This flatbread (roti) can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner!
1 cup desiccated coconut
2.5 cups white flour (2 cups initially)
1 cup warm water (approx.)
1/2 red onion
green chilli - optional, more authentic
a few curry leaves - optional, more authentic
salt
1 teaspoon sunflower oil (plus more for greasing)
Serving size: makes 4 small rotis
(Please note that flour/water quantities may vary slightly)
You can substitute chillies with grated carrots or some greens of your choice
Ingredients - coconut sambol
50g desiccated coconut
2-3 tbsp hot water (approx.)
1 - 2 teaspoon red chilli powder (or more!)
salt
1/4 lemon (approx.)
Important
In Sri Lanka these dishes would be prepared using freshly grated coconut. But as I can't find fresh coconut here I use the desiccated version found in most supermarkets.
If you add a bit of hot water into the desiccated coconut and mix well, the coconut appears looking fresher! (see details under the sambol section).
I've only prepared a small quantity as per the photo above, but for 2 people (and if you like chilli) I would recommend you make double the quantity.
If you don't want to add green chillies, add grated carrot or something green instead!
Rotis can substitute rice to accompany curry dishes.
Roti preparation
1.Peel and dice the onion, and mince the green chilli.
2.Place the onions, green chilli, 1 teaspoon of sunflower oil, curry leaves and a cup of desiccated coconut in a large bowl. Add a bit of warm water and mix the ingredients by hand.
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3. Next, add 2 cups of flour (little by little) and mix well with hands, adding the water slowly. Clumps and dry spots will start to form, add small amounts of water to these dry spots and continue kneading.
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4. Continue kneading until the ingredients form a soft ball that doesn't stick to the surface or hands. If the dough is still sticky, or if too much water was added, just sprinkle a bit of flour at a time to the dough and knead until the correct consistency is reached. Form a ball with the dough. (if the dough continues to stick, or when the dough is almost soft, you could move it to a work surface and finish kneading there).
You do not need to over knead the dough.
5.Place the dough in an oil greased bowl and leave to rest for 15-20 minutes.
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6. Divide the dough into 4 balls.
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7.Place a dough ball at a time over a floured surface and start rolling them out with the help of a rolling pin. Stretch until the dough is thin, and try to make them round if you can (I'm not very good at this! 😆). You can always cut out the desired shape using a circular object.
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8. Heat a frying pan (ideally a cast iron skillet) over a medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, cook the rotis, a few minutes on each side. The rotis are ready when both sides are covered with golden-brown spots like below.
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9. Serve as soon as they are cooked.
Coconut sambol preparation
1. Peel and cut the onion into very small pieces.
2. Add the desiccated coconut into a bowl, add a bit of hot water and mix with fingers so that the coconut gains volume and is wet. Squeeze the coconut with hand to remove excess water (the coconut should just be wet). Also, do not worry if you added too much water, just drain it out. Be careful with hot water!
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3. Add the cut onions, salt, red chilli powder and lemon juice. Grind well with hands or a pestle & mortar until all the ingredients are well combined. You can always use a plastic glove if you don't want to get your hands covered in chilli!
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4. Adjust salt and lemon if needed, and only if you feel brave enough, add more red chilli!!
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