Feb 295 min read

Mauritian Roti Chaud - Indian Flatbread

Roti is the staple diet here in Mauritius can be found almost anywhere in Mauritius, on the streets, at the market, anywhere!

Roti Chaud is a traditional flatbread originating from Mauritius. The snack is essentially a roti flatbread that’s filled with rougaille (tomato-based sauce) and butter bean curry known as gros pois. The flatbread is filled, rolled into a wrap, then served with an array of pickles and chutneys.

The rotis are usually made with a combination of flour, water, oil, and salt are combined to make a soft dough that is flattened and cooked on both sides. Simple ingredients and so easy to make.

Rotis can be eaten any time of the day, for breakfast lunch, or dinner with various fillings from vegetarian to meat, from spicy to non-spicy. Trying a Roti is a must as it is the national dish.

Most street vendors will have both Roti and Dholl Puri on sale and as it’s a cheap convenient snack so why not try both!

Roti in English - Flatbread

ROTI

(Farata/Paratha)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup [240g] all-purpose flour (you may also use atta flour but you will need to adjust the water)

200 ml boiling hot water (adjust with 1-2 tablespoons depending on flour type)

More flour for dusting

Roti Recipe:

How to make Roti

In a large mixing bowl, add the flour. Make a well in the centre and carefully pour in the hot water. With the help of a spoon, stir the mixture to combine the flour and water. Keep mixing as much as possible to start forming a dough.

Once the mixture is a little cooler and comfortable to handle by hand, start to knead it into a supple dough. At this stage, you can either add a little more flour if the dough is sticky or a little water if it is too dry.

Once a soft and non-sticky dough is obtained, smooth it into a ball and place it back into the mixing bowl.

Cover with a lid or tea towel and let it rest for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, you can start to prepare some of the ingredients for the upcoming curry and rougaille recipes.

After 15 minutes, knead the dough for a couple of minutes. Then roll it out into a log and cut it into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece in the palm of your hands to form a nice smooth ball then flatten it. Lightly press all around the edge then dip in a bowl of flour to completely coat the dough with the flour. Set the floured dough aside and do the same for the rest of the dough pieces.

On a floured board, place one piece of dough and begin to roll out. Try to keep a more or less circular shape and roll out to about 2 mm thick.

Then at this stage, you can brush the surface of the flattened dough with a thin coat of oil, if you want, before folding it. Otherwise, fold 1/3 of the circle of dough toward the centre and fold the opposite edge over to form a long rectangle. Now fold, the two shorter ends toward the centre to form a square.

Repeat for the rest of the dough. Keep all the dough pieces and folded ones covered while you are working on the rest so that they don’t dry out.

Now take the folded dough parcel and place it on a floured board. Begin to roll out to about 2-3 mm thick. The shape will more or less remain square which is one of the characteristics of the farata.

Place the rolled-out farata onto a floured plate and continue with the rest flouring them between each layer so that they do not stick to one another. If you are making a bigger batch of roti, I do not recommend that you stack more than 10 as with time, the gluten will relax further and the rotis at the bottom will start to stick to one another.

Before starting to cook the faratas, turn the whole stack over so that you may start with the first rolled-out roti.

Make sure the tawa or crepe pan is hot and the heat kept on medium-high. You may need to adjust the heat later if the pan gets too hot. Allow the roti to cook for about 30 seconds on one side and then flip over and cook for another 30 seconds until it starts to bubble. Then flip it over again and it will start to puff up. Gently press on the side of the puff to push and distribute the air inside the roti for a more even puffing.

Then remove the roti from the pan and place it on a plate. Keep the roti covered with a clean tea towel to keep it soft.

Cook the rest of the rotis and stack them on top of one another. Occasionally flip the stack over. This will keep the freshly cooked ones soft with the steam.

These rotis are best enjoyed fresh and on the same day.

WHITE BEAN CURRY

Mauritius Roti Fillings

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups (430g) boiled white navy beans, 1 cup [200g] from dried, (you can also use canned beans)

1 tsp coconut oil (or vegetable oil)

1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds (optional)

1 tbsp mild curry powder

1/2 tsp garam masala

1 tbsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp coriander seed powder (optional)

6-8 curry leaves (dried or fresh) or substituted with 1-2 bay leaves

1 tbsp minced ginger

1 small onion, diced (optional)

2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)

2 fresh large tomatoes [240 g], diced

1 green chilli (optional), cut in half

1 red chilli (optional), cut in half

4-5 sprigs cilantro or coriander leaves, finely chopped

Salt to taste

Recipe:

Heat the coconut oil in a pan at medium-high temperature.

Next, add the minced ginger. If you are using onions and garlic, add them at this stage. Cook for about 30 seconds then quickly add in the curry powder, garam masala, turmeric, coriander powder, fenugreek seeds and curry leaves.

Let the spices roast in the oil for about 5 seconds. Then add a little water to form a paste.

Allow the paste to roast for a couple of minutes. Then add a little more water when it starts to dry out. Let the spice mixture roast for another couple of minutes.

Next, add in the tomatoes and continue to cook until they start to break down.

When tomatoes have softened, mash them with your cooking spoon to help them disintegrate further into a smoother sauce.

Add the chillies. Stir and leave this to cook for another 3 minutes.

Add the pre-cooked white beans. Add a little water and stir

Cover the pan and lower the heat to medium-low and allow to simmer for another 10 – 15 minutes (depending on how soft the beans are).

Add salt to taste.

You may adjust the sauce consistency with some more water at this stage but we want to keep the sauce fairly thick otherwise, it will be too runny to be used as a roti filler.

Garnish with coriander (cilantro).

Give everything a stir and turn off the heat.