The little circles of dough rise before your very eyes for a magical cooking experience — and an even more spectacular eating experience.

It’s Indian comfort food in a nutshell and a must-learn recipe if you’re looking to expand your repertoire of Indian bread beyond that of roti, naan and paratha.

If you can make Poori that rises like a balloon in hot oil, you’re a legend.

How to serve Puffy Masala Poori

Tear them apart and scoop up your favourite curries, both with sauces and without. My favourite accompaniment for Poori is Koru Bateta nu Shaak (a Gujarati-style dry potato curry).

However, I wouldn’t say no to a serving of Seeroh (semolina halwa) either. A cup of masala chai is mandatory with Poori in my home. We don’t make them often but when we do, they disappear within moments.

How to make Puffy Masala Poori: Video Tutorial

The best dishes to serve with Poori

Anything! I come from a Gujarati home, so simple vegetable curries are our forte. Growing up, I ate Poori with potato curry, Undhiyu (a mixture of seasonal Indian vegetables like aubergine, papdi, lilva, valor and muthiya. This is a very popular wedding menu combination in the Gujarati community.

Channa Masala. Either kabuli channa — white chickpeas or kala channa — black chickpeas marry well with Poori. A stir-fried dish of cabbage, carrots, mustard seeds and chillies called Sambharo is a mainstay, too.

My mother has always had a soft spot for cauliflower and pea curry with Poori. I can confirm that this combination is also supremely delicious!

Why is Poori a popular wedding food?

The shelf life is longer than that of other Indian breads. Rotli (chapattis), naan and paratha become stale after an hour or so. Poori are deep fried by their very nature.

The oil acts as a barrier, preventing them from turning hard and chewy when there are hundreds of people to feed and multiple dishes to prepare. You could say they’re an Indian caterer’s golden nugget.

How to store homemade Puffy Masala Poori

Poori can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for 24 hours. They’re great the next day with masala chai. I always serve leftover Masala Poori at room temperature. Reheating in the microwave can make them super greasy!

Puffy Masala Poori: A helpful guide for delicious Poori

How to make Puffy Masala Poori

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Puffy Masala Poori Recipe

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Puffy Masala Poori

Learn how to make puffy, crispy Masala Poori at home. This easy recipe is foolproof. Just follow the step-by-step video and enjoy your fresh Indian Poori with any curry. I love mine with Gujarati-style Bateta nu Shaak.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Keyword bread

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 40 poori

Author Sanjana

Equipment

• Deep pot or wok for deep frying
• Perforated spoon or slotted spoon
• Rolling pin

Ingredients

• 500 g whole wheat chapatti flour (atta)
• 50 g chickpea flour (besan)
• 30 g coarse semolina
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 1/4 tsp asafoetida
• 2 tsp fine salt
• 3 tbsp any flavourless cooking oil (I used rapeseed oil)
• 400 ml hot water
• Oil for deep frying

Instructions

To make the dough:

• In a large bowl, combine the chapatti flour, chickpea flour, semolina, turmeric, chilli powder, asafoetida and salt.
• Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and add the oil. Pour the water in and stir with a spoon until a shaggy dough is formed.
• Once the mixture is cool enough to handle, use your hands to knead into a ball.
• Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead for 8 minutes. It should be firm, smooth and elastic. Don't worry if the dough appears sticky at first, just knead well for the full 8 minutes. You can add a teaspoon more oil at the end and knead briefly if the dough feels very sticky. It will become less sticky as it rests.
• Transfer the dough to a bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Rest for 30 minutes.
• Divide the dough into small portions and roll each one into a smooth ball. You can brush them with a little oil to stop a skin forming on the outside. Cover any dough you're not working with with a damp tea towel – we don't want it to dry out as this could prevent the poori from rising. Each portion should be about the size of a ping pong ball, weighing around 16g if you're using a scale.
• Place a ball of dough onto a wooden rolling board or a clean work surface. You can grease the surface with a little oil but don't use flour as this will burn in the oil as it cooks, leaving your oil speckled with burnt flour. Use your fingertips to press the dough out to around 5cm in diameter.
• Heat the oil to 200°C/400°F.
• Roll out around 8 pooris whilst your oil is heating. I like to do them in batches like this if I'm making these on my own. If you have someone to help you, one person can roll whilst the other person does the frying. If you're not a quick roller, you can roll out fewer than eight as the surface of the poori shouldn't dry out.
• Use a rolling pin to roll the dough from top to bottom once. Give the dough 1/4 turn (90°) and then repeat rolling from top to bottom. Continue to turn and roll the dough in this way until you have a circle around 8-10cm in diameter, 1.5mm thick. Strive for an even surface.
• Fry the poori in small batches, taking care not to overcrowd the oil otherwise the oil temperature may drop. The oil should be smoking hot when you fry them. Carefully press the surface of the poori with a perforated spoon and use it to pour oil over the top too. This should encourage the pooris to rise. Once risen, turn the poori quickly so it doesn't brown too much. Cook on the other side for a few seconds and then lift out of the oil, draining away excess oil.
• Place the poori on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
• Repeat the rolling and frying process for all the pooris.

Video

Notes

• Ensure the oil is at a smoking hot 200°C/400°F throughout the frying process.
• If you need some time to roll the pooris between frying, turn the temperature on the oil down. Bring it back to the correct temperature before frying the next batch.
• Don’t use flour when rolling pooris. The high heat of the oil will cause the excess flour to burn, leaving your oil speckled with burnt flour. Use oil to prevent the dough from sticking to your board and rolling pin, if necessary.
• Don’t be disheartened if the pooris don’t all rise. Strive for an even surface and ensure the oil temperature is high. It comes with practice.

Storing Poori

• Poori are best eaten hot.
• If you have leftovers, keep them in an airtight container lined with kitchen towel. Store at room temperature and eat within 24 hours.

