Katama (Kyrgyz Swirled Onion Flatbread)
A recipe for Katama (Kyrgyz Swirled Onion Flatbread) from the cookbook, Samarkand. This flour-based flatbread is filled with caramelized onions and rolled to create flaky layers.
Servings 4 Katama
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons (42 grams) butter
- 2 small onions finely sliced
- Sea salt
- Pinch of chile powder ground red chile (optional)
- 1 1/2 cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting
- 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) warm water
- Sunflower oil for cooking
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a small heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium heat.
- Cook the onions with a pinch of salt, stirring often, until very soft and golden brown. Season with the chile powder (if using) and set aside to cool.
- Put the flour in a large bowl with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and make a well in the center.
- Squeeze the onions using the back of a spoon and add any butter that comes out to the flour.
- Start trickling the warm water into the well while you mix with your other hand. Bring the dough together and knead for a good couple of minutes. You want dough that is soft and pliable- if it is too dry, add a splash of water; if it is too sticky, add a little more flour.
- Divide the dough into four equal pieces. Roll out each piece thinly on a floured surface and spread a quarter of the onion over the surface.
- Roll up into a tube, pinch the ends, and form the tube into a coil with the outside end tucked underneath. It should resemble a cinnamon roll.
- Finally, roll it flat again into cardboard-thin rounds. Repeat with the remaining dough. The rounds will contract as they sit so you'll need to pull them out a little flatter with your hands as you put them into the pan.
- Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and use paper towels to rub it with a little oil.
- Cook the breads for about 2 minutes on each side, turning after each minute. They should puff up a little and begin to blister as they cook.
- Serve hot from the pan.