Do you love West Indian food? We do, particularly West Indian Rôti and fortunately there are a couple of really great places to get takeout near our home, but I’ve always wondered how to make them at home. Believe it or not, it was surprisingly easy and not very time consuming at all. In fact, I probably spent more time searching techniques to make the Rôti than actually making the roti! And the curry was just popped into the slow cooker and cooked all day with little to no attention! Can you believe it?
The following few posts are of West Indian Curried Chicken Rôti, I hope you give it a try, it was incredibly tasty!
I finally settled on Chef Marcus Samuelson’s Trinidadian Chicken Rôti and I even made his roti bread, but to be honest I wasn’t entirely happy with it. My rôti from Chef Samuelson’s recipe did not turn out soft and pliable nor did it have the layers that our local rôti joint makes so I went back to the drawing board and found this recipe and very good video tutorial and my first attempt worked out perfectly! It’s definitely not as calorie conscious as I would normally like, but then again we won’t be indulging too often and I bet it’s a bit healthier than the takeout version!
As it turns out, the rôti is more or less a laminated dough, which means you add some kind of grease and fold the rolled dough to create the layers. The recipe I used was made with white flour but I altered it a bit with whole wheat and it really didn’t change the mouth feel or texture, I also reduced the oil for laminating quite a bit. I’m definitely going to incorporate this wonderful dish into our Cottage Repertoire!
West Indian Rôti Bread
Makes 2 30 cm (12 inch) rôti breads. Please click here for original recipe.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup AP flour
- 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp vegetable shortening
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/8 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
Directions:
- Combine the flours, shortening and baking powder in a large bowl. Rub the shortening into the flours well.
- Add 1/2 cup water a little at a time until the dough comes together (it should be relatively soft and shaggy but not sticky).
- Cover with a damp cloth and allow to rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Combine the vegetable oil and butter and melt in a microwave. It’s OK to use this if it is warm, but not boiling.
- Divide the rested dough into two evenly sized balls. With a little flour on the work surface, roll out each dough to about 30 cm or 12 inches in diameter (it will be very thin).
- Using a pastry brush, brush the vegetable oil and butter combo on the circle (I used a relatively light touch and it still worked out beautifully!).
- Using the technique described in this video, slice a single cut into the circle from the edge to the centre. Begin folding a triangle, going all the way around the circle.
- Then flip the cone up so the point is downward. From the wider end on top, pull the outer sides into the roll to seal it. Then flip it again so the pointy end is up, and using your forefinger and middle finger press the point down into the roll. Repeat for the second circle. The video is excellent, so if you have time, please watch it.
- Cover these laminated balls with a damp paper towel and allow to rest 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Once rested, lightly flour your work surface and roll out the laminated dough to about 30 cm or 12 inches in diameter. In the meantime, using a large flat cast iron pan, heat to medium heat.
- Cook the first side for about 2 minutes, and then flip. Brush the top side with some of the remaining oil butter mixture, then flip and brush the second side. The instructions were quite explicit not to brush the bread first, you must cook the first side before brushing.
- Repeat cooking for the second roti.
- Store in an airtight container or zip lock bag so it doesn’t dry out.
This is the roti with Chef Samuelson’s slightly modified Chicken Curry.
Making this again today!
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Hi Greg, I’m very flattered, thanks for the comment! I made the rôti flatbread for breakfast the other day, such an easy and quick recipe.
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Thanks for trying my recipe. Love, love roti!!
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Loved it, and my friend Greg tried it too! Thanks for sharing it and the tutorial!
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[…] flat bread recipe comes from Eva’s Kitchen Inspirations, which she altered from Metemgee. I almost followed Eva’s recipe exactly and had a perfect […]
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I followed the link from ‘Rufus Food and Spirits Guide’ and am sooo glad I found your recipe for Roti! Recently a lovely little shop opened up which sells all kinds of prepared Indian foods, plus lots of spices… pretty much anything you might need/want BUT I didn’t like the Naan I bought there. I’m def. going to try to make your excellent recipe for Roti – thank you so much!!
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Welcome to my blog Cecile and thank you for your lovely words. I also have a Naan recipe on the blog which I personally think is outstanding. https://kitcheninspirations.wordpress.com/2012/12/13/draft-indian-dinner-party-naan/ It has the right amount of crispiness and chewiness that an experienced naan maker can achieve. I hope you enjoy the rôti recipe, I know I’ll be making it again and again.
