Roti/Phulka/Chapati is something that I cannot survive without! It is a staple diet in many homes in India. I remember when I tried to make rotis in India; they came out pretty good but were in all shapes and sizes! It takes a lot of practice to get the rotis in a round/circular shape but I am sure you will be able to do them right with a little patience.

Rotis are made from whole wheat flour dough which is rolled and cooked on a skillet and then over direct heat where it puffs up! This is the one recipe I always used to dread! But now it’s become the easiest of them all and I love the expertise I have gained at rolling these roti’s.

I am not much of a rice eater and coming from a Gujarati family, roti becomes an everyday essential in daily cooking. Roti’s can be served with dal (lentils cooked with spices) and with any kind of vegetarian or non vegetarian curries or just plain yoghurt!

In India, my mother typically gets whole wheat grains from the market, cleans it to ensure that all foreign matter like diseased or shriveled grain, straw, chaff, other cereal grains etc are removed prior to the milling process. She then takes it to the grinding mill to get it grounded to wheat flour. I don’t do that in the US and this definitely makes my work a lot easier.

I always found that the wheat flour I use here is a little different from what my mother uses. That’s obviously because she has an opportunity to select the best quality of wheat grain for the flour. After having tried various brands of wheat flour available at the local Indian grocery store, I have finally settled in for Sujatha Gold brand. (They are not paying me to promote their brand!)

So let’s start making rotis and I am sure everyone is going to love these little magical treats!

Ingredients for Roti/Phulka/Chapathi:

Whole Wheat flour – 2 cups & a little more for dusting
Water (lukewarm) – About 1 cup
Oil – 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Sift 2 cups of whole-wheat flour through a sieve. Add close to 1 cup of lukewarm water, in parts, as you keep mixing the dough.
2. Continue to add water and mix till the dough picks up all the flour.
3. Knead for a good 5-6 minutes for soft rotis.
4. Add about 1 Tbsp oil and knead again.
5. Divide the dough into golf ball sized portions of equal sizes.
6. Cover the dough balls with a moist cloth or paper towel.
7. Take a ball, flatten it with your hands and dust it with flour. Roll it into a thin, round shape roti using a rolling pin and a flat surface.
8. Roll the roti using s rolling pin, dust with flour, just enough so it does not stick to the surface. Too much use of flour will make the roti dry.
9. Make sure it’s as thin as possible and even all over. Also, don’t worry if your rotis are not round or circular in shape, it takes a little practice and I am sure, after some tries you will be able to get it right!
10. Meanwhile, heat a flat skillet/tava and put the rolled roti on it. The base of the roti goes on the top of the pan for 15 seconds ~high flame.
11. When you see small bubbles, flip it and let the other side cook evenly.
12. When it starts to puff after 25 seconds on high flame, transfer the roti to a direct medium flame (if you have gas stove) or roti rack (if you have an electric stove with coil) and voila see it puff up! J Some of the rotis may not puff up so don’t worry.
13. As you remove the roti from heat, you can spread some butter or ghee (clarified butter), which is optional.
14. Serve hot with your favorite dal (lentils), cooked vegetables or non-vegetarian curries! Hope you enjoy this!

TIP :

1. In the US, there are two kinds of stoves available. If you are using an electric stove, a metal rack is placed to cook the roti over direct heat since coil is not suitable. If it is a gas stove, you can cook the rotis over direct heat.
2. The quality of the Indian whole-wheat affects the softness and texture of the rotis.
3. Add 1 Tbsp. of yoghurt to the dough mixture for extra softness.
4. These rotis were made without resting the dough after kneading.

Happy Cooking! ☺