What Is Roti?
And how is it different from naan?
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By Layla Khoury-Hanold for Food Network Kitchen
Layla Khoury-Hanold is a contributor at Food Network.
You may have seen roti listed among the bread section of your favorite Indian restaurant. But, what is roti, exactly, and how is it different from naan or chapati? We turned to Chitra Agrawal, founder of Brooklyn Delhi, a small-batch Indian condiment company, and author of Vibrant India: Fresh Vegetarian Recipes from Bangalore to Brooklyn.
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What Is Roti?
Roti is unleavened flatbread made in kitchens throughout South Asia, the Caribbean and Africa. It can be made with a variety of different flours but the basic recipe is flour, water, salt and sometimes a little oil.
“The type I make is called chapati, and I use atta, Indian wheat flour that is finely ground with a stone mill,” says Agrawal, who learned to make roti from her North Indian father. “Growing up we would eat chapati almost every day with a dish like saag paneer, chana masala or potato sabzi. My grandmother used to put a little curry into the center of one for me and roll it up like a wrap. It also can be eaten with a dal that is thicker in nature.”
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How is Roti Made?
When Agrawal makes roti at home, she starts by kneading atta with salt, oil and warm water for about 5 minutes. “I let the dough rest for about 30 minutes covered with plastic film, then I knead for another minute and divide the dough into little balls which I roll into 6 inch diameter circle." She places the dough on a hot skillet and, after bubbles form, flips it. "Then I pick up the chapati with a chimta—Indian stainless steel tongs—and I place it on my gas fire to puff up like a balloon. I then butter it and serve hot."
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Roti vs Naan
Although roti and naan are both flatbreads that are often eaten with curries or stews, that’s where the similarities end. “Roti is unleavened and made with whole wheat flour and is cooked on a skillet traditionally, while naan is a leavened bread made with white flour, oil and yogurt or yeast and is traditionally made in a clay oven,” Agrawal explains.
Roti vs Chapati
Chapati is a type of roti. The terms can be used interchangeably.
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How Do You Eat Roti
Eat roti with your hands, either to dip in or roll up with hearty stews and curries, or as a snack or dessert. “My kids love a hot chapati with butter and I know in some households, chapati is made into a dessert where it's buttered and then sprinkled with jaggery or unrefined cane sugar and rolled up,” Agrawal says. “It's a rite of passage to pick up curry or dal with a roti, and my six-year-old is getting the hang of it.”
At home, Agrawal also uses roti for making quesadillas, wraps or burritos. “It works perfectly as a breakfast burrito with scrambled eggs, cheese and hot sauce. I sometimes fill it with roasted vegetables with a smear of labne or Greek yogurt and hummus,” she says.
Roti Recipes
This classic recipe for chapatis with ghee are best served piping hot. Try them alongside curries, stews and more.
Teri Lyn Fisher
These soft Indian flatbreads are made with a mixture of grated potato and all-purpose flour and studded with fresh cilantro and green chilies. Serve with yogurt and achaar (Indian pickle) for a traditional North Indian breakfast or pair with hearty vegetarian dishes such as chana masala or saag paneer.
RYAN DAUSCH
Swap in roti for naan to create a base for this easy flatbread recipe that stars tender piece of chicken marinated in a spiced yogurt.
Tara Donne, 2012, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved
Do as Agrawal does and use roti in place of a tortilla to roll up a breakfast burrito. These are stuffed with fluffy scrambled eggs, chorizo and hashbrowns.
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