Indian Roti
If you ask an American what bread looks like, she’ll probably say “a loaf”…but it ain’t necessarily so. There are many kinds of flatbreads: Mexican tortillas, Ethiopian injera, Middle Eastern pitas and lavash. Indian cuisine features chapatis, naan, and roti. Even the American pioneers favored buckwheat pancakes.
The humble muffin–which is probably America’s greatest single contribution to the world’s bakery–also has a distinctly un-loafish shape. Jewish challah is braided; artisanal “loaves” are often round or sculpted into fanciful shapes. Some breads are yeast-based, some are salt-risen, and some rely on baking powder/soda to provide upward lift. (The latter are known as “quick” breads; muffins are a great example of mini quick breads.) Some–such as the pictured roti–are even fried rather than baked.
The moral of the story? Bread comes in an unlimited array of shapes, sizes, and ingredients. (See The More, the Merrier for more information on different kinds of flours.)
Indian Roti
In a large bowl, combine:
1 1/2 cups flour (any combination of gluten-containing flours)
1 T. curry powder
1 tsp. sea salt
1 T. sugar
Make a well in the center and add:
1 large egg
1/4 cup coconut milk
2 T. chicken stock or water
(1 T. additional water)
Ghee or coconut oil for frying
Stir ingredients together. If the mixture still seems very dry, add that last T. of water. (Dough will become more pliable and less dry as you work it.) Turn out contents of bowl onto a clean surface and knead for 10 minutes. WARNING! The turmeric in the curry powder has a tendency to stain things yellow, so you might want to wrap plastic wrap snugly around a cutting board or other surface and then knead the dough on that.
Place dough in glass bowl, cover with damp towel, and let sit for 30 minutes. Roll out in a large rectangle and then cut into strips. (You might want to cut the dough in half long-ways first.) Sautée in ghee or coconut oil in small batches and let drain on paper towels. (How many batches you’ll have will depend on the size of your pan/pot–be sure to leave enough room for them to cook evenly.) The dough cooks very fast, so flip it over with a heat-proof spatula after about 20 seconds to see how quickly it’s browning. I’ve found that using a deep soup pot will keep your stovetop neat and clean while you’re frying; also, ghee and coconut oil don’t spatter the way butter does. (Other oils are even worse!)
Serve warm. Hummus or a yogurt-based Indian/Middle Eastern dip would pair very nicely with the roti.
Enjoy!
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