AI-generated image
Missi roti
Gram flour and wheat flatbread
مسی روٹی (missi roti): Punjab's gram flour and wheat roti with onion, chilli and coriander
Golden-yellow from the besan and freckled with onion and coriander, missi roti is a village bread of central Punjab, made on cold mornings around Gujranwala and Sheikhupura and eaten with a lump of white butter, a glass of lassi and a little mango or lemon pickle. The gram flour gives it a nutty, savoury depth and a denser, more crumbly texture than a plain chapati, while ajwain, crushed anardana and green chilli give every bite a bit of sharpness. Because the besan makes the dough short, it is also a winter favourite paired with sarson ka saag in place of makai ki roti. A frequent problem is leaving out the wheat flour or using too little, and then the roti cracks and falls apart on the tawa. Chef's tip: grate the onion rather than chopping it, so its juice helps bind the dough and the roti rolls out without tearing.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the dough
- 5 ½ oz gram flour (besan)
- 3 ½ oz wholewheat flour (chapati atta)plus extra for dusting
- 1 onionsmall, grated
- 2 green chilliesfinely chopped
- 3 tbsp fresh corianderfinely chopped
- 1 /2 tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
- 1 tsp dried pomegranate seeds (anardana)crushed
- 1 /2 tsp red chilli flakes
- 1 /4 tsp ground turmeric
- 3 /4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp ghee
- ¼ cup waterabout
For cooking
- 2 tbsp gheeplus butter to serve, optional
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (3)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 5 ½ oz gram flour (besan), 3 ½ oz wholewheat flour (chapati atta), 1 /2 tsp ajwain (carom seeds), 1 tsp dried pomegranate seeds (anardana), 1 /2 tsp red chilli flakes, 1 /4 tsp ground turmeric and 3 /4 tsp salt in a bowl.
Step 2: Rub in 1 tbsp ghee, then add 1 onion, 2 green chillies and 3 tbsp fresh coriander.
Step 3: Add ¼ cup water a spoonful at a time and knead for 3 minutes into a firm but pliable dough; cover and rest for 10 minutes.
Step 4: Divide into four balls, dust with atta and roll each into a 16 cm round about 4 mm thick, working gently and dusting often.
Step 5: Cook on a hot tawa over a medium heat for about 1 1/2 minutes until the underside has brown spots, then flip.
3 minStep 6: Brush with 2 tbsp ghee, flip again and press with a spatula for 1–2 minutes until both sides are golden with crisp dark flecks.
2 minStep 7: Serve hot, with a pat of butter on top if you like, and lassi or pickle.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does missi roti take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 15 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 vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of fresh coriander?
- Flat-leaf parsley with a little mint (for people who dislike coriander too).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
SalufPuffy flatbread
Saluf is the everyday bread of Yemenite Israelis, slapped onto a hot pan or taboon in Rosh HaAyin and Sha'arayim in Rehovot and eaten with marak temani, hilbe and zhug. It is soft and blistered, thicker than pita and with no pocket, made to tear and dunk. Home cooks often roll it too thin, which gives a cracker; it should be about 1 cm thick so it stays pillowy. Chef's tip: cook it under a lid on a very hot dry pan for the first minute, which traps steam and puffs it the way a taboon does.
Israeli
ChipaCheese bread rings
In Paraguay you hear 'chipa, chipa!' called by vendors with big baskets on buses and street corners, and every family bakes it for Holy Week, when chipa is the food of Good Friday. Cassava starch, a little cornmeal, butter, eggs and a lot of hard cheese are kneaded into a dough scented with aniseed, shaped into rings or small rolls and baked in a hot oven, traditionally a domed clay tatakua. It's chewy, crisp outside and best warm with cocido (toasted yerba tea). Chef's tip: the dough should feel soft and slightly greasy; add milk a spoon at a time, as too much makes the chipa spread flat.
Paraguayan
Matzah
Matzah is the flat unleavened bread eaten at Passover, recalling the Israelites leaving Egypt in too much haste for their bread to rise, and in Israel and Jewish homes worldwide it is also eaten as a crisp everyday cracker with soups and dips. The dough is only flour and water; by tradition it is mixed, rolled and baked within 18 minutes so it cannot ferment. This home version follows that rhythm but is not certified for Passover use. There is no salt: about 0.0 g salt per sheet. The usual mistake is rolling too thick, which gives a tough, chewy bread; roll until you can almost see the counter through it. Chef's tip: prick the dough all over with a fork before baking so it stays flat and blisters evenly.