AntivirusGy 9: Chapo Malenge (Pumpkin / Butternut squash roti ) via Kenya



Feeling stuck with the writing work to be done. Thinking of doing something else new to take my mind off of the work.

 The Sweet Potato roti is on my taste mind. There is some cooked butternut squash in the fridge. The butternut squash has a similar texture to mashed sweet potato.  Can I make something like butternut squash roti?  Nothing too difficult, simple ingredients, and quick.

I go to Google. And end up with several suggestions from Kenya for Pumpkin chapoz, chapo malenge, pumpkin chapati.

Oil roti
But it is not so straight forward. There is a setting time - 30 minutes, and some oiling and so recommended. One person puts on the tawa just so, no oil, another person has each side oiled like how we make paratha roti.

Jikoni Magic has a blog about the author's search for the perfect pumpkin chapati. She then has this video.  Mix the dough, let it set, roll out to get the layers, set some more, then put on the tawa.

I love the explanation, and the part about the rolling. I am not good with oil roti (paratha) so I don't want to do too much oil



I want to see if there is a quicker way. There is another recipe from Alice Joseph, you can cook and then fry. There is an Easy Recipe by Cecilia Muasa.

I decide on a set of measures just to make a little bit

1 cup flour
1/3 cup of the cooked butter nut, or mashed pumpkin still warm
pinch salt (the Kenyan recipes had sugar too but.. )
extra water to mix the flour
1 tbsp or so of oil
(no baking powder ! )

Mix everything. Knead, cover and leave for 30 minutes at least. I am in a hurry so 25 minutes.
Dough is sticky, nice orange colour. Dry flour (paartaan) needed to roll out the dough.

I do the roll out thing , make the swiss roll , then cut up the smaller pieces. Round them and hot up the tawa. It is kind of sticky.

The cook on Jinkoni Magic says to know your heat. So fiddling with the tawa. No oil.
I am in awe as the last one swells. I can't remember when last a roti swell on the tawa for me.


Nice soft texture. A bit chewy.. nice eaten warm. Nice taste of the butternut squash. 



I bought an avocado pear to be nice to the vendor. I am not good with avocado. The pear is ripe. I had thought about making Avocado Roti but I thought, man the avocado too expensive to lost away in the roti. So I made choka (guacamole) to eat with the chapo malenge.

The last one, breeze is cooling it as I eat and it is kind of 'firming' up.. but still nice. I guess if I was patient and folllowed the directions and all the ingredients, it would have kept soft as it cooled.

Gratitude to the universe and to the Kenyan food bloggers!

(AntivirusGy is a collection of ramblings on things which have changed since Covid 19 entered our vocabulary)

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