A few tips:

• Making rotis is definitely a skill every girl wants to master. The first time you attempt them may make you feel like never attempting them again. Don’t give up! It comes with practice & dedication. Keep trying, you will get there after many attempts.
• When making any dough, never add the water mentioned in the recipe all at once. You may need more or less depending on the temperature of your kitchen, hands & type of flour.
• If you are a beginner, roll out 3 rotis. Whilst you are rolling the last one, preheat the tawi / flat skillet. Once it has preheated, cook the three rotis. Repeat this process till you have cooked them all. If you roll them all out & then cook them, depending on how slow you may be at the beginning, they may dry out & become hard.
• Once you become faster at rolling your rotis, roll three & then roll the remaining whilst you are cooking them. Aim to roll & cook at the the same time. You will get there. It may take months, but practice makes perfect.
• Some people prefer a thick rolling pin, whilst others a ‘velan’ – thin rolling pin. Experiment with both & see what suits you.
• It is very important to use a good tawi / flat skillet that distributes the heat evenly to the chapatti. Try your local Asian grocery stores. We highly recommend the ‘master cook’ tawi (flat skillet).
• Some people prefer turning the roti using their hands, whilst others like to use a spatula / slotted spatula / tongs. See what you prefer.
• Preheating the tawi / flat skillet is an essential step, do not skip it!
• Cooking the rotis on the correct flame is very important. Too less heat can dry them out, whilst too much heat can burn them. Both of these mistakes will result in hard rotis. Usually the correct flame is on the biggest burner on medium to high heat. Cookers may vary so it may take you few attempts to get it right.
• If you like to make your rotis for the week ahead, freeze them as soon as you have made them. 30 mins before serving the food, remove them from the freezer allow to defrost. Warm them up on a tawi / flat skillet & serve immediately.

Ingredients

• 380g Chappati flour of your choice (we use Tesco / elephant atta medium chappati flour)
• 50ml sunflower oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup boiling water
• plain flour to dust

Method

1. Recite Bismillah.
2. In a bowl, rub together flour, salt & oil.
3. Then add the boiling water & mix using a spoon. Once the water has distributed evenly throughout all the flour, use your hands to make a soft dough.
4. Rub a little oil in the palms of your hands & knead the dough well. This is a very important step to make soft rotis. If you struggle to knead in your bowl, dust your work top lightly with some plain flour & knead the dough on your work top. Do this for a good 5 mins.
5. Make 9-10 equal balls. If you are a beginner you can weigh your dough & divide it by ten. Roll them till they are smooth & then flatten them between the palm of your hands. Set them aside & cover with a cloth.
6. Now roll them out according to desired thickness. One rolling technique is to roll them in the middle till the roti is slightly bigger than the palms of your hand, then make them bigger by pulling & rolling from the sides. The trick is to give the correct pressure using the wrist & to position the rolling pin at the edge & not the centre.
7. Preheat your tawi / flat skillet on medium to high flame. Cookers vary on this, so it may take you a couple of tries to get the right heat.
8. Once it has heated up, place the roti on the tawi / flat skillet.
9. After a few seconds, once you can see small bubbles, turn the roti.
10. Cook for a few seconds on the other side till it no longer looks raw .
11. Flip again & allow to cook for 2-3 seconds. Using a towel or your hand, rotate the roti. Then using a towel / spatula, very gently pat on the roti in different areas, it should puff up.
12. Then flip a final time, cook for a few seconds & remove from the heat.
13. Once you have cooked all the rotis, spread them out on a wired rack & allow to cool for a few mins. Then cover them in a towel / foil so they do not dry out
14. Remember us in your duas & enjoy!