Dal in Indian or Green Grams in English, 🤗😄 I always think of Chapati. My next favourite meal after R&B (Rice & Beans)! I like Rice and Ndengu but not that much, I would rather eat the ndengu on its own. I love coconut in anything, and that is what I love about this Ndengu curry. You can check out the full recipe on my YOUTUBE channel below. Comment or ask any question and I will be happy to answer.

Authentic Pure Kenyan Tea

Kenyan Dawa Drink

The dawa which is (medicine) in Swahili is a drink that is usually made to heal or help in curing the cold. It is a concoction that is made with ginger, lemon and hot water and can be alcoholic or like a mocktail. It was supposedly invented at the Carnivore restaurant in the Langata suburb of Nairobi, Kenya.

Paprika Cumin Kenyan Chips Masala

I love! Love! Love! Chips Masala, which is my other favourite dish that brings me awesome childhood memories. We had several kiosks in our neighbourhood where you could get what we called "chips mwitu" (not restaurant chips) these fries were very delicious and sold for as little as Ksh. 10 ($1) per packet. By the time you are done eating you'd have spent up to Ksh. 100 ($10) because they are just too addictive! There are very few restaurants that I trust to cook the best chips masala/masala chips. I love my homemade version because you can add whatever spices you want! I love spicy food so this recipe is quite spicy, which I love, you can have more or less spice as you want.

Cardamom Spiced Mandazi

When it comes to Mandazi, I love them fluffy and soft and, I love having them warm with marsala tea. Adding cardamom spice to your mandazi makes them so delicious since cardamom is fragrant with a touch of earthiness.

Kenyan Stir Fry Pork Strips

So many ways to cook pork and I have only just began. Its already the second por recipe this month and I'm already looking for other ways that I can enjoy pork. I had the most amazing pork at a place along Mlolongo Mombasa Road that apparently specializes in all kinds of pork recipes. From pork fry, grilled pork, stewed pork to stewed pork. I guess you can say I'm trying to replicate that dish. I could go and ask the chef about his recipe, trouble is, I'm not sure I remember the place. It was tucked away among many vibandas... I still have to look for it. But honestly this recipe came out of a missing ingredient, tomatoes. I was just going to make a simple pork recipe for lunch that just included frying the pork in onions, tomatoes, adding salt, and that was it! But then it was already lunch and I didn't want to go to the grocers. Luckily I had some veggies  like french beans, carrots and bell peppers, so I decided to make the recipe a blog post, and here we are.

Managu in Coconut Milk

I love traditional Kenyan vegetables. Not only are they healthy but delicious too! "Utasahau nyama" (you will even forget meat) that is how good these traditional vegetables are. I cooked mrenda thats locally a preserve of people living in the western parts of Kenya. Its a vegetable that has texture like Okra or Lady fingers that get that sticky slimy feel when cooked. Most people do not like mrenda because of that stickiness but I love it especially when you add milk and eat after several days. Managu has become one of my favourite traditional vegetables because once you cook, you can eat for several days without getting bored. Have you cooked managu before? What is your favourite way to eat managu?  Loved this recipe yet? watch how I made the managu. 

Kuku Kienyeji Stew

Kuku kienyeji/Kienyeji chicken is free range or organic chicken that is usually more delicious than broilers or layers. It has always been a tradition that whenever we go upcountry to visit our grandma she always packs for us a chicken or two. Either a live chicken or one that has been dried on an open fire. That is why I always look foward to going for those visits because of getting that kuku kienyeji. Back in town, there are vendors who sell organic chicken, which normally is more expensive than broilers or layers. Kuku kienyeji has a much darker flesh that gets an intense flavour after cooking. With this kienyeji chicken, you do not need to add too many ingredients or even spices because its totally delicious with basic add ins.

5 Ways To Get Soft Layered Chapati - Cone Method

Getting soft layered chapati is always the aim when it comes to cooking chapati. This is the second method I have learnt that will guarantee you the softest chapati you will ever eat!

