3 hours Ago By Julia Busuttil Nishimura
These fluffy and fragrant flatbreads are inspired by Afghan bolani and are perfect for lunch with a squeeze of lemon and some mint yoghurt for dipping. Traditionally, bolani are shallow-fried in oil, where they become crispy and golden. However, for something a little lighter, they can also be simply cooked in a hot, dry pan.
My preferred spud variety here is Dutch cream, but Nicola and Desiree are other great choices. Ingredients 500g tipo 0 or plain flour, plus extra for dusting 1 tbsp caster sugar 7g dry active yeast 5g fine sea salt 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for coating 750g Dutch cream potatoes, peeled 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for frying 4 spring onions, finely sliced 1 bunch coriander, stems finely chopped and leaves roughly chopped 2 long green chillies, deseeded and finely diced 2 tsp cumin seeds, crushed 2 tsp coriander seeds, crushed 1⁄4 tsp turmeric 350g plain, full-fat yoghurt large handful mint leaves, finely chopped 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil sea salt and pepper, to taste lemon wedges, to serve Method In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, place the flour, sugar, yeast, salt, olive oil and 350ml of warm water. Mix on a low speed for 2–3 minutes or until combined, then increase the speed to medium-high and mix for 12–14 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
Drizzle the dough with a little extra olive oil to coat, then use your hands to shape it into a rough ball. Cover and allow to rise in a warm space for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Meanwhile, prepare the filling by chopping the potatoes into 4cm pieces.
Place them in a small saucepan, cover with water, season with salt and bring to a boil over a high heat. Cook for 20–25 minutes or until tender. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
Roughly mash with a fork and set aside to cool. In a frying pan, warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil over a medium heat and add the spring onions, coriander stems, chilli, cumin and coriander seeds. Season well and cook for 5–6 minutes or until the spring onions, chilli and coriander have softened, and the spices are fragrant.
Add the turmeric and coriander leaves and add to the bowl with the potatoes. Mix well and season to taste. Set aside.
Punch down the dough and divide it into eight pieces. Use your hands to roll each piece into a ball, cover with a clean tea towel and set aside for 25–30 minutes to rise again. On a lightly dusted work bench or board, roll each ball out to a circle about 25cm in diameter.
Place 1⁄2 cup of filling onto one half of the circle, then fold over the dough to seal in the filling and create a half circle. Press the edges to seal and use your hands to flatten the filling. To cook the flatbreads, warm a frying pan over a medium heat and add 1–2 tablespoons of olive oil.
When it’s hot, add one flatbread and cook for about 2 minutes on each side or until golden and puffy. Transfer to a cooling rack and repeat with the remaining flatbreads, adding more oil as needed. Make the mint yoghurt by combining all of the ingredients in a bowl, mixing and seasoning to taste.
Cut the flatbreads in half and serve with the mint yoghurt and lemon wedges..
