Roti is the most basic part of food in Pakistan. It is a flat bread made of whole wheat flour although at some places roti is also made of maize flour, rice flour and other flours but when we talk of roti it is meant to be of whole wheat flour.
In Pakistan roti is eaten with all kinds of curry, chatney, or pickle. Many of our previous recipes require the accompaniment of roti such as Chicken Karahi, Bhindi, Aloo Qeema, Qeema Bharay Karelay and many more.
Roti is at once very simple and easy to make, but it also has many intracacies that require experience to overcome. Our Easy and Comprehensive Recipe for Roti is aimed at making even the most novice person achieve a successful roti on their first try. Sometime, especially in villages roti is cooked in earthen oven (tandoor). But in the cities it is generally made by using a griddle (tawa).
The Easy and Comprehensive Recipe for Roti we are sharing here will be enough for 8 rotis.
Ingredients used in the Easy and Comprehensive Recipe for Roti
Whole wheat flour ½ kg
Salt ½ teaspoon
Water as needed (different flours need different amount of water)
Dry flour ¼ kg for rolling out the rotis
This Easy and Comprehensive Recipe for Roti has two stages:
Stage #1 Preparing the flour
- Sift the flour and salt together;
- Put the flour in a wide mouthed utensil;
- Make a hole in the middle of wheat flour;
- Pour 1 Cup water in the hole to start and mix it with flour;
- Keep mixing and adding water in small increments, until all the dry flour is wet but be careful in adding water as the flour may become too sticky;
- When the flour is wet enough to form a ball easily, knead it thoroughly with both hands, punching the dough with both hands and folding it over itself, wet your hands with water frequently to prevent sticking. Be careful of how much water you are incorporating as the more water you add the easier the dough will spread and the softer and stickier it will become. As a beginner, you should aim for a harder dough since that has less chances of breakage when rolling out.
- Knead constantly for at least 10 minutes; you will know that the dough is done when you stretch it and it doesn’t break apart easily and it pulls away from the sides of the utensil.
- When the dough is ready cover it with a lid and let it rest for at least ten minutes;
- After 10 minutes the dough is ready for making rotis;
Stage # 2 Making and cooking rotis
- Divide the dough into eight equal parts;
- Take one part and roll in between your palms to make a ball, the best way to achieve this is to take the rough edges and fold into the middle then roll between your palms, coat your hand with dry flour while doing this to prevent sticking
- You will need a smooth surface to roll out the rotis, it can be a marble slab or traditional roti block will do;
- Before rolling out dunk the ball of dough in the dry flour, then flatten it into a thick disk with your hands
- Sprinkle a little bit of dry flour on the surface and start rolling the thick disk out; roll it out to a circle of approximately 7-8 inches in diameter and 0.3 cm thickness.
- When the roti is rolled out it should be thin and smooth;
- Heat up your cooking griddle, or a cast-iron skillet with a diameter of at least 12 inches (twa),
- Pick up the roti gently by piking it from one end and using your palm as a support. Put it on the griddle and cook on medium heat, the high heat may burn the rotis;
- When the roti is dry from one side flip it and when some brown flowers occur on one side turn it over again;
- Now use a cloth to press and roll it on tawa;
- Flip and see if the brown spots have appeared the roti is ready;
- Make the other rotis like this and serve with any curry, or chatney etc.
Leave a Reply