A very old family friend of ours came to tea recently and brought home made roti. She does this every once in a while and we always love it when she does. If you've never had one it's sort of like whole wheat pita bread, except chewier and without the pocket in the middle. They can be eaten plain or filled with things. But my favorite way to eat them is with a cup of tea. (Surprise, surprise.) This is an especially good combination for a cold day.
After quickly finishing the ones our nanima brought I found myself craving them. So, I found a very simple recipe online and decided to try making them myself. I've tried the recipe twice and both times they came out pretty well.
The recipe says to knead by hand. I tried that the first time. The second time I put the dough into our Kitchen Aid mixer and used the dough hook with a low speed setting (2). I couldn't taste the difference. You can top them with Ghee, salted butter, and/or honey if you want something sweet.
Traditionally roti are supposed to be made on a tava - a special griddle pan - but I don't have one so I used a regular skillet. Be careful with how hot you get it. I have an electric stove and set the temperature between 5 and 6. As the pan heats up the roti will cook faster.
There are lots of different Chai recipes. I like mine milky with plenty of cardamom. Here is how I make it. Play around and try variations (like adding whole peppercorns) with the ingredients and proportions until you fine one you like.
Ingredients:
4 caradmom pods
4 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
2 good slices of ginger
2 cups of water
2 tea bags
2 cups of milk (if you like it rich you can use a mixture of 2% and a little cream)
sugar to taste
Makes 2 servings
Method:
Crack open the cardamom pods by crushing them with the side of a large knife. Put all the spices in a small pot with the water. Bring to boil. Then turn off the heat and let stand for as long as possible (I usually do this 30 minutes to an hour before finishing.) Bring back to the boil, add the tea bags (I use PG Tips), turn off the heat and let steep for 3-5 minutes depending on how dark you like it. Add the milk and heat but do not boil. Watch the edges of the pot for small bubbles so you don't scald it. Once hot strain, add sugar and serve.
Photos by Sophia Dunkin-Hubby