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If you like this, you’ll love my recipe for Paneer Kulcha

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I have the best memories of waking up to the smell of Theplas at my husband’s home. Whenever would visit, my father-in-law would wake up early to make them, along with crispy Bateta Vada and sweet chai. It was the best breakfast and something I miss dearly.

What are Thepla?

Thepla are traditionally bound into a soft dough which is then roasted on a hot tawa or frying pan. During the cooking process, the Thepla are brushed with oil to help them achieve a leopard-spotted finish all over the surface. It’s this oil that ensures the Thepla remain soft and delicious for days.

What should I serve Thepla with?

Thepla can be served a number of different ways; the most popular being with masala chai, potato curry (bateta nu shaak) or simply with your favourite achar and plain yoghurt. As they are a common breakfast or lunch dish, it’s not uncommon to enjoy them with sweet masala chai and nothing else.

How to make soft Thepla

The key thing to remember when making Soft Gujarati Thepla at home is that the dough must be soft. Unlike poori making, the Thepla dough needs to be bound with sufficient water and oil. Some cooks also add plain yoghurt (dahi) to the dough for added richness.

Tips for making the softest Gujarati Thepla

I like to use a combination of warm water and warm almond milk to bind my dough. This is not traditional but my way of ensuring my Thepla are super soft and delicious. Using almond milk also means these Thepla are vegan due to the lack of yoghurt used to bind the dough.

Another ingredient I like to add to help achieve this is chickpea flour. Once roasted, the chickpea flour also gives these Thepla an incredible toasty flavour.

Can I use dried methi to make Thepla?

Of course. However they will lack the beautiful green-speckled surface achieved when making them with fresh fenugreek leaves. While kasoori methi is fine to use, remember that the flavour is incredibly strong in comparison to fresh methi leaves so you will need to use much less of it.

I’d recommend using 1 tbsp dried methi in this recipe, ground finely between your palms. Remove any sharp, dried stalks as they will affect the way the Thepla roll. Reconstitute the methi in 1 tbsp hot water and allow to stand for 5 minutes before adding it to the dough. For a burst of green colour, you can also add a handful of freshly-chopped spinach leaves or fresh coriander leaves. Ensure any leaves are very finely chopped.

Ingredients you’ll need to make Soft Gujarati Thepla

• Wholewheat chapati flour (roti atta)
• Fresh fenugreek leaves
• Chickpea flour
• Garlic
• Jaggery (gor) or brown sugar
• Sesame seeds
• Turmeric
• Chilli powder
• Salt
• Almond milk
• Water
• Oil

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Soft Gujarati Thepla

Thepla are a staple any-time-of-the-day flatbread in Indian homes. Fresh fenugreek leaves give them their signature bitter caramel flavour.

Course Breakfast, Lunch, Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Keyword bread, chickpea flour, fenugreek leaves, flatbread, gujarati, methi

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 20 thepla

Ingredients

• 500 g wholewheat chapati flour I use Pilsbury Chakki Atta
• 75 g fresh fenugreek leaves very finely chopped
• 2 tbsp chickpea flour
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp jaggery
• 1 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 150 ml almond milk warm
• 275 ml hot water
• 3 tbsp oil + more for cooking

Instructions

• Mix together the chapati flour, chickpea flour, sesame seeds, garlic, chilli powder, methi leaves and salt.
• In a separate jug, stir together the hot water and jaggery until completely dissolved.
• Make a well in the centre of the flour and add the jaggery water and almond milk. Stir with a spoon to combine. Once cool enough to handle knead to form a smooth dough, about 5 minutes. Add the 3 tbsp oil and knead for a further 3-4 minutes. Cover with a damp tea towel and rest for 15-20 minutes.
• Make golf ball-sized pieces with the dough. Keep some flour on a plate for rolling.
• Get another plate lined with kitchen paper.
• Place a steel tawa or a frying pan over a medium heat. Leave it for 5 minutes.
• To start rolling, take a piece of dough and roll it between your palms, flattening it slightly. Dip each side in flour. Roll to about 6cm in diameter, place a pinch of flour in the centre and spread it around a little. Starting from the outermost edges, pinch the dough to the centre, covering the flour. Flatten with your palm. This will ensure the edges of the Thepla are perfectly smooth.
• Roll out into a large circle, about 20cm (8”) in diameter.
• Cook on the preheated tawa until bubbles appear on the surface (5 seconds), Spread a small amount of oil over the surface and then flip and cook until small brown spots appear on the base (20 seconds). Flip again and spread oil on the second side. Cook until larger brown spots (like what you see on a super ripe banana) appear on the surface. Transfer to a lined plate and repeat for the remaining Thepla.

Video

Notes

• To ensure the Thepla remain soft, keep them in an insulated container for up to 12 hours. If you’re eating the Theplas the next day, wrap them in foil and keep them in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat, microwave the stack for 30 seconds. Individual Theplas will only take 10 seconds.
• To freeze, place sheets of baking parchment between each one and wrap well in foil. Freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost before reheating.

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If you like these, you’ll love my Soft Spinach Roti recipe

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Say hello to ultimate vegan recipe for soft, fluffy, Asian-style bread (also known as Hokkaido milk bread) with a tender-but-chewy texture. Unique due to its water-roux starter technique, this recipe makes for an addictive vegan sweet bread that you can just tear layer by layer. Perfect with butter and jam for breakfast.

The squishy green dough can be baked inside a loaf tin, formed into pull-apart buns and even turned into breakfast muffins.

How to serve Vegan Pandan Hokkaido Milk Bread

The subtle sweetness and pandan flavour of the milk bread is the perfect partner for pillowy-soft bread and makes it hopelessly addictive. One bite of vegan milk bread is never enough. Pair with jam, butter or a cup of coffee for a tea-time treat. Or tear chunks off whilst it’s hot out of the tin and devour. I won’t tell.

What is Tangzhong?

