Dhal Puri

Dhal puri is a flatbread with a filling of ground split peas, pan-fried on a griddle until blistered.

Dhal puri is a street food and home dish in Guyana, and it is also made in Trinidad. Both countries lay claim to it, and where it began is disputed. It belongs to the Indo-Caribbean kitchen and descends from stuffed breads of India, which Indian workers brought to the Caribbean in the nineteenth century.

What it really is

A dough of flour, water and salt is rolled out. The filling is split peas, ground and seasoned with cumin and turmeric, spread over the dough and sealed inside it. The bread is flattened and cooked on a hot griddle in vegetable oil until the outside is golden and speckled and the filling inside is soft and yellow.

Unlike a plain roti, the filling sits inside the bread rather than on top. The "dhal" in the name is the split-pea filling.

How it's served

• Hot off the griddle, folded or rolled, with a crisp outside and a soft, savoury middle.
• Often with a curry, which may be chicken, goat, fish or vegetables, and with pepper sauce or chutney.
• Eaten by hand, often from a sheet of paper.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the filling as split peas, and say that the bread is pan-fried.
• Flag the wheat in the dough, since flour is the base.
• State the fat used. Vegetable oil keeps the bread vegan. If ghee or butter is used, the dish contains milk.
• Name the curry served with it and its protein, such as chicken or goat, and flag any allergen in the curry separately, such as mustard or sesame.
• Say whether pepper sauce is served on the side, since its heat varies.