Roti easy to make at home

Considering the cost of flour and the other ingredients needed to make roti, making this TT staple at home will cost one third less than the commercially prepared varieties.

Roti features prominently in the diets of Caribbean people, particularly in TT, Guyana and Suriname. Rotis are primarily made from flour, salt, and water. Cooked on a tawa (flat or slightly concave iron griddle), a roti can be stored for 24 hours and eaten anytime during the day. In fact it is perfect for guests at breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

There are several types of roti made in TT. The most popular here is the sada roti. For this you knead the flour with baking powder, salt and water, which you mix together, leave to rest for a while, before rolling out and cooking flat on the tawa. This is a popular breakfast option here, eaten in combination with tomato choka, baigan choka and other vegetable dishes.

Buss-up-shut or paratha roti is made with butter. It is usually cooked on a huge tawa. One of this roti can serve up to 15 people. This is ideal for public functions, weddings and family gatherings.

A smaller version can be made for every day consumption.

Just knead the flour as usual and allow it to rest for ten minutes. Divide the dough into smaller pieces which can then be rolled out and pasted with butter, then rolled up and shaped into balls and allowed to rest for another five minute. Roll out dough again and cook on a tawa. Each side is brushed with oil for a soft, yet crispy finish. When it is almost finished cooking, beat the roti while it is still on the tawa, this causes it to crumble. This is why it is given the name “Buss-Up-Shut” because it resembles a “burst up shirt”.

A simpler version of paratha roti is “dosti roti” This roti has two layers rolled out together and cooked on the tawa. It is also brushed with oil while cooking. When cooked it can be divided into two perfect rotis, which is why it is called dosti roti because the word “dosti” means “friendship” in Hindi. Dhal Puri has a filling of ground yellow split peas, cumin (geera), garlic, and pepper. The split peas are boiled until they are soft to the touch, then ground in a mill. The cumin is toasted until black and also ground. The stuffing is placed into the roti dough, and sealed. When rolled flat, the filling is distributed within the roti. It is cooked on the tawa and brushed with oil to get a soft silky finished roti.

In many East Indian restaurants Naan and chapatis rotis are popular. These resembles pita bread and, like pita bread, is usually leavened with yeast; unleavened dough (similar to that used for roti) is also used.

In India, Naan cooks in a tandoor, or clay oven, from which tandoori cooking takes its name. This distinguishes it from roti which is usually cooked on a tawa. Modern recipes sometimes substitute baking powder for the yeast. Milk or yogurt may also be used to give greater volume and thickness to the naan. Typically, the naan will be served hot and brushed with ghee or butter. It can be used to scoop up other foods, or served stuffed with a filling: for example, keema naan is stuffed with a minced meat mixture (usually lamb or mutton). A typical naan recipe involves mixing white flour with salt, a yeast culture, and enough yogurt to make a smooth, elastic dough. The dough is kneaded for a few minutes, then set aside to rise for a few hours. Once risen, the dough is divided into balls (about 100 grams or 3? oz each), which are flattened and cooked. In Indian cuisine, naans are typically graced with fragrant essences, such as rose, khus (vetiver), and kevra (a pine essence native to Southern India), with butter or ghee melted on them.

The chapatis on the other hand is made into smaller dough and deep fried in ghee. These can stay soft for up to three days.

In TT there is also the corn roti and cassava roti. According “roti maker” Nalini Rambhrose, of Penal, the corn roti is simple to make.

“You add the corn flour to the ordinary flour together with baking powder, salt, a pinch of sugar and knead with water. This must be set aside for no more than 15 minutes before it is cooked on a tawa,” Nalini explained.

She recommended adding the same proportion of corn flour to the ordinary flour. The same is needed for cassava roti. The only ingredient added here is a touch of butter to make the roti softer.