a few years ago we were travelling around rajasthan taking in the sights, sounds and tastes. we both noticed that whereever we ate the chapattis tasted better than what we are used to in maharashtra. i am sure it has to do with the variety of wheat used and the climate but we also noted that the wheat flour is ground fresh daily. so we asked around if there were portable stone mills available, and sure enough there were a few to choose from. so we decided to buy one in Kota, our last stop in rajasthan before returning to MH.
now the machine weighs 35 kg and it was in addition to our normal luggage so we struggled in and out and up and down stairs and more, getting to the correct track at the busy station. but we managed in good time and patiently waited for the train. then just a couple of minutes before it arrived they announced that the train was arriving shortly on a totally different track...
anyway we made it back home and now have the pleasure of grinding our own flour at home as needed, mostly wheat but also rice and millet, dal and more
first some rice, which is soft so it goes fast
i pour the grain into a big funnel that sits on top of the actuai mill is used to feed it. (more on the kitchen wall toward the end of the post)
then i open the bottom of the funnel to start the grinding
to limit dust spreading, there is a stocking-like cloth that leads the flour into our container
it is a bit noisy but my eyes are naturally attracted to watching the grains disappear into the mill, or chakki as they say here.
so the rice is finished nice and fine
now for the wheat which has been washed and dried in the sun on our terrace. it must be very dry, especially since the climate here is humid and the machine is designed for use in the much drier climate in rajasthan
the wheat makes more dust so i cover the container
there is something cosmological about the grains disappearing into the vortex
i used a slightly coarser setting for the wheat.
and lastly i am grinding a roasted mixture of boiled rice and moong beans used for making laddoo
almost finished. now i can play around trying to get some vastly distorted reflections in the shiny metal funnel. i can make out my head, the camera and the kitchen tiles with the red chili edging. the blue color is the walls and the yellow the ceiling. the blue is for water and the yellow is for fire.
due to all the friction the flours are quite warm right after milling so i let them cool off before covering
the chakki also gets quite hot . here it is opened up to show the stones that do the grinding
a special thanks to 
...and who will most often be the one making food with our freshly ground flours
chapattis, anyone?
