Roti/Chapatti

In desi families learning how to make roti is imperative. Most families I know make them a few times a week up to daily especially if you have elder family members living with you. Roti for me was very difficult. I feel like most kids my age never bother to learn how to make it because it seems too tedious or difficult. I really think it is a great skill to learn, especially if you enjoy Indian food.

I’ll be honest this is one of those recipes that I struggled with a lot. I felt like an idiot because all of the women in my family seemed to have this sixth sense of making them perfect. Mine would sometimes turn out like crackers, other days they wouldn’t roll out properly. One day while rolling roti I just burst into tears because I would try and try my best but it still wouldn’t come out properly. My mom always said that it just comes with practice. I told her I had been practicing for 20 years and I still had no luck! Lo and behold, one day it honestly just clicked for me and my rotis don’t blow up like a balloon every time but they’re nice and soft, and they’re not burnt! What more can anyone ask for!

I know that it might seem outdated to a certain generation to learn how to make these, but I implore you to take the time. Making roti and rice are a few of the “food memories” that tie us back to our culture. They’re moments we can give to our parents who had similar moments with their parents. Don’t think less of it because it is too hard or it seems not worth your time. Over the years, this skill has bonded me with the women in my family. I hope to continue the tradition with my children one day as well.

Roti, like most flatbreads is pretty simple: flour, oil and water. The ratios of these three ingredients is what does the trick. The dough for my roti are the same as my parathas so you can check out the Aloo Paratha recipe if you want to know what else you can use your dough for! Your goal is to get a nice pliable dough. If you’re making roti for a crowd go ahead and use the dough hook on a stand mixer, it gets great results every time. The key to getting a good dough is to knead the crap out of it. Just keep going ham until you have a soft dough that has no cracks or dry spots.

Making the Dough

Start with adding the oil to the flour. Mix it thoroughly until you have a sand like consistency meaning no clumps but just little granules. Now, while mixing add the water a quarter cup at a time to hydrate the dough. Once a shaggy dough has formed start kneading. It should feel like a very soft play dough. Once you have achieved your dough, grease your palms with a 1/2 tsp. of oil or ghee and knead a little more. Start dividing your dough into 10 pieces and roll between your two palms and then flatten slightly. Cover the other pieces while you roll to prevent them from drying out.

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Rolling the Dough

Place a the flattened piece in a bowl of atta and coat both sides. Now roll out the dough using atta and a rolling pin. To get a circular shape, I trace the inner edge of the left half of my roti with the center of my rolling pin. I also apply more pressure to this side by keeping my left hand flat and my right hand curved around the rolling pin very lightly. This motion should make the roti turn on its own. If it sticks just sprinkle more flour.

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Cooking the Roti

In order to pan roast you’ll need a flat nonstick frying pan and another burner with a grate on it. Once you’re a pro, you can do it on the same burner but I haven’t achieved that level of mastery yet. You can also skip the grate if you don’t have one, but I find it help with the flipping at the end.

Place your rolled roti on the dry frying pan at medium high heat. You’ll see small bubbles start to form, that is your sign to flip. Once you flip to the other side let it puff slightly more. Then use your frying pan to slide the roti out on your grate. The grate should be placed over medium-high flame as well. Once your roti puffs, take it off the heat and set on a paper towel lined plate. Optionally, dab it while its hot with a little ghee and serve hot!

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