Missi Roti 1, (Wheat And Bengal Gram Flour Mix)
Missi Roti 1
Abha Gupta
Missi roti is one of the traditional Indian roties that is gaining popularity once again. This was one of my father's favourites and cooked in our house frequently. It is traditionally served with any of the sags (leaf vegetables) like sarson (mustard leaves), chana leaves(gram leaves), palak (spinach) and with skinless urad dal (lentil). A yoghurt drink like lassi or mattha and a piece of Jaggery (a lump of raw, cane sugar) are the usual accompaniments. It can be served with meat and chicken curries too. It can make you quite thirsty, so be prepared to drink a lot of water after eating missi roti! Don't be put off by a long number of steps, they are just to explain how to make rotis. Makes 18-20
Ingredients
1 cup Bengal gram or kala chana.
2 cups atta or chapatti flour
Water to make dough
A little chapatti flour for dusting
A little butter or ghee to brush the cooked roti.
A handful of dry methi leaves (optional)
Instructions
Wash and soak Bengal gram overnight.
Grind to a thick paste. Do not add too much water during grinding.
Place in a bowl, add 2 cups flour and make a dough. You may need to add a little extra water or a little extra flour. The dough has to be soft enough to roll out and not too hard to make it difficult to roll. Remember that firm dough makes for harder roties but soft dough is harder to handle for beginners. You can use a food processor to make dough.
Place dusting flour in an old dinner plate or similar.
Divide dough into 18-20 portions, a little larger than a golf ball. I make them one at a time, while the previous roti is cooking. If you make them all at the beginning, keep them covered with a moist cloth.
Roll each ball out, one at a time, using a little flour to dust. It is better to roll out the next roti while the previous one is cooking, otherwise they dry out. Roti should be approximately 6-7 inch in diameter. During rolling out process, you will need to dust the roti a few times, on both sides. Simply dip it in dry flour on both sides, as and when it begins to stick to the rolling board/pin.
Cooking Roti:
a)Heat a tava or a griddle to medium hot. Do not start with a cold tava or roti will stick. b) Place the rolled out roti on it. c) When the roti changes colour to a slightly darker shade and a few blisters appear on the under surface, turn it over. d) After a minute or less, turn it over again, there should be a few dark brown blisters on the 2nd side too. e) Now turn it over again (3rd time) and press the roti gently all over, using an old, folded kitchen towel (cloth one, not paper), coaxing it to balloon. If you have gas fire, you can cook the roti by placing it directly on a flame, holding it with tongs or ‘chimta’. Turn it over back and forth and from side to side, again coaxing it to baloon, until both sides are cooked. Use the tongs to seal the holes, to stop escaping steam. This helps it to balloon fully. This whole procedure sounds very complicated, but is really very easy, once you have understood it.
If you have a grill, you can cook the roti under a heated grill, after stage b). Simply pick the roti from the griddle and place it on a tray under the grill. If the grill is hot, it will balloon quickly without you touching it. Once this surface is cooked, turn and cook other side. Both sides should be lightly brown with a few dark brown areas. It should be crisp.
Spread a thin layer of butter or ghee and serve straight from the fire. It tastes better when hot and crisp, not when cold.
Notes
Variations can be made by adding grated onions or chopped methi, chopped fenugreek leaves, chopped spinach etc. to the dough.
