Roti
Roti, is an unleavened wheat based flat bread that is eaten by many cultures around the world. It can be served with curries, stews, lentils, soups, vegetables, raitas and chutneys. It has literally taken me years to learn how to perfect this skill. I'm not intimidated by much in the kitchen, but roti had me running scared for many, many years. I have now perfected my methodology and skill. So roti is a staple when I AM serving plant based curries.
Servings 12 people
Calories 250kcal
Equipment
- 14" heavy bottom frying pan or tawah
- Rolling Pin
- Pastry brush
Ingredients
Dough
- 4 cups flour all purpose
- 1 tbsp oil
- 4 tsp baking powder or baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cups warm/room temperature water + more if needed
Rolling/cooking
- 1/4 cup extra flour for rolling in a bowl
- 1/2 cup cooking oil, ghee, coconut oil or crisco
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder or soda, and salt, and mix until fully incorporated.
- Rub 1 tbsp of oil into the flour until it's worked in completely. Add enough water to make a soft dough. Apply a thin coat of oil over the dough ball, cover and allow to rest on the counter top for a minimum of 30 minutes to a maximum of 4 hours. If leaving to rest overnight, place in the refrigerator.
- Divide dough into 12 balls. Sprinkle each ball with flour and roll out into a circle roughly 5 inches (12-cm) in diameter.
- Spread a small amount of oil, coconut oil, ghee or Crisco on each round and make a cut from the center out to the edge, then roll the dough to make a cone.
- Gather the base of the cone and pinch together. Set the cone on it's base. Using your finger or thumb, press the peak back into the center to flatten the cone to form a ball. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest for a minimum 30 minutes.
Cooking Roti
- Heat tawah or frying pan to medium high heat.
- Sprinkle flour on your work surface. Dip the dough ball into the flour shake off the excess. Roll each ball into a circle roughly 8-10 inches (20-cm) in diameter.
- Place a round of rolled dough on the pan. Using a pastry brush liberally apply oil to the roti. The surface may bubble and or balloon, that's normal. Cook the dough until the underside is a pale light beige, with golden brown patches, for about 3 minutes. Watch carefully so it doesn't burn. Then flip and cook on the other side, about 3-4 minutes more. The roti may balloon, that's normal. Repeat with the remaining dough rounds.
- Wrap the cooked roti in a large piece of foil, lined with kitchen paper. Then cover with a kitchen towel to keep warm.
- Serve warm or at room temperature with curry, stews etc.
Notes
Roti, is an unleavened flat bread that is eaten by many cultures around the world. And it can be made in so many different ways, with oil or without, all purpose or wheat flour or a combination of both. Thick or thin, large or small, with filling or without.
The dough can even be made with pureed avocado, sweet potato, spinach, carrots etc. The choices are endless. If the dough balls are constructed right, your cooked roti will have many flaky layers. Buss Up Shut Roti To create the iconic Caribbean "Buss Up Shut" roti. When you remove the roti from the tawah, scrunch it up like you would an accordion and clap it between your hands. Or you can use two paddles and clap it that way. Or put the hot roti and a medium to large Tupperware bowl with a lid and give it a good shake. If using this method remove from the bowl and keep warm as outlined above. And remember to use caution when handling to prevent injury from burning...the roti is hot and it has hot oil on its surface. The Dough It's important for the dough to be soft. Not sticky, but soft. I have found that using warm water to mix the dough give me the best result. Gluten-free Roti Roti can be made from the following
The dough can even be made with pureed avocado, sweet potato, spinach, carrots etc. The choices are endless. If the dough balls are constructed right, your cooked roti will have many flaky layers. Buss Up Shut Roti To create the iconic Caribbean "Buss Up Shut" roti. When you remove the roti from the tawah, scrunch it up like you would an accordion and clap it between your hands. Or you can use two paddles and clap it that way. Or put the hot roti and a medium to large Tupperware bowl with a lid and give it a good shake. If using this method remove from the bowl and keep warm as outlined above. And remember to use caution when handling to prevent injury from burning...the roti is hot and it has hot oil on its surface. The Dough It's important for the dough to be soft. Not sticky, but soft. I have found that using warm water to mix the dough give me the best result. Gluten-free Roti Roti can be made from the following
- Sorghum or jowar
- Rice
- Quinoa
- gluten-free all purpose blend
- Millet
Nutrition
Serving: 12Servings | Calories: 250kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 204mg | Potassium: 45mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 2mg