The process of making Vegan Pandan Hokkaido Milk Bread begins with a method called tangzhong . This is to first cook a small amount of the flour (my recipe calls for 10%) with water to create a paste that is similar to a roux in French cookery. Tangzhong is a technique which has been used in Asian baking, namely in Japanese and Chinese cuisines for centuries.

The method of heating flour with water activates the starch in the flour and creates a perfectly-hydrated dough filled with tiny air bubbles. This gives the final loaf a soft, springy texture. Honestly, the tangzhong dough is extremely sticky, due to the extra moisture so it’s a challenge to knead by hand. Yet, my stand mixer is very loyal and does all the hard kneading job for me.

Making this vegan milk bread really is a magical process as well as a cathartic baking project. Kids will also love helping rolling up the dough up into spirals, too. Bodhi was mainly interested in the squishing part… Can you tell?

What is Pandan?

In South Asia and Southeast Asia, pandan is as common a flavoring as vanilla is in the West. The flavour is sweet and floral like vanilla but with a subtle, marshmallowy and grassy dimension which is difficult to describe to the uninitiated. It’s widely used in savoury cooking as well as baking and sweets. Pandan paste is easy to find in Asian supermarkets and a little goes a long way. If you’re lucky enough to find fresh pandan leaves, you can make your own pandan juice. I reduce it down to a pulp with water and strain. Also, fresh leaves are also amazing when added to a pot of steaming rice.

More Flavour Ideas for Vegan Hokkaido Milk Bread

• Omit the pandan extract for a plain vegan Hokkaido milk loaf that’s slightly sweet and perfect for PB&J sandwiches and French Toast.
• Add 1 tbsp (yes 1 tbsp) of vanilla extract to give your bread a beautiful bakery flavour.
• Grate in the zest of 2 large unwaxed lemons if you like your bakes to have a citrus hit.
• You could also spread the inside of the rolls with your favourite chocolate spread, vegan citrus curd or jam for that sweet roll finish.

Vegan “Eggwash”

My ultra-shiny egg-free glaze comes from a simple mixture of agave, coconut milk and turmeric. No yolks required! The sweetness from the agave helps the top caramelise. Bonus! The turmeric adds a hint of yellow for that eggwash feel. It’s perfect for baking. When glazing savoury pies and pastries, I omit the agave and simply use any plant milk + turmeric.

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Pandan Hokkaido Milk Bread (Vegan)

The ultimate vegan recipe for soft, fluffy, Asian-style bread with a tender-but-chewy texture. Unique due to its water-roux starter technique, this recipe makes for an addictive vegan sweet bread that you can just tear layer by layer. Perfect with butter and jam for breakfast.

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine Asian, Japanese

Keyword baking, bread, eggless, vegan

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Author Sanjana

Ingredients

For tangzhong:

• 40 g strong white bread flour
• 200 ml water

For the milk bread:

• 400 g strong white bread flour
• 2 tbsp coconut milk powder
• 2 tsp pandan paste
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 125 ml full-fat coconut milk warmed to
• 80 g caster sugar
• 2 tsp instant yeast
• 80 g vegan butter room temperature

For the vegan “eggwash”:

• 2 tbsp agave
• 2 tbsp coconut milk
• 1/8 tsp turmeric

Instructions

For tangzhong:

• In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the flour and water.  Stir continuously for 4-5 minutes or until the starter thickens to the consistency of mashed potato or a thick roux, about 65°C/150°F if you have a cooking thermometer. Transfer to a bowl and cover with cling film.  Allow to sit until the starter gets to room temperature.

Making the dough:

• Add the coconut milk, sugar and pandan paste to a saucepan and heat over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool at room temperature to about 38°C/100°F or just warm. Now add the yeast and stir. Set aside for 10 minutes until frothy.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the bread flour, coconut milk powder, and salt.  Once mixed, add in the warm milk and tangzhong starter. Whisk until just combined. Switch to the dough hook attachment and knead the dough at medium-high speed for 10 minutes.
• With the mixer still running, add the soft vegan butter, 1 tablespoon at a time until fully incorporated. It will feel like a lot of butter but keep it going – it will be absorbed into the dough the longer it is kneaded. Turn the speed up to high and beat for a final 5 minutes.  Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with cling film. Allow to sit for 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Shaping the dough:

• Knock the air out of the risen dough and knead briefly to remove any large air pockets. Divide the dough into 14 equal parts (about 90g each). Keep the cut dough under cling film to prevent it from drying out or forming an unwanted skin.
• Take one portion of the dough and roll into a long oblong, about 5cm (2") wide and 10cm (4") in length. Starting from the end closest to you, roll the dough into a log. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Place the first seven logs seam-side up in a well-greased loaf tin (size: 1800g/4lb) for the first layer and for the second layer, place the logs seam-side down. Cover the loaf tin with cling film and allow to rest in a warm place for 30 minutes, until the dough has doubled in volume.
• Preheat the oven to 175C/350F

For the vegan “eggwash":

• Combine all the ingredients for the vegan "eggwash". Gently brush on top of the risen dough.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the top of the bread is a nice golden brown. If the bread top colours too quickly, place a foil tent over it to prevent it from burning.
• Let the bread cool in the loaf pan for 5 minutes before unmolding (wearing oven gloves). the loaf should slip out easily once inverted. Allow the loaf to cool to room temperature on a wire rack.

Notes

• You can turn this bread dough into a bun recipe too. Divide the dough into 14 pieces, roll into balls, transfer to a greased pan, and bake for about 35 minutes or until golden brown on top.

 

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If you like this, you’ll love my recipe for Indian-Inspired Rocky Road

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The post Vegan Pandan Hokkaido Milk Bread appeared first on Sanjana.Feasts.

It’s my most favourite smell in the whole world because it represents my childhood, my family and every moment (both happy and sad) in our home.

Roti Recipe – Softest Ever Chapati (Rotli) – our daily bread

As far as day-to-day cooking goes, chapati (also called roti or rotli) are the glue that sticks everything on the Indian dinner table together. It scoops up curry and daal, pickle and everything in between.

