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Lesu
लेसू: wheat roti with a thin hidden layer of finger-millet dough, eaten with ghee in Garhwal
Lesu is a clever Garhwali farmhouse roti in which a small ball of mandua (finger-millet) dough is wrapped inside wheat dough and rolled out, so each bite has a soft wheat outside and a dark, earthy layer within. Families eat it for breakfast or dinner in winter with a big dollop of ghee, jaggery or a green saag. The millet adds minerals and a pleasant nutty taste. The common mistake is making the millet dough too dry, which cracks and pokes through the wheat when you roll. Chef's tip: knead the mandua dough with hot water and keep it as soft as the wheat dough, so the two roll out together.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the wheat dough
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup water
For the millet dough
- ½ cup hot water
- ¼ tsp salt
To cook
- 2 tbsp wholewheat flour for dusting
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil (optional)for brushing
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 7 oz wholewheat flour (atta) and ¼ tsp salt with ½ cup water and knead to a soft dough. Rest 10 minutes.
12 minStep 2: Mix 3 ½ oz finger-millet flour (mandua/ragi) and ¼ tsp salt with ½ cup hot water using a spoon, then knead with your palm for 2 minutes until smooth and pliable.
3 minStep 3: Divide each dough into 8 balls. Flatten a wheat ball into a cup, put a millet ball inside and pinch closed.
5 minStep 4: Dust with 2 tbsp wholewheat flour for dusting and roll gently to a 15 cm roti.
8 minStep 5: Cook on a hot tawa over medium-high heat for 1 minute, flip, cook 1 minute more, then press the edges with a cloth until brown spots appear and it puffs in places.
16 minStep 6: Brush with 2 tbsp sunflower oil if you like (or with ghee if you are not keeping it vegan) and keep wrapped in a cloth. Serve warm.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 240 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does lesu take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 20 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.
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