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Chilka roti
Chilka roti (छिलका रोटी): soft, thick rice and chana dal pancakes from Jharkhand with tomato chutney (plus 4 hours soaking)
Chilka roti is an everyday breakfast and evening snack in Jharkhand's villages, and a favourite offering at Sarhul, the spring festival of the sal trees. Rice and chana dal are soaked and ground into a batter that is poured onto a hot tawa and cooked with a lid, so the roti comes out thick, soft and spongy with a lightly crisp base, much heartier than a thin rice-flour chila. It is eaten hot with a tomato or coriander chutney or with ghugni. Chef's tip: grease the tawa with a cut onion dipped in oil; it keeps the roti from sticking and adds a little flavour.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the chilka
For the tomato chutney
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Soak 7 oz raw rice and 3 ½ oz chana dal together for 4–6 hours. Drain and grind with 2 green chillies, ¾ in ginger, 1 tsp salt and enough 1 cup water to make a smooth, pourable batter like thick pancake batter.
10 minStep 2: For the chutney, roast 3 tomatoes, 3 cloves garlic and 2 dried red chillies directly over a gas flame or in a dry pan over a high heat for 8 minutes, until the tomato skins blacken and blister. Peel the tomatoes and mash everything with 1 tsp mustard oil, ½ tsp salt and 2 tbsp coriander leaves.
10 minStep 3: Heat a heavy tawa over a medium heat. Spear ½ onion on a fork, dip it in 3 tbsp mustard or vegetable oil and rub it over the tawa.
2 minStep 4: Pour a ladle of batter in the centre and spread it gently to a thick 15 cm round, about 5 mm thick. Drizzle a little oil around the edge, cover with a lid and cook for 3 minutes, until the top looks set and full of small holes. Common mistake: spreading it thin like a dosa; chilka should stay thick and soft.
3 minStep 5: Flip and cook uncovered for 1–2 minutes, until golden in spots. Repeat with the rest, greasing the tawa each time, and serve hot with the chutney.
25 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chilka roti take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of raw rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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