Chapatis are everyday staple and without them, a weeknight meal would be incomplete. I’ve known Gujarati folks who won’t touch their dinner unless there are hot, freshly-made rotli on the table.

What are the different types of Roti?

In Indian cuisine, Chapati come in many different forms. Each region will have a take on it and that take will differ from village to village and home to home. There are no right or wrong answers when it comes to making chapati – it’s all down to personal choice.

Naming also varies depending on local language and dialect. You can find rotis from South Asia to Malaysia and Africa to the Caribbean.

A handful of different names for this unleavened flatbread (from around the world)

• Chapati (or chapatti)
• Roti
• Phulka
• Rotli
• Safati
• Shabaati
• Roshi

… and so many more

Phulka

Typically, Phulka (soft, thin, risen chapati) are most common in Gujarati homes. This is the style I grew up eating. We call them Rotli at home.

Softer and smaller than your average North Indian-style (tandoor cooked) roti (the kind you get in most Anglo-Indian restaurants), these Phulka have oil in the dough and are cooked on a super-hot steel pan (called a tawa or lodhi). So delicious and toasty!

I don’t often cook my rotli over an open flame because they’re so soft, they’d just break. They still puff up like hot air balloons as they cook on the lodhi.

Memories of my mother’s Roti Recipe – Softest Ever Chapati (Rotli)

They are something I was utterly fascinated by as a child. The first thing I ever ‘cooked’ were raggedy, uneven rotlis using my mini rotli-making set my aunty bought me when I was five.

Other recipes you might like:

• Soft Spinach Roti recipe
• Paneer Kulcha recipe
• Buttermilk Naan recipe
• Thepla recipe
• Masala Poori recipe
• Aloo Paratha recipe

From flatbreads to footballs

I’d peer over our cooker wide-eyed at the hot air balloon show my mum told me was happening. The suspense that built up as they rose from flatbreads to footballs was inexplicably exciting for a little girl obsessed with cooking.

I would roll out the same piece of dough over and over again and by the end of it, my poor dad would have to eat the splat-shaped biscuit thing. It would be presented it to him with such pride. Of course, he’d tell me it was delicious that and I was mastering it. I wasn’t.

Thanks Dad.

How I make Roti Recipe – Softest Ever Chapati (Rotli) at home

There’s a certain routine to making rotli you wouldn’t dare mess with. Ask any Indian cook; once their routine is set in its ways, you’d be a fool to question it.

Everything from the patlo (board), to the velan (thin Indian rolling pin) and the tavitho (steel utensil used to flip the rotli), to the number of times the rotli is actually flipped, a cook’s rotli routine is sacred.

Making rotli at someone else’s house is literally the worst. “They never rise, the thickness of the velan is all wrong and the lodhi never gets hot enough”, etc, etc, etc. Of course, when it’s you having to explain your flat-as-a-pancake rotlis, all these excuses are valid.

Can Roti be frozen?

I recommend freezing roti after you have rolled them. Place between sheets of parchment paper or food-grade acetate to prevent sticking. Stack the roti one on top of the other and ensure you place a new sheet between each one.

Wrap tightly in foil and freeze. Cook from frozen, do not defrost.

Should I add butter or ghee to my chapati?

Everyone has their preferences on whether or not they add butter. I do because life is better with butter.

One of my favourite ways of eating rotli is straight off the lodhi, slathered with garlic butter and rolled into a cigar. This is what my Nanabapu (grandad) would do for my mum when she was little and something she then did for our my brother and I too.

How to roll round Roti

Roti Recipe – Softest Ever Chapati (Rotli)

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Roti Recipe – Softest Ever Chapati (Rotli)

How to make soft and round roti. Indian chapati or roti recipe with step-by-step photos. Amazing with curry and lighter than naan or paratha.

Equipment

• Tawa (steel or anodised aluminium work best). If this isn’t available, a cast iron frying pan will do. Roti won’t brown very well on non-stick pans and may turn hard or brittle.
• Rolling pin
• Rolling board or clean work surface

Ingredients

• 500 g wholewheat chapatti flour atta, plus more for rolling
• 80 ml any cooking oil vegetable, corn, rapeseed, sunflower etc
• 300 ml boiling water or enough to make a soft dough

Instructions

• Add the flour to a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Pour the oil into the well and top up with the boiling water.
• Use a spoon to mix the dough until it’s cool enough to handle. Use your hands to bring the dough together. Knead for 5 minutes until smooth and soft.
• Make small ping pong ball-sized pieces with the dough. Keep some flour on a plate for rolling.
• Get another plate lined with kitchen paper and keep your butter or ghee handy.
• Pre-heat a tawa over medium heat. I use steel but anodised aluminium is great too. Leave it for 5 minutes.
• Get your rolling board and rolling pin ready. Keep a wet tea towel under the board so it doesn’t move around while you roll.
• To start rolling, take a piece of dough and roll it between your palms, flattening it slightly. Dip each side in flour.
• Roll it once up and down with the rolling pin and then take a pinch of flour. Place it in the middle of the dough and then use your index fingers and thumb to pinch it closed, starting from the outer edges. This step isn’t something everyone traditionally does but is what my mum taught me for soft roti that rise beautifully.
• Next, flatten the dough using your palm and again, dip each side in flour. Now, begin rolling the dough in a circular motion, teasing the dough to move around with your rolling. If you can’t do this, pick the roti up with one hand and move it around yourself. The aim is to create a perfectly round, even surface and a flatbread that’s around 2mm in thickness and 6-7-inches in diameter.
• Place the roti on the tawa and cook until little bubbles appear on the surface – around 10 seconds. Flip it.
• Cook it on the second side until small, even brown spots appear all over the bottom of the roti – around 30 seconds. Flip it again.
• Now, this is the rising side. Don’t worry if your rotis don’t rise the first few times you try it. It comes with practice. They’ll still taste delicious. Cook until darker, less evenly-spread patches appear on the bottom. Around 15-20 seconds. Flip it and place it this side up on your kitchen paper-lined plate. Spread with butter or ghee.
• Repeat this process for all of your rotli until you have a perfect stack. You can keep them warm in an insulated container or lidded casserole dish lined with kitchen paper.