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[…] is a very flavorful dipping sauce perfect with naan or roti. It is also good for vegetables, meat kabobs and just about anything else you may want to dunk in […]
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Oooh, that last photo elicited a little gasp from me Eva… it looks SO good! How do you cook them though… I mean, I know you said a “large flat iron pan” (paraphrasing there) and that they’re 30cm but they look absolutely enormous! I guess it’s just a question of having the right pan. My father-in-law probably has a suitable one… perhaps I can -ahem- appropriate it :D.
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Oh my, thank you for your lovely words Charles. I use either a cast iron crêpe pan or a cast iron pizza pan. 30 centimetres is a good size for a roti, and if one is super hungry they may have two.
Yes, my hubby used to permanently borrow items from his mothers kitchen and she’d wonder where it went off to!
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Eva you are the queen of flatbreads!
I had a friend who made this for us once… Her family came to Canada from Trinidad. They moved away and we lost touch. But her roti is etched in my mind. I never got her recipe, I think I will try yours.
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How lovely that you had a home made version of this dish Zsuzsa, I bet it was delicious! My Mom would ‘trade’ dinners with her different ethnicity friends so that the family could experience different foods. She would make a Hungarian dish for the family she traded with and that Mom would make her dish. It was pretty cool.
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I love Indian style breads, these seem easy enough to make. I love the fact you’ve stuffed one too Eva.
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Thank you David, it’s indeed quite easy so I do hope you’ll give it a try.
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I know nothing about West Indian food, but if this roti is an example, I think I’d be an instant fan! Who doesn’t love a laminated dough????
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Thank you so much Liz, and thanks to you, I would not have known the terminology for this type of dough. I think you would like the flavours but would use caution with Bill, I don’t think it would be his bag!
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I buy this lovely roti bread and pull apart the layers as best I can and fry it in a hot pan (no added oil) until it’s crunchy. Then we use it with dips. I instantly go to dip heaven. Now I’m going to try making it myself! Thanks, Eva!
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Oh, I’m so happy to hear that Maureen, I’m sure you will love your version better than the store bought. What a great idea to make the layers into crackers! I often do that with Fajita shells!
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the filling is amazing! So flavorful and rich! This looks wonderful
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Thanks so much Jessica, it’s definitely a keeper recipe.
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I made naan on Saturday when guests were over. These look even better. They turned out perfectly.
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Hi Greg, we love Naan, I wondered if you tried my recipe, it’s so good. I’ve made it umpteen times and most recently for a pizza base!
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I’m sitting here, trying to recall dining on West Indian food. I really don’t think I have. Then i looked at Chef Samuelson’s recipe and instantly knew why. It’s the heat level of that dish and, I assume, most dishes from the Caribbean. I’d definitely have to skip the Scotch bonnet pepper and watch the paprika. Your rôti, though, sound delicious, Eva. I like the idea of a flat bread more pliable than Naan and a bit thicker than a crêpe. I’d love to give it a try.
Isn’t it amazing, by the way, the things you can find on YouTube? I’ve used it for cooking tips, too, as well as how to fix my snowblower — twice. 🙂
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Thank you John, that’s the lovely thing about making the rôti at home, you can customize it to your taste!
The internet is indeed an amazing resource. We had a very strange situation in the basement where one electrical outlet did not work. Both JT and I assumed an animal must have gnawed the wiring in the walls and was electrocuted but to be honest, there were no fireworks or even anything strange, except that one outlet. So JT googled it and low and behold he found the answer! A ground felt that was ahead of the outlet had been tripped (in the bathroom) and anything after that did not receive power until we reset it! It is strange that only one outlet was connected after that ground fault, AND that the rest of the power in the bathroom was working! The joy of old homes. But at least it was a simple fix and it cost us nothing! Woohoo!
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Hi Eva, love the way your roti looks, so authentic. Beautiful pics!
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Thank you so much Cheri.
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Eva, your roti looks very authentic — what a great job. We love chicken roti and, funny enough, have mostly enjoyed it in Jamaican restaurants (an Indian contribution to Jamaican cuisine that is part of the Indo-Jamaican culture). The chicken roti versions are, perhaps not surprisingly, very similar. Now the use of the crock pot is simply brilliant… I have to investigate that more closely! Off to check out your linked recipes.
