Contents:
How kattama develops its layers
The layers come from the shaping method rather than ready-made puff pastry. The dough is rolled thin, brushed with fat, covered with the filling, rolled into a log and coiled into a spiral. After a short rest, it is flattened into a circle again and fried.
During cooking, the fat separates the turns of dough. A golden crust forms outside while soft layers remain within. Rolling the spiral too thin or pressing hard with the rolling pin preserves the visible pattern but reduces the airy spaces.
Dough, fat and filling
Ethnographic accounts describe kattama as a thin, enriched flatbread fried in animal fat. Modern home versions often use butter or vegetable oil. The dough may be unleavened or yeast-raised, so two breads with the same name can differ in thickness and preparation time.
Onion or spring onion is a common filling. It can be added raw when sliced very finely, or cooked gently in advance until soft. Meat, cheese and other additions appear in newer recipes but do not define kattama. The essential features remain the layers and spiral shaping.
How kattama is served and ordered
Kattama is served hot with meat, soup or tea. A large flatbread may be torn by hand or cut into wedges. The fat firms as it cools, so yesterday's kattama is best warmed briefly in a dry pan.
Ask about the filling and frying fat when ordering. Even a meat-free flatbread may contain butter, kaymak or animal fat. To discover other Kyrgyz breads, compare kattama with fried boorsok and the wider category of tokoch.
Kattama with onion
An unleavened home version making four flatbreads. Softening the onion in a pan first prevents it tearing the thin dough and ensures it cooks through.
Cuisine: Kyrgyz and Central Asian. Total preparation time:
Ingredients:
- 500 g wheat flour
- 270-290 ml warm water
- 1 tsp salt
- 350 g onions
- 70 g butter
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- black or red pepper to taste
Method:
Step 1. Dissolve the salt in the water, gradually add the flour and knead into a smooth, firm dough. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
Step 2. Slice the onion thinly. Fry in one tablespoon of vegetable oil until soft, season with salt and pepper, then cool completely.
Step 3. Melt the butter. Divide the dough into four and roll each piece into a thin circle.
Step 4. Brush the dough with butter, spread over one quarter of the onion and roll tightly into a log. Coil the log into a spiral and tuck the end underneath.
Step 5. Cover the pieces and rest for 10 minutes. Carefully roll each into a circle 6-8 mm thick.
Step 6. Heat a frying pan with a little vegetable oil. Fry each flatbread over a medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side until golden.
Step 7. Serve the kattama hot. Fry the remaining flatbreads one at a time, adding a little oil when needed.
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