How to serve Roti

Serve hot with your favourite curry, daal, sambhar, chutney or pickle. I love them with this Melt-in-the-Mouth Burnt Aubergine and Spinach Curry.

It’s not imperative they rise – they will still taste great! Most importantly, keep practising. It’s so worth it.

If you like this Roti, you’ll love my recipe for Thepla

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The post Roti Recipe – Softest Ever Chapati (Rotli) appeared first on Sanjana.Feasts.

Instead, it’s packed with a spicy vegetable samosa stuffing. If you’re craving those ever-popular Indian snacks, but want something a little out of the box for your next party, this is the recipe for you.

Pull-Apart Samosa Bread: Made to share!

Rustle up two trays, put them into the middle of the table and watch them disappear in the blink of an eye.

You can serve them hot, as they are or with individual pots of garlic butter for each guest. Either way, I promise everyone will be smiling with a belly full of samosa goodness by the end of the evening.

Easy samosa filling recipe

I’ve kept the filling really simple because hey, you’re making your own bread here.

The filling is packed with flavour, yet doesn’t take away from the fact that the real big deal here is the soft, fluffy bread that’s more of a dinner roll than it is any other kind of bread.

The addition of milk and butter ensure it’s cotton-soft and the perfect, pillowy pocket for the spicy vegetable filling.

What kind of vegetables can I add to this Pull-Apart Samosa Bread?

You can add any vegetables you like here – just make sure you chop them up really finely and cook them until they’re just right beforehand. This is because the filling literally takes seven minutes to cook so they won’t be in the pan too long.

How to make Pull-Apart Samosa Bread

I’ve written a step-by-step method below but it’s much easier to understand the way the bread is formed from the video.

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Pull-Apart Samosa Bread

My Pull-Apart Samosa Bread is packed with spicy vegetable samosa filling. If you’re craving those ever-popular Indian snacks, but want something a little out of the box for your next party, this is the recipe for you.

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Keyword bread, party food, potatoes, samosas

Prep Time 50 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 50 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Author Sanjana

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 600 g floury potatoes peeled, diced and boiled
• 350 g finely-chopped mixed vegetables I used peas, carrots, cauliflower and broccoli
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 1 medium onion chopped finely
• 2 large green chillies chopped finely
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp ginger minced (optional)
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander chopped finely

For the dough:

• 600 g strong white bread flour
• 14 g fast-action dried yeast 2 sachets
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 100 g butter melted
• 180 ml warm milk
• 130 ml warm water
• Extra butter to brush the rolls

Instructions

• To make the filling, heat the oil in a non-stick saucepan and add the cumin seeds. Allow to sizzle a little before adding in the onions. Cook for 2 minutes.
• Add the chillies, turmeric, ginger (if using) and salt. Stir briefly before adding the potatoes and vegetables. Mix thoroughly.
• Next, add in the lemon juice, garam masala and coriander. Stir and cook for a few moments before turning off the heat.
• To make the dough, take a large bowl and mix together the butter, milk, water, salt and sugar. Stir to combine. Little by little, add the flour until you’ve used up half of it. At this stage the mixture will be cool enough to add the yeast. Adding the yeast any earlier might kill the yeast. You want it to be warm and cosy for the yeast to do its thing.
• Finish adding all the flour and when it begins to come together, turn the dough out onto a clean surface.
• Knead the dough for 10 minutes to work that gluten. It might be a bit sticky at first but keep going. If you have a stand mixer with a dough hook, you can do it in there – it’ll take half the time.
• Take a large, greased bowl and place the dough inside. Cover with a damp towel or cling film and allow to rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size. Luckily for me it was a really hot day so I didn’t need to take a trip to the airing cupboard where my dough usually hangs out – I just left it on the counter top.
• When the bread has doubled in size, knock it back and give it a knead. You’ll feel all the little air bubbles popping and that’s good and will ensure your bread rises evenly in the oven.
• Butter two 25cm baking dishes and set it aside.
• Take half the dough and roll it out on a floured work surface until it’s around 2mm in thickness. Using a round cookie cutter approx. 6cm in diameter, cut rounds of the dough.
• Take the cooled filling and place around a teaspoon of it into the middle of one of the dough rounds. Using your thumb, fold the middle up and bring the sides to meet in the middle, almost like you’re making an open wonton or tortellini.
• Place into the buttered baking dish – start with the outside edge and repeat for the rest of the discs. The amount you will need depends on the size of your dish. My recipe made two 25cm pull-apart loaves. Repeat for the remaining dough and filling.
• Brush the bread with melted butter and bake in a pre-heated oven at 160C for 45 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and brush with more butter before serving.

Video

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If you like this, you’ll love my recipe for The Best Vegetable Samosas!

Love Sanjana

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With Indian street food vendors popping up all over the UK, selling everything from Kati Rolls to Pau Bhaji, and Masala Dosa to Samosas, we’re becoming accustomed to having delicious Indian street food on tap… and we want it fast. Not only that; but it better be damn perfect too. Believe it or not, but I’ve heard students in King’s Cross complain there’s far too much tadka on top of their dosa chutney and ajwain in their samosa pastry. We’ve become a nation of Indian street food connoisseurs and it’s bloody brilliant.

Re-creating street food classics like these Bombay Sandwiches at home is so simple. Why wouldn’t it be? It’s a sandwich. But not just any sandwich. Traditional Bombay sandwiches consist of two pieces of bread with slices of boiled potato, mint and coriander chutney, onions, cucumber and tomatoes on sliced white bread, I’ve taken it a step further by adding a slice of flavour-packed toast slathered in green pistachio chutney to the middle, grilled paneer (because why the hell not), sliced gherkins (because I can’t deal with warm cucumbers, sorry) and then griddled the whole thing. It’s quite a mouthful but I reckon that’s the beauty of it.

