Serves 4

The Maldivians use a lot of coconut oil in their cooking and I am pretty sure I tasted the distinctive flavour of the oil in their flatbreads too. You can often find coconut oil in health food stores or in ethnic groceries. If not, you can substitute it with coconut cream instead.

1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
200ml water
400g strong flour, plus extra for dusting
2 tsp fine sea salt
50ml coconut oil (or coconut cream)
Vegetable oil, for frying



Method

1 Place the onion and water in a blender. Purée.
2 Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the onion and the coconut oil. Stir the mixture with a butter knife until the dough comes together. (Add a little extra water, a tablespoon at a time, if the mixture seems too dry.)
3 Place the dough on to a floured board and knead for 5-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave to rest for 20 minutes.
4 Divide the dough into eight 50g pieces and shape into round balls. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into thin circles and cover with a sheet of baking parchment.
5 Heat a nonstick frying pan over medium heat. One at a time, fry the dough for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown at the edges. Drain on kitchen paper and cover immediately with a clean towel. Repeat, cooking the rest of the dough. Serve warm with the chicken curry.

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