Not as popular as the naan or kulcha, the Palak Missi Roti, is an Indian bread that is easy to make at home.
Indian cuisine is incomplete without bread. Unlike their global cousin, Indians make their bread fresh, ready to be consumed. There are many different kinds. Each type of Indian bread complements a different kind of meal very well. You get to decide how heavy or healthy you want the bread to be!
All The Types Of Indian Bread
There are gluten-free flours like ragi (finger millet) and bajra (pearl millet) which have low GI Index. Therefore they help you feel full longer. They are great for people fighting diabetes and obesity. Then there are regular wholewheat flour rotis or chapatis which are the most common form of bread eaten across most Indian households. They are perfect accompaniments to almost any kind of meal. These breads are a great midway (read – the right balance of health, taste, and indulgence) between slightly drier millet rotis and a tad too indulgent but one of the most popular versions of Indian bread – naan. Naan is made with refined or bleached flour. While the health-conscious may not approve of it, the taste conscious more than compensate for their lack of approval. Maybe that is the reason you find naan most commonly in Indian restaurants. It is not an everyday bread in an Indian home.
What Goes Into Making A Missi Roti
Now, coming to the recipe I am going to be sharing today. Missi rotis are made with wholewheat and chickpea flour, flavoured with salt and spices. That is the basic version. I tend to add grated/finely chopped vegetables as well to mine to make them healthier and a complete meal. Enjoy it with a side of yogurt or raita. And if you have time on hand you can make a nice spicy curry to go with it too! Because of the chickpea flour, they are not as soft as chapatis but have more of a crispy texture. They are best enjoyed with a yogurt-based dish or curry. Eating them with a dry dish isn’t recommended but do go ahead if that is your cup of tea 🙂
Tips to Get Your Rotis Perfect!
Since we want nice and flaky rotis that are crisp but not too hard, the most important step is to add fat (ghee/oil) to the chickpea and wheat flour mix. To incorporate the fat into the flour, give it a nice rub between your palms (or your fingers.
Post that you can add all the remaining ingredients together and knead them, adding water gradually. One needs to be careful about not adding water liberally to avoid the dough getting soggy. I used a little less than one cup of water. Once the dough is soft and pliable I covered it with damp muslin and let it rest for 30 minutes. If you are running short of time, you could just leave it for 15 minutes.
Next, I divided the dough into small balls and roll them out like you would a regular chapati. See here a video tutorial on how to roll a chapati. Don’t worry if the rotis do not turn out perfectly round as that is perfectly normal. Just make sure they are nice and even so they cook evenly. Then place the rolled out roti on a hot tawa on medium-high heat and cook gently pressing down the sides till tiny bubbles start to form on the surface of the roti. Then flip it over and follow the same procedure. Add ghee or oil and cook for another few seconds. Flip and repeat for both sides to cook well. You should see brown spots like in the image below.
Serve right away with a side of yogurt and chutney or a spicy curry. They even make a light and filling breakfast with a side of chutney or ketchup.
Ingredients
- Whole-wheat flour- 1 cup
- Chickpea flour- 1 cup
- Ajwain or carom seeds- 1 tsp
- Red chilli powder- 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder- 1 tsp
- Hing or asafoetida- 1.5 tsp
- Finely grated ginger- 1.5 tsp
- Onion, finely chopped- 1/4 cup
- Spinach, finely chopped- 1/4 cup
- Coriander, finely chopped- 1 tbsp
- Ghee- 1 tbsp and some extra for frying the rotis
- Salt- 1.5 tsp or to taste
- Water, for kneading- Approximately 1 cup
Instructions
- In a wide and slightly deep bowl add wholewheat and chickpea flours with ghee
- Bring the mixture together by rubbing it between the palm of your hands
- Then add the remaining ingredients, add one tablespoon water and start to knead the dough; continue the process with very gradual additions of water until the dough is soft and pliable
- Cover with moist muslin and let it rest for 15-20 minutes
- After 30 minutes, form small balls and roll out the rotis
- Then place the rolled out roti on a hot tawa on medium-high heat and cook gently pressing down the sides till tiny bubbles start to form on the surface of the roti, then flip it over and follow the same procedure
- Add ghee or oil and cook for another few seconds and then flip and repeat till both sides are cooked well and you see brown spots like in the image above
- Serve right away with a side of yogurt and chutney or a spicy curry.

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September 24, 2020 at 5:20 pm[…] to the toor daal missi roti, scroll down for the detailed recipe. You may also see my recipe for paalak missi roti […]