Guyanese Oil Roti
The perfect accompaniment to any curry. Soft, flaky warm oil roti (or some call it paratha roti). Here’s my mum’s recipe. I’m yet to master getting them round every time, but it’s the taste that counts!
Ingredients:
Makes 6 Rotis.
3 cups all purpose flour
Jug room temperature water (you won't use it all)
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup oil (vegetable or sunflower oil)
1 tsp Baking powder
Method:
1.Mix your flour, salt and baking powder together.
2. Add your water slowly and a little at a time to form a soft dough. Knead until smooth and let sit for ideally 30 mins (15 mins minimum). Check my reel for the consistency you want. You need it to be soft and it should spring up if you press it.
3. Divide your dough into 6 balls. Dust your surface with a little flour, this will stop your dough from sticking to the surface.
4. Roll out each ball roughly to the size just smaller than a dinner plate.
5. Spread some oil on to the entire surface of the dough, I use my hands to do this but you can use a brush if you like. Once that's done also sprinkle some flour over the surface of the dough. You can see how this is done in my reel.
6. Again I use my finger for this, but you can use a knife if you prefer, cut the the dough to about ¾ of the way down.
7. Take one of the cut ends and roll it towards the other cut end. You need to make a cone shape, then tuck the end into the wider end, and press down with your hand to slightly flatten. (Watch my reel see how to do this) This method creates the layers in the dough so that your roti is flaky and soft.
8. Once you've done this to all six balls, cover with a damp kitchen towel and let them rest for 15 mins.
9. Pop your Tawa on your hob (you can use any flat pan if you don't have a tawa) and heat it up to a medium/high heat. You want this to be hot when you cook your roti.
10. Lightly flour your surface and roll out the balls to about the size of a dinner plate (or smaller if your tawa is small)
11. Place your tawa on the hob and with a kitchen towel or brush lightly oil the tawa, pop your roti onto the tawa, and cook for about 30 seconds, you'll start to see it bubble up slightly. At this point turn your roti over (I use my hands for this but you can use a spatula, I have asbestos fingers) apply some cooking oil to the surface of your roti - I use a piece of kitchen roll to do this but you can use a brush. Then flip again and apply oil to the other side.
12. Cook both sides evenly, and if you're lucky your roti will swell. (it's not the end of the world if this doesn't happen)
13. Take the roti off the tawa. Now clap your roti between your hands, if you've not done this before (or you don't have asbestos hands) you can shake the roti in a bowl or mug this separates the layers and needs to be done when the roti is hot - this is the secret to soft and fluffy roti!
