Ceylonese Roti Recipes

CEYLONESE ROTI

Steps:

• Sift flour, salt and baking powder.
• Add coconut and mix well.
• Add water and knead to a soft dough.
• Cover with a damp cloth.
• Keep aside for 30 minutes.
• Divide dough into 8 parts.
• Roll each into a ball.
• Roll out each ball into a round disc 5" in diameter and of 1/4" thickness.
• Sprinkle with a little flour, if needed.
• Heat griddle, lightly grease and cook one at a time over low heat until brown specks appear on both sides.
• Remove from griddle.
• Keep warm.
• Grease the griddle before each roti.
• Wrap in a piece of foil to keep until needed.
• Reheat with foil in oven.

CHICKEN ROTI

Steps:

• In a large skillet saute garlic, onion 1-2 minutes.
• Add chicken and saute until cooked and tender.
• Add green pepper and carrots. Saute 1-2 minutes.
• Add chicken broth, potatoes and as much water as needed to cover everything.
• Simmer until the potatoes are very tender and broth begins to reduce.
• Add all spices and flavorings to personal taste.
• Cover and turn off.
• This can now stand until just before serving time.
• It will thicken a little as it cools.
• At serving time heat the roti mixture to a boil stirring with a wooden spoon. You want a nice thick curry stew.
• Cook to reduce more if too runny.
• Warm tortillas, place on plate.
• Put generous portion of roti mixture in center of tortilla.
• Roll up with ends folded under. Serve with chutney on top.

CHAPPATIS (ROTI)

Steps:

• Put flour and salt in a bowl.
• Add water a cup at a time, kneading.
• When kneading, make your hand into a fist and roll your knuckles into the dough, folding edges in continuously, working in all the flour.
• When all the flour is kneaded into a ball, poke lots of holes into the ball of dough.
• Pour a little oil into the dough and knead it inches.
• Add the rest of the oil (the dough will look very oily and that's the way it should be).
• Cover with a clean cloth and let sit for at least an hour.
• Roll the ball in a little bit of flour so it's not sticky.
• Divide the dough into about 15-20 balls depending on how big you want the chappatis to be.
• Flour the counter/board.
• Roll out each ball to about 6 inches in diameter.
• Brush with melted butter.
• Fold in three (like you fold a letter).
• Now it should almost look like a long tube.
• Take one end of that tube and fold it in to the centre and gently press it inches.
• Take the other end of the tube and fold it over the seam.
• Now you should have a little bundle of dough.
• (In other words, fold the dough into thirds one way, and then the other).
• Flour a plate and place the bundles on them.
• Roll each one out to about 6-8 inch diamete, flouring counter/board as needed.
• On a flat cast iron disc (available at Indian grocery stores) or on a big frying pan (cast iron is best), heat pan, and put chappati on it.
• When it starts looking a bit translucent, flip it over.
• Brush with melted butter, shuffling it around the pan quickly, then a quick flip over, a bit of melted butter (it should start puffing up into a pillow like shape).
• Once it has small golden brown dots on both sides, take it off an put into a serving dish (cover with a clean cloth as you keep preparing the rest).
• You will have to adjust the heat during the whole frying process.
• Clean off the pan with paper towels or a clean cloth in between frying each chappati.
• Don't turn the chappatis too much, just once or twice is enough.