Millet Flour Indian Flat Bread
Bajra Roti
Bajra or bajri roti is a popular dish in villages of India. City dwellers have somehow lost the habit of eating it. It is served best with Butter Dal Makhani - 1 (Kidney Beans & Black Gram) or Sarson ka Saag, Curried Mustard Leaves, and a glass of cool Lassi 1, A Sweet Yoghurt drink .
Makes approximately 8
Ingredients
- 2 cups bajra/bajri atta/flour
- 1 1/2 cup boiling water
- 1/2 cup flour for dusting, in an old dinner plate or similar. You can use bajra flour on it's own instead.
- 1 large sandwich bag, slit into two layers of plastic
Instructions
- Place millet flour in a heat resistant bowl, add boiling water, a little at a time, mixing with a fork until it begins to come together. Leave until cool enough to handle.
- Knead to make a firm...ish dough, not too firm. The consistency of the dough should be firm enough to roll out, but not too hard/soft. Hard dough will make hard roties. Dough that is too soft, will make rolling out impossible.
- Divide dough into 8-10 portions and roll into balls, dusting with chapatti flour. You can make one ball at a time as you cook roties, making the next one while previous roti is cooking. Keep them covered with a moist cloth.
- Heat the griddle/tava/frying pan.
- Place the dusted ball on a floured surface and gently roll it out in as neat a circle of about 12 cm. as possible. You can roll it out using a split plastic bag; place one dusted dough ball on the bottom layer of the plastic bag. Cover with the 2nd layer of the plastic bag. Roll it out through the plastic, into a 12 cm. circle. Millet dough can be bit sticky for beginners. Using a plastic bag makes rolling it out easy.
- The roti should not be too thin, roughly 3-4 mm. thick.
- Gently lift the roti off the surface, using a wide spatula, if necessary. If rolled in a plastic bag, peel the top layer of plastic sheet off the roti gently. Lift the roti off the rolling board along with the plastic bag. Place the roti side on your left palm. Gently (it breaks easily) peel off the 2nd layer of plastic off with your right hand.
- Transfer the roti to a pre-heated griddle.
- After a minute or less, when the roti becomes a little bit darker, turn it over gently using a wide spatula. While it is cooking, you can roll out the next roti.
- Turn it over once again. Both sides should have a few brown spots on it.
- Now cook it directly on a flame, using tongs, turning frequently, until crisp and cooked. It takes longer to cook than a wheat roti. You can also cook it under a preheated grill (HOT), but make sure to keep a close eye or it will burn! If you have an electric hob, it can be cooked entirely on the tava/griddle.
- Serve immediately, smeared with butter or ghee, with Sarson ka Saag, Curried Mustard Leaves, Mustard Leaves Saag with Spicy Turnip or Palak Paneer Saag-Spinach and Paneer Cheese Curry.
Notes
- If you need to cook the roties in advance, cook until the griddle stage, step 7, and keep wrapped in a towel or in an airtight container. When ready to serve, heat a grill to maximum and cook 3-4 at a time, on both sides.
- You can add chopped coriander leaves or/ a handful of methi leaves/or very finely chopped green chillies and onions to the dough, along with a little salt and then shallow fry it to make Bajra parathas.