How to make Rotli (Chapati)

Called Rotli in Gugarati, Roti or Chapati in Hindi, it is the stable bread for most Indian cuisine. Used as a spoon or fork, they are used to eat Thali and other dishes.

You will need

• Flour
• Pinch of salt
• Water

Method

1. Take the flour, salt (and sugar as you like) and water and knead into a stiff dough. Pour a small dash of oil onto the outside of the dough once it is ready.
2. Break the dough into walnut sized pieces and roll out on a Orsio (board) using a Velan (a special rolling pin that is thicker in the middle than at the ends). Roll them out as thin as you can using flour to help avoid the dough sticking.
3. Dry fry the Rotli in a heavy based pan for a minute or so on each side before throwing each one into the flame for a second or two (this puffs them up like little balloons!). There is an alternative method if you have an electric hob.

Variations

In addition to the basic Rotli, you can also make

• Khakhara and
• Bottia (Masala) Rotli.

Khakhara - Dehydrated Rotli

Method

After making the standard rotlis, they can be cooked for an additional amount of time to dehydrate them. They then become Khakhara a really morish snack food.

Thanks to Dipak and Sudha for their help in translating and making the food respectively.

Back to Recipes