HOMEMADE VEGETABLE ROTI

"Vegetable Roti" is one of the popular short eats, which can be found in most of the bakeries/pastry shops, in Sri Lanka. Following is an easy vegetable roti recipe which can be tried at home and this would be a delicious addition to your tea party table.

Roti is a traditional flatbread native to Indian subcontinent, made from whole wheat flour and water that is combined into a dough, which is generally eaten with cooked vegetables or curries.

With the time, this traditional flatbread has evolved into many variations and can be found in different countries across the globe. In India, there are varieties of rotis/flatbreads such as paratha, naan, chapathi, tandoor bread, kulcha, etc. Besides, roti is eaten widely across the Caribbean, especially in countries with large Indo-Caribbean populations such as Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, and Jamaica. In Southeast Asian countries, roti is known in different names. Ex: Singapore - roti prata, Malaysia - roti canai, Indonesia - roti maryam, Thailand - maida paratha. In Sri Lanka, there are different roti varieties (ex: kottu roti, godamba roti).

INGREDIENTS - ROTI

• All-purpose flour - 300 g
• Water - 120 ml
• Butter - 2.5 tablespoons (unsalted if preferred)
• Salt - ¼ teaspoon
• Coconut oil - 3 tablespoons

INGREDIENTS - VEGETABLE FILLING

• Coconut oil - 2 tablespoons
• Garlic - ½ tablespoon (chopped)
• Ginger - ½ tablespoon (chopped)
• Cardamom - 2 pods 
• Cinnamon - ¼ teaspoon (powder)
• Clove - 3 pods
• Onion - 1 medium bulb (chopped)
• Chilli flakes - ½ tablespoon
• Turmeric powder - ¼ teaspoon
• Carrot - 1 large size root (chopped)
• Leek - 1 large size sheath (chopped)
• Salt - ¼ teaspoon
• Pepper - ½ teaspoon

METHOD

• Step 1: Add salt into all-purpose flour and mix together.
• Step 2: Add water to this little by little and keep on mixing until a dough is formed.
• Step 3: Add butter and combine with the flour dough.
• Step 4: Knead the dough for about 10 - 15 minutes (until it is not stick onto the palm) and make it into a round shape.
• Step 5: Keep the dough inside a bowl, apply some coconut oil around the dough and keep the bowl covered using a plastic wrap for 1 hour to proof (until the dough is processed with gluten and become soft).
• Step 6: After 1 hour, kneed the dough again for 1 - 2 minutes and make it into 8 equal size balls.
• Step 7: Keep the dough balls on a plate, apply generous amount of coconut oil around each ball and keep covered using a plastic wrap for 5 hours.
• Step 8: While the dough balls are resting, prepare the vegetable filling mixture as follows.

1. Heat a skillet to medium heat and add coconut oil.
2. Add garlic, ginger, cardamom and clove into the skillet and sauté for 30 - 45 seconds (until the aroma comes out).
3. Afterwards, add onion, chilli flakes, turmeric powder and cinnamon powder into the skillet, mix and sauté for about 1 - 1.5 minutes.
4. Then, add carrot and salt into the skillet and sauté for about 1 - 2 minutes.
5. Finally, add leek and pepper, mix everything together and sauté for 30 - 45 seconds. Let the mixture cool down to room temperature.

• Step 9: After 5-hour resting period; take a dough ball, stretch it and spread rectangularly as a thin layer on a flat surface (counter top/flexible cutting board mat) using fingers. 
• Step 10: Put about 2 tablespoons of the vegetable filling on one corner of the stretched dough and wrap it into a desired shape.
• Step 11: Heat a frying pan to medium heat and pan-fry roti/wrap without using oil. Properly cook each side of the roti (until medium brown colour patches appear) by turning around. After taking roti out of the pan, serve it warm.

The above recipe is enough to make 8 number of medium size roti/wraps. If your requirement is different you can adjust the ingredient quantities accordingly. Depending on the quality/brand of flour you use, the amount of water required to make the dough might be slightly vary.

Make sure to apply enough amount of oil around the dough balls, before allowing those to rest for 5 hours. The oil application is very important to prevent them getting dried. After 5 hours, you can observe that the dough balls have become completely relaxed, soft and stretchy.

Depending on your preference, the roti can be made into triangular/square or rectangular shapes. If you prefer, you can add fish or egg into the filling along with the vegetables. Or else, you can try a different filling of your choice (ex: onion relish). The spiciness of the filling also can be changed according to your preference.

I would love to hear your experience in preparing vegetable roti. If you have any query, opinion or an idea, do not hesitate to leave a comment below. Also you can follow my Facebook page Cuisines in Style to see the updates. In addition you can tag @cuisines_in_style in your Instagram posts, so that I can see your creative ideas.