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Hi Kelly, our favourite takeout was near my work and they were Jamaican. Thank you for your kind words. I look forward to seeing how you might healthy up these favourites!
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Eva that looks divine! And perfect for soaking up curry juices too 😀 Thanks for the very clear instructions!
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Thank you so much Lorraine, so kind of you to say.
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Eva, very impressive! Your roti looks amazingly good! I could tear off a piece and eat it right now! If you enjoy Malaysian food, check out my friend Jackie M, http://jackiem.com.au/ she has some beaut cooking videos too!
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Thank you very much Liz, beginners luck! I have not tried Malaysian food but have had another comment about it, thank you for the link to your friend’s blog, I shall check it out.
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Your roti are beautiful, Eva. I like that you substituted some whole wheat flour. I want to make some and may try making them with spelt flour and whole wheat. Yum.
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Thank you kindly Sharyn, that is very flattering. I look forward to seeing the post about the spelt flour versions.
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Eva, how beautiful your rôtis look! You are really gifted for such tricky complicated stuff as naans and rôtis (and I bet you make excellent crêpes too!). You know what your beautiful rôtis remind me of? Of course your lovely naans that I haven’t prepared yet… As much as I am addicted to Japanese short grain rice, I am not a huge fan of basmati (I don’t like the “loose” way it’s cooked and its taste either), but luckily rôtis or naans are my beloved company for any Indian dish (actually I like them too much and eat too many every time). Your rôtis look so much better than the ones I sometimes buy in packages… So soft and thin… (It’s funny that you have used a bit of wholemeal flour: I think that wholewheat flour is more popular in rôtis at least here because I see 100% wholewheat rôtis more often than white flour ones!). One more recipe bookmarked and hopefully made soon!
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Hi SIssi, thank you so much for your kind words and such compliments that make me blush! I don’t mind basmati rice and recently I had the opportunity to try brown basmati which is far less aromatic but has more fibre than the white counterpart. I think many of the rôti’s here are made with chick pea flour but I don’t really care for the smell.
I know what you mean about the naan, I only make one and we share it because if I made more, we would be tempted to eat it!
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We just made Indian last night. I love roti! It’s a great way to soak up the curry sauce. Mike, Mr. N and I are definitely on an Indian kick lately. Miss A, not so much though. Although, I’m sure she would like the roti.
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Thanks so much Kristy, now that you’ve mastered yeast, you should definitely try making the naan bread, it’s really one of the best I’ve had, I make it all the time for pizza dough, it’s just so darn good.
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I’ve had roti in a restaurant, but it wasn’t West Indian, it was Malaysian, so these rolls are new to me. Bravo to you for taking the time to figure out how to make them. They look delicious!
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Thank you so much Betsy, many cultures have a similar dish and the flat bread texture and curries would differ slightly. I’d love to the the Malaysian kind too, now you’ve got me curious so I’ll be googling it.
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Love Trinidadian roti too! (we used to work on a friends food stall at music festivals and we made/served Trinidadian food, including rotis 🙂 But I’ve never made them at home…. why?! Some of the ones I’ve eaten have a little flavouring of ground coriander and turmeric in them – delic! And a great recipe and post 🙂
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Thanks so much Claire, I made this one several weeks ago but I think I’ll have to make it again this week, I have a friend coming for dinner on Friday! I adore coriander and turmeric!
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It is nice when you live in an area where you get to experience different ethnic cuisines. If you don’t, like myself, you can try recipes like you have made. I’m sure you meal was full of flavor.
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That is certain Karen that we have a multitude of ethnic cuisines so close by in our neighbourhood! We are very fortunate. It was full of flavour and texture too.
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I’m not familiar with roti but it’s an intriguing technique and the results might be worth the extra effort involved to get that flaky looking bread.
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Thank you kindly Maria, it’s such a delicious treat, I do hope you try it too.
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I love roti bread. I think your roti bread looks wonderful. It makes me want to eat curry – now! I hope Spring has arrived for you. Autumn has arrived here swiftly; we’ve had a week of rain, the temperature has dropped and the days are much shorter. It’s your turn! xx
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Hi Charlie, sadly spring is taking its dear sweet time, in fact, it’s -13°C with a wind chill that makes it feel like -21°C today and on Saturday night we were dumped on with an additional 10 cm of snow! Can you believe it? I’m hoping that summer will be long and warm, we earned it!
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