Date:    Fri, 07 May 93 15:42:18 +0700
From:    suranga@cse.iitb.ernet.in (S A Date)

TORTILLAS

The whole wheat flour you get in the supermarket should do OK for
this. If you live near any Indian Food shop, ask for Chapati Atta
(Chapati = Tortilla, Atta = Flour).

Take a couple of cups of  this atta, and after adding a pinch of salt, 
add room-temperature water (not warm, not cold, inbetween) slowly, as you 
knead the dough,  till you form a nice smooth, not too soft dough. If you 
use a food processor kneading attachment, its probably less messy.

(we use our hands to knead the dough, this way you get a feel for the dough
which you do not, with a fork/spoon)

Heat a non stick pan.  Take a  portion of the dough smaller than say the size
of a kiwi-fruit (I was going to say, a lemon-size portion of dough, but
lemons in your part of the world are double our lemon size...). 

Flour a rolling board nicely, and roll out an thin (1-2 mm ie about 1/10
th of an inch for all the non-metric vegans) circle, evenly. Make sure
the edges are not thick.

When the pan is properly hot, reduce the heat, and put thhe tortilla in it
after dusting off excess flour. Allow light spots to develop on the lower side
of the tortilla, and then turn it over in the pan. Let this side of the 
tortilla cook a bit less .

Now remove the tortilla, with a pair of non-piercing tongs, remove
tthe pan from the fire, and put the tortilla with one surface straight on to 
the Gas fire (you need gas burners for this). Turn up the burner. You will
see the entire tortilla baloon up . Quickly remove from fire, remove air
by lightly piercing the surface, and lay on a plate. Make many such t
tortillas and pile them in a plate. These may be eaten hot with any vegetable
dish, and you need no butter. 

This business of putting the tortilla on the fire and blooming  is very quick,
but it tastes so good when hot, that a cook normally has a hard time 
keeping up with the demand.  The blooming of the tortilla, implies 
optimum cooking , just right. This hot , off the fire tortilla tastes
abs fantastic with salsa !!!