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Kurakkan roti
කුරක්කන් රොටී (kurakkan roti): rustic finger millet and coconut flatbread from the Hill Country, eaten with lunu miris
Kurakkan, finger millet, was the grain of the dry chena plots and the hill villages long before white bread arrived, and these brown, nutty roti are still what many farming families around Badulla and Monaragala eat for breakfast or dinner. The flour is kneaded with plenty of fresh grated coconut and just enough water to hold, patted flat by hand and cooked on a dry clay pan until speckled and firm. They are dense and earthy, with a faint sweetness from the coconut, and taste best hot with a sharp spoonful of lunu miris or a mild dhal. Pressing the dough too thin is a classic error, because millet has no gluten and the roti crack and break; keep them about 5 mm thick. Chef's tip: shape them on a piece of oiled banana leaf or baking paper and flip them straight onto the pan, which saves them from tearing. Millet is naturally gluten free, but check the packet if you are cooking for coeliacs.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 3
Ingredients
For the dough
- 3 ½ oz grated coconutfresh or frozen and thawed
- 1 /2 tsp salt
- 1 red onion (optional)small, finely chopped
- 1 green chilli (optional)finely chopped
- ½ cup warm waterroughly; add slowly
For cooking
- 1 tsp coconut oilfor the leaf or paper
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 7 oz finger millet (ragi) flour, 3 ½ oz grated coconut, 1 /2 tsp salt, 1 red onion and 1 green chilli in a bowl, rubbing the coconut into the flour with your fingers.
Step 2: Add ½ cup warm water a little at a time and knead for 3–4 minutes to a soft, slightly sticky dough that does not crack when pressed. Divide into 6 balls.
5 minStep 3: Lightly brush a square of banana leaf or baking paper with 1 tsp coconut oil and pat a ball out on it with damp fingers into a round about 5 mm thick.
Step 4: Heat a heavy griddle or frying pan over a medium heat. Turn the roti onto it and peel off the leaf; cook for 3–4 minutes until the underside has brown spots and the edges look dry.
4 minStep 5: Flip and cook the second side for 3–4 minutes until firm and cooked through; it should sound slightly hollow when tapped.
4 minStep 6: Repeat with the rest of the dough, keeping cooked roti wrapped in a cloth. Serve warm with lunu miris.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 44 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 9 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kurakkan roti take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 3 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.
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