I have never tried making Tandoori Roti at home until recently, I don’t know why. Most of the times when we are eating out, I would prefer either the Kulcha or the Tandoori Roti. Naan for me has always been very difficult to eat once it’s cold. Unlike Kulcha or Naan, Tandoori Roti is made from whole wheat flour and unless specified, it comes with no oil/butter which works perfectly for me. It was very simple to make Tandoori Roti at home. I followed the same approach I did for my Naan two years back, as I have no Tandoor stove at home. The approach is fairly simple – once the dough is rolled out, apply a layer of water on one side of the roti, place the roti on the hot pan with the watered side down, once bubbles start forming, and turn the pan to directly cook the roti on flame. It requires little practice to ensure roti is cooked on all sides. Another important point to take note is, non-stick pans never work for this recipe as the roti doesn’t stick to the pan and falls off. Here is my recipe of the Tandoori Roti –
In the food processor, add the whole wheat flour, salt and oil. Run it for 30 secs and gently pour water little by little until the dough is formed. Remove it from the processor and knead it gently until it’s soft and pliable. Apply a few drops of oil on top and set it aside for atleast 20 mins.
Make 6 equal sized balls of the dough. Take a ball of dough, dust it with flour and roll it into a circle of 2mm thickness. Using a pastry brush, apply a coat of water on the rolled roti.
Meanwhile, heat an iron pan on medium flame. Place the roti with the watered side down on the pan. After 10-15 secs, bubbles start appearing on the top of the roti. Now turn the pan in such a way that the roti is exposed to flame directly. Cook evenly on all sides. Remove the roti on to a plate. Repeat the same with rest of the dough.
Serve hot with any side dish of your choice. Optionally butter/oil can be applied on the rotis.
The dough can be prepared by hand too. Food processor saves a lot of time and is much easier. Do not use nonstick pan for making tandoori roti as the roti doesn’t stick to the pan. If you are using glass top stove, make this recipe with caution as the excessive heat can cause glass breakage. The first roti I tried got burnt a little bit as I exposed it to excessive heat for more than ten secs. Keep an eye on the roti while cooking it with an inverted pan. The thickness of the roti can be adjusted as per needed. I made mine fairly thin and we enjoyed it that way. Serve these rotis hot as much as possible for better taste.
