Missi Roti (Indian Flatbread)

Missi roti is an Indian flatbread prepared with the mixture of wheatflour (atta) and gram flour (garbanzo bean / chickpea flour also known as Besan in India) and seasoned with spices. Rotis or phulkas in India are usually eaten with lentils, vegetables and other curries. Missi roti is more popular in Northern parts of India, especially in Punjab and Rajasthan. I usually like to eat it with dal makhani (whole black lentil curry with kidney beans). However today I just had it with a simple vegetable dish and pickle.

My LO loves to eat rotis more than rice. So I usually make Missi Rotis at home, much to the pleasure of my LO. And the cherry on the cake is that this dish is very healthy as it combines the wholesome goodness of both – wheat flour and chickpea flour.

Delicious Missi roti is always a treat for people who love flatbreads. The blend of two kinds of flour also makes it a healthy and nutritious option for people who are watching their weight.

It does take a little practice to make rotis for ones who haven’t tried preparing it before. However the more you practice, the better is the outcome every time. Rotis are always a healthy alternative to rice. Indians usually prefer to eat rotis at night, mainly because it helps cut down your carbs intake. Hence rotis can be perceived as a fantastic food that can enhance good health and major nutrition necessary for the human body.

Ingredients:

Wheat flour / Atta – 1 cup

Gram flour / chickpea flour / besan- 1/2 cup

Hing / Asafoetida – 1 pinch

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Red chilli powder – 1 tsp

Ground cumin – 1 tsp

Carom seeds / Ajwain – 1 tsp

Coriander / cilantro leaves – finely chopped

Dry mango powder / Amchur powder – 1/4 tsp

Oil – required for roasting

Salt – 1 tsp

P.S: You can also add very finely chopped onions. I skipped out on this ingredient as my LO does not like onions in her rotis. 

Method:

Add all the ingredients (except the oil) into a mixing bowl.

Mix everything with a spoon.

Add water very little at a time and knead until you get a very soft dough.

Take a small piece of the dough. 

Dust it with some flour.

Roll it out uniformly into a flat disc on a rolling board.

Heat a pan. When the pan is hot, place the disc on the pan. When bubbles start appearing on the top surface, it means that the base is partially cooked.

(The pan should be sufficiently hot or else the rotis will not puff up).

Flip the roti. Let the other side cook. As soon as you see the roti start rising, press gently using a soft muslin cloth or the back of a spatula. This will help the roti puff.

The roti will start to puff up. Keep pressing gently until the whole roti is puffed up.

Add just 1/2 tsp oil and uniformly distribute it on the surface using a spoon.

 

Flip it over and smear some oil on the other surface too using the back of a spoon.

Repeat the process with the other dough balls.

We enjoyed missi rotis with aloo-gobi bhujia (cauliflower potato stir fry) and mango pickle. Enjoy !!