Flatbreads – How to make Missi Roti?

February 28, 2020

How to make Missi Roti? A variation on flatbreads.

We invite you to join us to learn and make these flatbreads. Don’t shy away with the shape of the roti. Try the round, square, triangle, or for that matter, make any form of flatbreads with varied flavors.

This rendition is a mix of different flours and spices which jazz up any North Indian curries in no time. The recipe is from my sister ( Ami ) and has executed with the help of Palak and mom, you have met them earlier on the blog with different recipes, and they require no further introduction.

Pantry and Fresh Ingredients:

1 cup chickpea flour (besan or gram flour)
2 cups whole wheat flour (atta)
1 tbsp fresh fenugreek (or kasuri methi) leaves
1/2 cup cilantro ~ finely chopped
1 tbsp ajwain (ajowan caraway, bishop’s weed, or carom)
1/2 to 1 tsp red chili powder
Two green chilies ~ finely chopped
1/2 cup onion ~ finely chopped
1 tbsp yogurt or curd
1 tbsp cream (or malai)
Salt to taste
1 tbsp oil + extra for greasing
1/4 cup water or less to bind the dough

Flatbread making essentials:

Rice flour to help to roll the flatbread
Butter to grease the flatbread ~ ( Optional with or without butter )

Kitchen tools:

Heavy bottom flat pan or Tawa
Knife and cutting board
Dough bowl
Stainless steel roasting tongs ( Chimta )
Rolling pin and board

Direction: Dough preparation

In a dough bowl, add all the dry ingredients ( gram flour and whole wheat flour )
To that, add the fresh herbs and other components ( fenugreek leaves, cilantro, onion, green chilies )
Mix the dry ingredients with the fresh herbs
Combine the spices red chili powder, ajwain, and salt
Add the wet ingredients to the dry mix, malai, curd, oil, and mix well to taste the spice level before binding with water
Use water as needed to knead the soft dough ball and lastly grease the dough lightly with oil and let it rest for 30 min
Prepare 1-inch sized dough balls

Did you know? It is a North Indian specialty and is mostly made during winters in tandoor or clay oven.

How to roll the flatbread?

Dust the dough ball with rice flour to help with rolling on the board and to avoid sticking on the board
Press and flatten the dough ball on the rolling board
With the rolling pin with equal pressure start rolling the bread; after each swipe lift and rotate the dough slowly in a different direction
Continue this process and if required again sprinkle some rice flour between the flattened dough and the board for the swift motion
As you will gain experience, the frequency of lifting and adjusting the rolled dough will decrease, as, with the help of rice flour, the flattened dough formation will rotate on its own in a round motion. ~ don’t worry if you cant achieve that right away, it takes practice to get that swing
Keep rolling the flattened bread to 0.2 or 0.3 mm thickness or thinner if you like, no particular requirement though; do as per your liking
Make sure the flatbread flattens evenly to avoid any raw spots while cooking. Hence applying equal pressure does wonder.

How to roast the flatbread?

Heat the flat pan on a slow to medium heat
Place the flatbread on the flat pan and let it cook on one side until it shows few bubbles and the wet surface looks partially cooked
Flip the flatbread to cook another side and let it cook until it quickly moves on the pan without any efforts
Once cooked on the flat pan, roast the flatbread on the open flame to char the flatbread both the sides; you can do the charring as per your liking with the help of the steel tongs; They may not fluff up so don’t stress on that because the dough contains non-grounded ingredients.
Once done, as per your like glisten it with butter if you choose it to eat buttered missi roti
Eat warm or store in a roti box ~ it helps to seal the freshness and avoid them getting dry

Tip #1: Enjoy this flatbread freshly made and avoid the pre-made; I personally think they are fresher the better.

Servings:

Relish the flatbreads (missi roti) with any delicious North Indian curry; here we have devoured it with Daal Bukhara and rice
Though you can pair with any paneer or vegetable curry (sabzi’s) or with spiced yogurt with a zest of spiced tadka (vaghar)