1,000 Indian Recipes (307 page)

Authors: Neelam Batra

Kathi Kabaab ki Aalu Roti

Makes 12 to 16 breads

Kathi kabaabs
made with these breads are the Indian equivalent of burritos. Filled with small pieces of grilled or baked chicken, meat, fish, or
paneer
cheese (see
Paneer Cheese Wraps
), and a spicy hot and tangy tomato and onion salad, these wrapped delights make a quick and delicious lunch (or dinner) for people on the go.

Thinner than packaged corn tortillas, these
rotis
are delicately soft, pliable, and silky smooth. To ensure that they remain so, it is crucial to mash and combine the potatoes with the flour while they are still warm. Use a light touch; this dough is ready when everything just starts to gather together. Do not knead.

This is one bread that works very well (actually, works much better) if you make it in an electric tortilla press than if you roll it with a rolling pin and then cook it on a
tava
. The heated tortilla press simultaneously spreads the dough and cooks it, making for a perfect
roti
. Look for an electric tortilla press in most specialty cookware stores.

2 large russet potatoes (about
³⁄
₄pounds)

1 cup self-rising flour

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

¹⁄
₂cup all-purpose flour in a small bowl or a pie dish, for dusting

1.
Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water to cover until tender, about 20 minutes. Let cool, then peel them. Coarsely chop them and place them in a food processor along with the flour, and pulse 8 to 10 times (do not process continuously, the potatoes will become starchy) until you have a semi-firm dough, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons hot water only if necessary. This dough does not require resting time, nor should it be kneaded.

2.
Transfer to a bowl, add the oil, and mix lightly with clean fingers. Then, with lightly oiled hands, divide the dough equally into 12 to 16 balls and cover with foil to prevent drying. Working with each portion separately, coat with the dry flour and roll into a thin 6- to 8-inch circle.

3.
Preheat a tava or a griddle over medium-high heat until a little flour dropped on the surface turns brown. Wipe off the flour and proceed. Cook the roti breads until lightly speckled with golden dots, about 1 minute per side. (These are not like well-cooked breads that are browned.)

Variation:
To make the dough by hand, work with the potatoes while they are warm. Mash them, then add the flour and work with your fingers until you get a semi-firm dough. Add about 1 tablespoon oil if the dough sticks to your fingers.

Griddle-Fried Millet Breads with Potatoes

Bajrae ki Roti

Makes 8 to 10 breads

Bajrarotis
are eaten in various parts of the country. In the north, they are 6 to 7 inches in diameter and are called
roti
, but in Gujarat in the west they are much smaller, 4 to 5 inches, and are called
rotla
.

Millet flour is gluten-free and crumbly. Therefore, it is routinely mixed with potatoes or whole-wheat flour before any bread can be made. Breads made with millet flour are thick, substantial, and sustaining, and very much a part of the rural villagers' diet, which includes eating them with a tall glass of iced
lussi
, a chilled yogurt drink.

2 large russet (or any kind) potatoes

6 to 8 scallions, white and light green parts only, coarsely chopped

4 quarter-size slices peeled fresh ginger

1 fresh green chile pepper, such as serrano, stemmed

2 cups millet flour

1 tablespoon ground coriander

¹⁄
₂teaspoon salt, or to taste

2 teaspoons ground pomegranate seeds

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

¹⁄
₃cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

1.
Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water to cover until tender, about 20 minutes. Let cool, then peel and mash. In a food processor, process together the scallions, ginger, and green chile pepper until minced.

2.
Add the flour, mashed potatoes, coriander, salt, pomegranate seeds, and oil, and pulse 8 to 10 times (do not process continuously or the potatoes with turn starchy) until everything starts to gather into a ball. Transfer to a bowl.

3.
Add the cilantro and mix with clean fingers to make a semi-soft dough that does not stick to them. (Coat your fingers with some oil if that happens.) There is no need to knead this dough or allow for any resting time.

4.
Roll and cook the breads according to the directions for
Punjabi Griddle-Fried White Corn Breads
, starting from Step 2.

Griddle-Fried Sorghum Breads with Onions

Jowar ka Rotla

Makes 8 to 10 breads

A specialty of Gujarat,
rotlas
are small, thick
rotis
. Essentially, they can be made with any flour, but they are popularly made with gluten-free and rustic flours such as sorghum and millet. Because they have low gluten, these flours lack elasticity and are harder to roll into thinner
rotis
, so people generally make small, thick flatbreads with them. That is the main reason that some whole-wheat flour or potatoes are mixed in.

Sorghum (
jowar
) is a grain found in plenty around the world, but used sparingly in India and the United States. It does have a loyal following in the Gujarati community of the Mumbai (Bombay) area, and is very nutritious, so try it. This recipe is from my friend Jaywanti Thacker, who lives there.

1
¹⁄
₂cups sorghum flour

¹⁄
₄cup stone-ground durum whole-wheat flour

2 tablespoons vegetable oil or melted ghee

1 cup finely chopped onions

1 to 3 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, minced with seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

¹⁄
₂teaspoon salt, or to taste

¹⁄
₂cup water, as needed

Whipped butter

1.
In a bowl, mix together the flours, oil (or ghee), onions, green chile peppers, cumin seeds, and salt and then add the water to make to make a semi-soft dough that does not stick to your fingers. (If the dough sticks to your hands, put a little oil or water on them.) This dough does not require resting time, nor should it be kneaded.

2.
With lightly oiled hands, divide the dough equally into 8 to 10 balls and cover with foil to prevent drying.

3.
To cook, follow the directions for
Punjabi Griddle-Fried White Corn Breads
, but make the roti into small 4- to 5-inch circles. Everything else remains the same. Serve with a dollop of whipped butter.

Griddle-Fried Gujarati Fenugreek Breads

Methi Thepla

Makes 12 to 16 breads

Methitheplas
, a specialty of the western states of Gujarat and Maharashtra, are thin and meltingly soft griddle-fried breads (
paranthas
) speckled with chopped fenugreek leaves. They are also spicy, very fragrant and rich from the oil that is added to the dough, plus whatever is used when they are fried.

The dough for these breads must be made by hand. If it is made in the food processor the fenugreek leaves will be puréed along with the flour, making the breads green instead of being speckled with the chopped green leaves.
Theplas
stay fresh about 2 days at room temperature.