I’ve never met another Indian who hasn’t used up leftover potato curry in toasted sandwiches the next day – it’s a no brainer. I like to think of it as the ultimate ‘Dad meal’. Quick, easy and perfect with green chutney on the inside or for dipping on the outside. Of course, a slice of cheese is optional but for me, that isn’t even worth thinking about.

Trust me when I tell you this is three layers of awesome you don’t want to miss out on.

Best Ever Bombay Sandwiches
Makes 2 sandwiches

6 slices bloomer bread – whole wheat or white
2 large potatoes, boiled, peeled and sliced thinly
2 x 60g paneer slices, try to cut them wide
2 red onions, thinly sliced
2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
4 large pickled gherkins, thinly sliced
60g grated Cheddar
1 large avocado, sliced (optional)
Melted butter, for brushing the outsides of the bread

For the Coriander, Mint and Pistachio Chutney:

100g coriander
30g mint
2 small green chillies
6 shelled, unsalted pistachios
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1 lemon
½ tsp salt
3 tsp sugar
50ml groundnut oil

Method

1. Blitz all the ingredients for the chutney in a blender until smooth. Add a drop of water if necessary. The chutney should be the consistency of pesto.

2. Toast two slices of bread. Griddle the paneer on both sides.

3. Butter the outside of the bread and place buttered-side-down on a cold griddle. Spread some of the chutney on the top, lay over potato slices, red onions, tomatoes gherkins and a little bit of Cheddar.

4. Spread green chutney over both sides of one of the slices of toast. Place on top of your sandwich and repeat the layering process, this time adding the paneer. Take the final bread slice and spread green chutney on the inside and place chutney-side-down on the sandwich. Butter the outside of the top slice.

5. Repeat to make the other sandwich.

6. Griddle on both sides until golden, about 5 minutes.

Serve with crisps or masala chips, chai, limeade or beer and prepare to take the biggest bite of your life.

Love Sanjana

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Life is sweet. Three weekends ago, my fiancée and I had our Hindu engagement ceremony. It was a big, beautiful blur of family, friends, flowers, faith, and food. After all the commotion of planning the event, all I feel like doing is putting on my lion-print onesie, staying home and baking something sweet.

These eggless cinnamon rolls can be made with pretty much any filling you like. I’ve even used the recipe to make this Cardamom Wreath with Rose Drizzle and Candied Lemon Peel. You can add chocolate, dried fruit, nuts and any spices you fancy, making it as simple or as complicated as you like.

My colleague at Food Network UK and fashion blogger, Jo’s Clothes is the biggest baked goods fiend I’ve ever met – no lie. After asking her thoughts on what I should bake this weekend, she mentioned our favourite cinnamon roll recipe from Lotte Duncan. It’s so easy and utterly delicious. I fell asleep last night thinking about how I could put my own spin on it and here’s what I came up with.

Pillow-soft, buttery cinnamon rolls, encased around rich salted caramel infused with chai spices, fleur de sel and baked until golden on the outside. Drizzle with extra salted caramel, allowing it dribble into the swirled craters and down the sides. They’re gorgeously sticky and incredibly moreish. Serve with a glass of cold milk.

Salted Caramel Cinnamon Rolls with Chai Spices
Makes 20

Ingredients

For the salted caramel sauce (adapted from Nigella Lawson):

75g salted butter
50g soft light brown sugar
50g caster sugar
50g golden syrup
200ml double cream
1 teaspoon fleur de sel
½ tsp chai masala

For the cinnamon roll dough:
450g strong white bread flour
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp dried yeast
275ml lukewarm water
2 tsp groundnut oil

For the filling:

175g very soft butter
4 tbsp light brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 quantity of the salted caramel sauce, cooled
To garnish:
Extra salted caramel sauce
Pinch fleur de sel (not table salt!)
Chocolate shavings, optional

Method

For the cinnamon roll dough, combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and bring together using your hands. Knead for 10 minutes. Place into a greased bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Leave to rise in a warm place for 90 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the salted caramel sauce by melting the butter, sugars and syrup a small pan until melted. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for a few minutes, making sure the bottom of the pan doesn’t scorch and swirling the pan carefully from time to time.
Add the cream, fleur de sel and chai spices and stir. Cook for another minute or two and then remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.

To make the filling, combine the softened butter, cinnamon, sugar and half of the cooled salted caramel sauce. Beat well.

Heat the oven to 180C and line a large tray with baking paper.

Once the dough has risen, knock it back and give it a good knead to remove all the air bubbles. This will ensure an even rise in the oven, maintaining the shape of the rolls. Half the dough as you’ll be repeating the rolling process twice in order to make smaller rolls.

Take one half of the dough and on a lightly-floured surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle until it’s about 1/2cm in thickness. Spread the filling mixture all over the surface. From the longest side, tightly roll the dough into a log shape. Cut the dough into 1cm-thick rounds. I find the easiest way to do this is using a pizza cutter – this avoids any snagging. Place the rolls into the baking tray, keeping them close to each other and snug. Repeat this process for the other half of the dough. Note: this will get messy!

Bake the rolls in the preheated over for around 20 minutes or until risen and golden.

Drizzle with extra salted caramel sauce, a tiny pinch of fleur de sel and grated chocolate. Serve warm with a glass of cold milk.

Love Sanjana

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I spent some time in Mombasa almost five months ago. It’s safe to say I’ve missed sipping on fresh madaf (coconut water) on Bamburi beach, eating fried cassava crisps doused in lemon juice and chilli on the side of the road, and feasting in mind-blowing authentic Swahili restaurants by moonlight. I ate a lot that week.

