Phulka

Phulka, also written phulka or pulka, is the puffed, single-layer unleavened wheat flatbread of the Indian subcontinent, traditionally cooked fresh on a tava and finished directly over a flame so the trapped steam inflates the bread into a soft hollow ball. It is made from finely ground whole-wheat atta, mixed with water and a pinch of salt into a soft, pliable dough that is rested, divided into small balls, and rolled out into thin rounds about 12 to 15 cm across. The rounds are partly cooked on a hot dry griddle, then lifted with tongs and held over an open flame or live coals until they balloon dramatically; the puff collapses only when the bread is pressed between the palms or broken at the table.

Phulkas are eaten across the North Indian plains, in Gujarat, in the Deccan and in the diaspora, and are most often served alongside dals, sabzis, curries and yogurts as the edible scoop of a thali meal. A well-made phulka is soft, lightly blistered, and slightly chewy, with a thin layer of char from the fire.