Kenyan Carrot Chapati

Want to add vibrant color and taste to your simple chapati, why not add grated carrots! Chapati as you know has always been my favorite meals to cook and I always try to find ways to make them more delicious. Whether it is wholewheat or all purpose flour, chapati is a delicious meal that can be served for breakfast, lunch or even dinner. The best part is that chapati is great for warming up to eat the next day. To ensure that they do not dry up and become dry and hard the next day, you need to cook them soft and this method I used guarantees you soft chapati that will keep soft even for 3 days! 

Kenyan Sesame Mahamri

Mahamri is a delicious coastal snack that is known and famous for its aroma of cardamom, a sweet spice and delicate taste of coconut. You can use coconut milk or cream. I think dessicated coconut works as well, that reminds me, I think I should cook with dessicated coconut next time. For my first mahamri they turned out pretty delicious, I know a soon to be favorite in the house. In unrelated news, is it just me who loves the smell of yeast fermenting or what? Mahamri is unique in that you only cook with yeast whereas for Mandazi, you can cook them using baking powder. Try something new today with this delicious sesame seeds mahamri, I promise, you will love.

Kenyan Lemon Mandazi

First of all, let us talk about the aroma of these lemon mandazi! Citrus fruits have natural aromas that get you excited, and I love me some lemon, in bread, cakes, salad, pancake or crepes, drinks and even chicken! Mandazis are best eaten warm with your favorite drink like tea, coffee, juice or even yoghurt. When it comes to mandazi, I love them hollow at times while other times I love them with a little bit of flesh, especially if I am craving Mandazi. Family loved the orange Mandazi but these were a constant hit, with no left overs to hide away! 

Cilantro Chili Pork Fry – Spicy Stir-Fry with Fresh Herbs & Heat

D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S, that is exactly the word that best captures the essence of this quick and easy pork fry. There is something incredibly satisfying about a meal that not only comes together effortlessly but also delivers a burst of rich, indulgent flavor in every bite. What makes this pork fry particularly special is that it does not rely on an overload of spices or an exhaustive list of ingredients. Instead, it leans confidently into the natural taste of pork, allowing its own fat to render and infuse the entire dish with incredible depth and richness. The result is a wonderfully aromatic, juicy, and flavorful dish that is both rustic and refined at the same time.

Kenyan Mini Cinnamon Mandazi

Happy Sunday! I always look foward to Sunday mornings because I get inspired to make delicious breakfast without having to worry about time. Lately I'm having mandazi cravings, after that yummy orange mandazi, I still want more. Every body loved that orange flavour in mandazi plus the vibrant color. Today I wanted to add spices to get that warm sweet spiciness. Have you ever tried those recipes that are usually at the back of food packets? I always see them and just brush off, but today I decided hmmmm, what's the worse that could happen? Nothing went wrong, in fact these mandazi were delicious that my sisters were eating them before I finished cooking them. So this recipe has been inspired by the back of my mandazi flour packet with every detail followed. Have you ever tried a recipe from a food packet?

5 Ways To Get Soft Layered Chapati - Pleats Method

My chapati journey has been a long one to say the least. As much as I love to cook chapati nowadays, I woke up one day at 2am in the morning and cooked chapati because I had a chapati craving, it has been a growth curve for me. Growing up in an African setting, knowing how to cook is not a luxury or a maybe-you'll-learn-to-cook kind of thing. It is a REQUIREMENT! You were thrown into deep waters and you had to learn to swim or survive in the kitchen. So back to chapati lessons. Whenever mom would cook, she'd require us to sit and watch her cook and learn because "kesho ni wewe utapika" (tomorrow is your day to cook). Cooking chapati was a chore we all hated but after a while I think I was the only one who actually enjoyed being in the kitchen. So we would cook and the chapatis would turn out shapeless and hard as biscuits! Complaining hoping mom would take over since we had butchered the chapatis, she would wave her finger at us "hizo chapati ngumu na shapeless ndio tutakula tuu!" and tell us we would all eat those chapatis until we learnt. Needless to say, we enjoyed the chapatis as they were until it was no longer a chore, for me at least, my sister still hates cooking chapati she would rather eat rice or noodles. For me the secret to making soft chapati is hot water, you start off nu kneading with a spoon before the water cools off then use hands to knead until smooth. For this process however you need warm water to knead flour because the dough becomes too soft if water is too hot. The DOUGH is what makes a GOOD chapati, get that right and you will enjoy making delicious soft chapati. So lets get on with it.