For me, the most incredible thing about East African food is the simplicity of ingredients that go into a dish and the unbelievable flavours that are produced. Basic seasonings like salt, sugar, lemon and chilli are paramount to everyday cooking. Spices like cardamom and turmeric are also popular, although they are used sparingly.

Whilst cassava, beans and ground rice make up the majority of the diet, fruit and veg are showcased in such a simple, yet delicious way that vegetarian food is an absolute pleasure to eat.

My wonderful aunt and uncle in Mombasa are blessed to have a garden full of palm trees, banana trees and fresh herbs, which allow them to indulge on the freshest exotic ingredients I’ve ever got my paws on. Juicy coconuts and green mangoes, fetched from the trees can be grated on top of my aunt’s mouth-watering hot and sour potato stew in just minutes. It was a privilege to sit at their dinner table.

As my cousin knew I was on a mission to sample as many Swahili specialities Mombasa has to offer, one morning she laid on one of the best breakfasts I’ve ever eaten in my life. Mandazi (or Mahamri) and Barazi is a wholesome combo of slightly-sweet cardamom doughnuts and gunga peas simmered in coconut milk until thick and creamy. Trust me when I say that you would 100% NEVER be able to guess that just five ingredients go into the Barazi. But then again, that’s the beauty of the cuisine.

With my recipe you will certainly have extra Mandazi (doughnuts) – this is intentional. Dust with icing sugar and enjoy them with Masala Chai. No need to thank me.

Mandazi and Barazi

Ingredients for the Mandazi:

350g self-raising flour
7g fast-action dried yeast
1 ½ tsp cardamom seeds, ground
100g sugar
75g melted butter or sunflower oil
Approx 150ml warm water, to bind
Icing sugar to dust, optional

Ingredients for the Barazi:

240g tinned gunga peas, drained and rinsed
2 x 240ml tins coconut milk
1 tsp salt
Very small pinch of turmeric
Chopped chillies, to taste

Method

1. In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients. Make a well in the centre and add the butter and slowly incorporate enough water to make a dough. It will be sticky at this point but knead for at least 10 minutes to work the gluten in the flour.

2. Oil the bowl and leave the dough to rise in a warm place, covered with a damp towel for 90 minutes. It should double in size.

3. In the meantime, make the Barazi. In a large, non-stick pan combine the gunga peas, coconut milk and a very small pinch of turmeric. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer uncovered for around 40 minutes, or until thick and creamy. Don’t worry that the peas are already cooked – they’re tough-skinned and won’t disintegrate. Remember that the thicker the coconut milk gets, the more chance there is of the stew catching at the bottom of the pan, so stir often. Finally, add the salt and chopped chillies. When serving, garnish with a deep fried chilli if you want to be a fancy pants. If you do, please, please, please remember to make a hole or two in the chilli with a knife or it will explode. And exploding hot oil is never a good idea.

4. To shape the Mandazi, knock the air out of the risen dough and knead for a few minutes. Next, divide the dough into 5 150g balls. Take the first dough ball and roll on a lightly-floured surface to 5-inch circles and between -2cm in thickness. Take a pizza cutter and cut the circle into 4 triangle. Place the triangles on an oiled tray and repeat for the remaining 4 dough balls.

5. Cover the triangles with a piece of cling film and allow to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

6. To fry the Mandazi, heat the oil in a large, deep pan (I used a wok) to 180C. Fry 3-4 Mandazi at a time until dark brown on both sides. Drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb excess oil. Serve hot with Barazi and/or Masala Chai.

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Two of my favourite things in the world are naan and pizza. I love them in all shapes and forms from classic peshwari naan to hybrid naan pizzas – especially when they involve cheese, green veggies and lashings of garlic. I’ll be honest, getting home from a long day at work and sitting down to a naan pizza made with shop-bought garlic and coriander naan and leftover paneer butter masala is one of the most incredible dinners ever! Don’t believe me? Try it yourself.

Here’s a simple recipe that celebrates my love of naan and pizza in an easy-to-eat fashion. My recipe for naan pockets uses crumbled paneer and crushed peas as a stuffing for the deliciously-light and buttery naan envelopes. They’re folded into the classic teardrop shape, brushed with a mixture of butter and turmeric, sprinkled with kalonji seeds, and then baked in a hot oven until golden.

If you’re not a fan of paneer, these are also great with a filling of grated broccoli and spinach, steamed sweet potato, and cauliflower and green chilli cooked in the exact same way as I do the paneer and peas filling.

To serve, slice the pockets in half and serve with a bowl of my spicy pizza dip which is infused with a touch of garam masala, green chillies and ground coriander.

These are the perfect party nibbles, starters for an Indian meal and a sure-fire hit with kids. I even love them for dinner, served with both the spicy pizza dip and a cooling cucumber raita.

Stuffed Naan Pockets with Spicy Pizza Dip
Makes 18-20 mini pockets

Ingredients

For the naan dough:
310g strong white bread flour
7g fast-action dried yeast
1 tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
1 tsp kalonji (nigella seeds)
1 small clove garlic
1 tbsp plain yoghurt
2 tbsp sunflower oil
135ml warm water

For the peas and paneer stuffing:
250g shop-bought paneer, cubed
130g frozen peas, thawed
1 clove garlic
2 green chillies
1 inch piece ginger, peeled
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp ground black pepper
Salt to taste
1 tbsp crème fraiche
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped finely
2 tbsp sunflower oil

To brush the pockets:
Melted butter
¼ tsp turmeric
Kalonji seeds

For the spicy pizza dip:
2 large tomatoes
1 tbsp concentrated tomato paste
1 clove garlic
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped

Method
First, make the naan dough. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt kalonji seeds and garlic. In a separate jug, whisk together the warm water, yeast, sugar, oil and yoghurt. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour in the liquid. Bring together using a spoon and then your hands. Knead for 10 minutes. The mixture may seem stick at first, but keep kneading and it’ll come together. Grease the bowl with come oil, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 90 minutes.

