once in a while, when we go out to dine in restaurants, we always order tandoori

rotis or naans. since we often opt for punjabi food, rotis or naan make an
appearance on the table.
traditionally tandoori rotis are made in a tandoor (a pot shaped clay oven). at
homes not all of us have tandoors. yet without a tandoor we can make a really
good tandoori rotis on stove top.
the method of making the dough is same as the way we make our regular chapati
dough. no secrets there. in fact i make tandoori rotis at times with the chapati
dough too. what works here is the method or technique of preparing the rotis.

sharing two methods to make tandoori rotis:

1. making rotis on an iron tava or griddle:

in this method (the top pic) you get a soft as well as chewy texture. the
taste is like that of tandoori rotis you get in restaurants. there is some charring
with a a crisp texture in the rotis.

you have to use an iron tava/griddle or a steel one. please dont use a non
stick tava.

you need little experimentation to get the knack, like how hot should be the
flame and rotating the tava evenly so that the corners of rotis are cooked well.

make small rotis so that the burner flame reaches out. keep flame low to
medium or as needed. you need to experiment with the burner flame to get the
perfect rotis. as it depends upon your tava thickness and burner capacity. for me
it worked on medium flame.

you need to eat the rotis fresh and when they are hot. since as they cool,
they become more chewy and dense after some time. given an option we
prefer these rotis made on tava, provided they are served hot.
2. making rotis on rack:

easy and simple method. but taste is just a bit like tandoori rotis you get
outside.

these rotis stay soft and can be eaten later also.

make the size of rotis depending on the size of the rack you are using.
below is a pic of the rotis made on rack.

tandoori rotis - soft, chewy and slightly charred rotis made on stove top.
author: dassana
recipe type: main
cuisine: north indian, punjabi
serves: makes 12 to 14 rotis

ingredients (measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)

2.5 cups whole wheat flour/atta
tbsp oil
1 tsp salt or add as required
to 1 cup water for kneading or as required
some oil, ghee or butter for spreading (optional)

how to make the recipe:

kneading dough:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

seive the atta or whole wheat flour along with 1 tsp salt in a bowl or a large
plate. you can also mix the flour and salt together.
add 1 tbsp oil.
then add cup to 1 cup water.
mix everything and gather the mixture to begin kneading.
knead to a smooth, soft and supple dough.
make small to medium sized balls from the dough.
now on a rolling board, flatten a dough ball and sprinkle some flour on it.
roll it into a small to medium sized round.

rack method:

1.
2.
3.

take a fire proof wired rack and place it on a low to medium flame.
place the roti on the rack.
when you see bubbles appearing, flip the roti. you will see a few brown
black spots on the roti. cook the other side now.
4.
flip again and you will the second side cooked well enough.
5.
flip once more for an even cooking.

6.
7.

lastly flip again. the whole roti has to be cooked well.

keep the roti in a roti basket or casserole. take some butter or ghee to
spread on the roti.
8.
spread the butter or ghee evenly. if you want you can skip the butter or
ghee.
tava or griddle method:

1.

after you are done rolling the roti, spread water evenly all over the roti. you
can use your fingers to spread water or use a pastry brush.
2.
place the roti, watered side down on a hot tava. use a cast iron tava. don't
use non stick as the roti will fall off in the next steps. as soon the roti, gets
heated up, you will see huge and sometimes even large bubbles on the roti.
3.
allow to cook for a minute on a low to medium flame.
4.
now carefully hold the tawa upside down on the flame. the flame has to be
on low to medium or else the roti might bet burnt.
5.
rotate the tava for even roasting.
6.
this is our tandoori roti done and roasted very well.
7.
this is the watered side of the roti, which has been cooked.
8.
the tava will have a few bits of cooked roti, which you can scrape off.
9.
spread some butter or ghee on the tandoori roti.
10.
serve tandoori roti hot with any dal, vegetable or paneer curry.