Who doesn't love hot roti? But it can become a chore if they don't come out right. I have been through this curve trying all kinds of things to make my roti rise, be soft and delicious and finally I have come up with something that works for me!
So I'm very happy to show you how I now make roti (happily) at home!
Let's get cooking!!
Phulka Roti Recipe Cooking Time 30 Minutes (Approx)
Resting Time: 30 minutes - 5 Hours
Makes 13-14 Roti
INGREDIENTS:
2 Cups (300g) Medium Chapatti Flour
1/2 tspn Salt
3 Tbspn Oil
3/4 Cup (175ml) Hot Water
Extra Flour for dusting in a plate or shallow container
Butter or Ghee for spreading on top (optional)
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
UK USA
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METHOD:
Place the flour in a large bowl.
Add the salt to it and stir with a spoon.
Add the oil to this, leaving a little bit of oil in the tablespoon to use right at the end.
Mix this with the spoon.
Then add all the hot water to this. Mix this with a spoon to incorporate as much flour as possible.
Then clean off the spoon and mix the dough with your hands until you have incorporated all the flour.
Knead the dough for a 2-3 minutes.
Then using the oil left in the tablespoon, cover the outside of the dough ball and cover with cling fill or a bowl and let this rest for at least 30 minutes upto 5 hours. The longer the better.
You can make the dough in the morning before going to work and make roti in the evening, or make it the night before and refrigerate it for the next day if preferred.
When you are ready to make the roti, split the dough into balls about 3-4 cm in diameter. Try to make the balls equal in size. Measure them in your hands - you should be able to close your hand.
Then roll the roti ball in your hand to make a smooth circle, then flatten it in your palms. Starting out with a smooth circle helps you get a nice round roti.
Cover this with flour, dusting off any excess and start rolling from top to bottom with medium pressure.
Turn 90 degrees every 4 strokes or so. Add flour as needed.
Roll until the roti is 1mm thick. Place to one side.
Continue rolling more rotis.
Before you start cooking, make sure you heat up your tawa. This is a thin, flat pan specially made for making roti. Use a frying pan if you don't have one. Heat this on medium-high heat for about 5-7 minutes
Once the tawa is hot (check by placing your hand over the top of the pan- you should feel heat emanating from the pan), place a roti on it. (See video for hoot do this).
When you start to see small bubbles appearing, turn the roti.
Then when you see brown spots on the underside, flip the roti onto the tawa and slide it onto the gas flame and let it rise.
If the roti doesn't rise, don't give up! Try the next one. Sometimes, the first roti won't rise if the tawa wasn't hot enough.
Continue cooking the remaining roti.
Watch the video for instructions on raising roti on an electric or induction stove.
TROUBLE SHOOTING
Roti Won't Rise:
- Dough not kneaded enough
- Dough not rested before rolling
- Tawa wasn't hot enough
- Temperature not hot enough
- First side was over cooked (waited too long to turn roti over)
- Roti rolled too thick or thin
- Roti not rolled smoothly
Roti Feels Hard
- Dough was too hard (not enough water added)
- Not enough oil in dough
- Temperature too low when cooking roti
- Overcooking roti
- Roti rolled too thin
Dough is Sticky
- Too much water added (add more flour)
- Not kneaded enough
- Not enough oil added
- If dough was refrigerated more than a few days, it will be sticky - throw it away
BUT DON'T GIVE UP! Practice makes perfect. You CAN do it!
Have tried many different recipes for roti’s and this is by far the best. Very helpful having measurements to follow. The more practice the better I think as some of mine didn’t bubble