Meanwhile, blend together all the ingredients for the spicy pizza dip in a food processor. Add the mixture to a saucepan and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and allow to simmer on a low heat for 30 minutes.

To make the stuffing: in a food processor, blend the garlic, chillies and ginger. Remove and set aside. Next, pulse the peas a few times until coarsely chopped. Remove and set aside. Repeat the same process with the paneer. Bring the peas and paneer mixture together in a bowl. Heat a saucepan and add the oil. Sauté cumin seeds and the garlic, ginger and chilli mixture until aromatic. Add the peas and paneer mixture, black pepper, salt, crème fraiche and coriander and cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Preheat the oven to 190°C and line a few baking trays with greaseproof paper and spritz with non-stick cooking spray.

To fold the pockets: take the risen naan dough and knock out all of the air. Take a ping pong ball-sized amount and roll into a ball. Use and rolling pin to roll into 3-inch in diameter round. Don’t add any extra flour – the oil in the dough should stop it from sticking too much. Take a tablespoon full of the cooled stuffing mix and place into the middle of the dough. Starting with the top and bottom of the dough, pull the dough around the filling, pinching the dough to seal until you get to the outer edges. Ensure the dough is well sealed without any cracks by pinching it all together until smooth.

Roll the dough gently until around 3 inches in diameter. Then use your hands to gently pull the top of the dough into a teardrop shape. Place the other side up on the greased and lined baking tray and repeat for the rest of the pockets.

Use a sharp knife to make small holes (not all the way through) in the naan pockets. Melt the butter and whisk in the turmeric – this will give them a lovely golden colour. Brush the pockets generously with the butter mixture and sprinkle on the kalonji seeds.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden all over.

Serve hot from the oven with the warm spicy pizza dip.

Love Sanjana

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I first fell in love with the spongy, cloud-like morsels that are Taiwanese folded buns when I sampled them from popular London street vendors, Yum Bun (introduced to me by my friend Cheaper by the Oven). After hearing all the Momofuku hype, these little burger-like buns had finally reached the streets of Britain. My first folded bun was filled with juicy Portabello mushrooms and crunchy, miso-glazed walnuts and they stirred one question in me. Gua Bao, where have you been all my life?!

Re-creating the buns at home has been my mission for the last few months and putting an Indo-vegetarian twist on them was essential. Can you guess what’s coming? I couldn’t imagine anything but replacing the traditional pork belly filling with meaty slices of spicy paneer.

My paneer slices are first marinated in a sticky-sweet soy and 5 spice sauce, then grilled until golden. Stuff the slices into homemade Taiwanese buns, along with wafer-thin cucumber, shredded spring onions, roasted peanuts and a squirt of Sriracha, a fiery Asian chilli sauce.

If paneer doesn’t float your boat, you could also follow in the inspiring footsteps of food blogger and cookbook author, Andrea Nguyen and stuff them with fried tofu.

Funnily enough, many recipes for Gua Bao call for readymade folded buns (fresh or thawed from frozen), but I had trouble finding them in my local Chinese supermarket. Luckily, I don’t give up that easily and hunted down a great family recipe from a friend. If you’re vegetarian and do manage to find readymade buns, double check the ingredients because some may contain lard.

These buns are not to be compared to any old sandwich or burger – they take fast food to the next level. McDonald’s, you’re missing a trick.

Paneer Gua Bao – Taiwanese Folded Buns
Makes 8 buns, serves 4

Ingredients

For the buns:

180ml water
285g plain flour, plus more for rolling
7g dried fast-action yeast
2 tbsp sugar
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
Sunflower oil, for brushing

For the filling:

320g paneer, sliced into ‘steaks’, about 5cm x 3cm
60ml dark soy sauce
130ml water
65g dark brown sugar
1 tsp ground Chinese 5 spice

To serve:

Cucumber, sliced thinly
Spring onions, sliced thinly
Red chillies, sliced (optional)
Handful roasted peanuts, crushed roughly
Sriracha chilli sauce

Method

1. First make the bun dough. Mix the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Bring the water to hand hot temperature (not too hot as this will kill the yeast) and add to the flour. Bring together with a spoon, then your hands. Knead on a floured surface for around 5 minutes until smooth, soft and elastic. Place the dough in a large oiled bowl and cover loosely with cling film. Allow to rise in a warm place for about two hours.

2. Next, make the marinade for the paneer. In a small saucepan, bring the soy sauce, water, brown sugar and 5 spice to the boil and allow to reduce by half – between 5-8 minutes.

3. Place the paneer steaks in a shallow dish and cover with the hot marinade. Allow to sit until you’ve finished making the buns.

4. Once the dough for the buns has risen, knock all the air out and knead in the baking powder. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions and cover 7 with cling film whilst you roll out the first bun.

5. Dust a floured surface with flour and roll the first ball of dough into an oval, about 10cm x 6cm. Using a pastry brush, brush half with oil and fold half the dough over the other half from the shortest side to get a half-moon bun shape like in my pictures. Place on a piece of greased parchment paper and cover loosely with cling film. Repeat this for the remaining 7 pieces of dough. Allow the formed buns to rise again in a warm place for another 30 minutes.

6. Set up your steamer. I used a bamboo steamer inside a wok but if you have an electric steamer or a couple of pans with a steaming basket inside one another, use them. Place each bun dough (still on its parchment paper) inside the steamer (do not stack them). Allow to steam for 10-12 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the steamer and set aside.

7. Lift the paneer steaks from the marinade and grill until slightly crusty on the outside.

8. Brush the inside of the buns with some remaining marinade or Sriracha, stuff with a slice of paneer, cucumber, spring onions, chillies, roasted peanuts and a squirt of Sriracha.

I promise you this – once you sink your teeth into one of these buns, you’ll forever think about them every time you crave a burger or sandwich. Enjoy.

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