Fresh soft and delicious roti (“rho-tee”), a bread accompaniment for various spicy Indian curries and sweet puddings (see my last post of Halwa pudding). This roti bread was taught to me by my mother in law, shown to me, not given a written recipe with measurements (I wonder if she even owns measuring cups!), oh no no… mom eyeballs the amounts and can tell by the texture if its the right amount. She does everything by heart and with heart. Mom has been making this for years and is probably finding this post rather amusing!
This particular way of making Roti results in a very soft and pliable bread, so its great for using in lieu of a spoon. Since I didn’t grow up eating roti and curries, I have had to practice this recipe over and over again and record my measurements. My husband thinks I finally got it right. So here it is…
Recipe: Roti
Summary: Guyanese Style
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1 TBSP Baking Powder
- 1 cup water
- dash of salt
- vegetable oil for brushing (about 1/4 cup)
Instructions
- Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add water slowly and roll the flour onto the water to avoid your fingers sticking too much. Mix with your hands until its all combined and slightly sticky. Keep kneading away at it for a few minutes.
- Add a little extra flour to the bowl and roll the dough ball to make it nice and soft. Leave in the bowl and cover with a damp towel for at least 30 to 45 minutes.
- Break the dough into golf ball sized pieces (I usually make about 7).
- Now look at my pictures to help you… take a ball and:
- roll it out (try to use as little flour as possible, more flour = tougher bread)
- brush top side with a little oil
- fold “brochure like” with each side toward the middle. Next, fold the same way but with the bottom up, then top down. You should have a little folded square (oiled side tucked inside, soft on outside).
- repeat this for all balls.
- Let them sit another 30 minutes. - Prepare your workspace by spreading out a kitchen towel onto the counter. Place a paper towel onto that. (This is where you will be “smushing” the roti.)
- Heat a skillet to medium high, brush with oil. Now roll out a ball dough into a round circle. Toss the roti on the skillet, wait for it to bubble (1-2 minutes), brush the top with oil then flip it. Brush the new top with oil (the already cooked side) and flip again. Wait about 10 seconds then remove from the skillet and place onto the prepared paper towel. Fold the towel in half, then hold accordion like and smush together several times (like 20 times). Roti should be soft and floppy. Place on a plate and cover to keep warm. Repeat for all.
Preparation/Rising time: 60 minute(s)
Cooking time: 15 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 7
8 Comments
That looks great! I like the comment about our mom-in-law not knowing exact measurements. I have the same problem! Thanks!
Your roti look so delicious! I’m in a similar position as you—-I did not grow up eating roti either and my mother-in-law makes them without a recipe! She doesn’t use any baking powder, but I think I’d like to try your recipe because they seem very tender and light. I’ll have to check out your halwa recipe next!
I’ve never eaten this before and I am completely intrigued! Your photo caught my eye, but the whole recipe sounds lovely. I am most definitely going to make this! I am printing the recipe now. Thank you!
Good job on the roti, older Guyanese never used any measurements at all, it’s amazing how they always seemed to achieve the same results over and over.
When I was in Thailand I had the most amazing roti ever! Egg and banana were folded in and then topped with condensed milk and sugar. I think it might have been sweetened condensed milk.
Looks easy enough for me to try! Thanks!
Sounds yummy, I will have to ask my MIL if she has ever had roti that way. Thanks for visiting my site!
I hope your roti came out, what did you end up serving it with? You can eat it with a variety of foods. I like it with Dahl (yellow split peas with garlic boiled and pureed), also with pumpkin (butternut squash sautéed and mashed with garlic and shrimp). Thanks for visiting my site!
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