Pita Pockets with Homemade Pita Bread – (No Oven, No Yeast)

The best part about homemade pita pockets is that all the ingredients can easily be found in an Indian kitchen. Hence, one doesn’t have to make the effort to go out and gather any special items for the recipe. It’s also a good change from your regular curries and chapati. Even though it takes a little time for the preparation, but the end result will definitely leave you satisfied.

I’ve tried to break down the process in an easy way for you all, especially for first timers, as a lengthy recipe can get overwhelming sometimes.

Here’s what you’ll need: –

Pita Bread (Makes 6-7)

Ingredients

1 cup plain flour

½ cup wheat flour

½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

½ tsp sugar

1 tbsp refined oil

2-3 tbsp curd

¼ cup milk

Flat iron pan/non-stick pan

Method

• Add all the above ingredients in a mixing bowl and knead gently to form a soft dough.
• Add water as required. The dough should not be sticky and should be kept soft.
• Cover with a damp cloth and set aside.

To make fluffy pita breads

• Make sure the pan is hot otherwise the bread will not fluff up.
• Divide the dough into 6-7 equal parts.
• Take one part and flatten the dough with the help of a rolling pin. Place it on the hot pan.
• Cook the bread on one side on a medium low flame for roughly a minute and flip.
• Increase the flame and cook for 3-4 seconds.
• Flip again and press it slightly without putting too much pressure. At this point it should begin to fluff up.

Falafels (Makes 12-13)

Ingredients

1 cup chickpeas (soak overnight and pressure cook until soft)

4-5 cloves chopped garlic

A handful of finely chopped coriander

1 medium sized finely chopped onion

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp cumin powder

½ tsp coriander powder

½ tsp red chili powder

A pinch of baking soda (It is used to get the crunch)

Plain Flour to bind and coat

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Ingredients and Seasonings can be adjusted as per your liking.

Method

• Mash the chickpeas coarsely and add all the above ingredients in a mixing bowl.
• Combine them well.
• Take a little oil on your palm so that the mixture is easy to handle.
• Form medium sized balls and flatten them slightly. Coat them in plain flour and dust off the excess.
• Heat oil in a deep vessel and fry the falafels until golden brown.

Hummus

Ingredients

1 cup chickpeas (soak overnight and pressure cook until soft)

Tahini paste (dry roast ¼ cup of sesame seeds and put it into a blender with 1-2 tbsp olive oil and blitz)

3-4 cloves garlic

½ tsp cumin powder

2-3 tsp lemon juice

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt to taste

Method

• Add all the above ingredients in a blender and blitz until creamy.
• Place the hummus in a bowl and drizzle olive oil.
• Sprinkle red chili powder for added flavor.

Salad

Ingredients

Sliced Onions, chopped tomatoes, chopped cucumber, coriander (feel free to get creative by following your taste buds :p)

Optional – Curd dip or tahini sauce

Final Step – Assembling the pita pockets

Cut the pita bread into two halves.

Spread the hummus on both sides and place the falafels with salad. Drizzle tahini sauce or curd dip (optional) over it and dig in.

Happy Cooking 🙂