28 November 2012

Making the Indian bread...

or rotis is a skill. It is unleavened bread and can be made in many forms to suit different occasions....but the best form is the simplest, which is wholewheat flour kneaded into a dough, made into small balls called loi, and then rolled out - not too thin, but thinnish - and then cooked on a flat griddle. After both sides are cooked, the roti is placed directly on the flame till it puffs up....

I personally lay great store by my rotis and in October while holidaying with my DD, insisted she learn how to make rotis.............. and made sure she got it....imagine my pride and happiness when she msgd me today to say she had turned out lovely puffed up rotis for a dinner guest!!!!!

The two things that are needed are a good, solid pata (round flour board or pastry board) and belan (rolling pin). For the person who loves making rotis, it is important that these are made of good wood - teak wood or rose wood or some other wood like that - real good wood...and these have to be cared for...

Strange isn't it, how one makes sure that the things one loves to do are done with the right kind of instruments/apparatus/utensils/tools...