Tandoori roti
AI-drafted · awaiting admin review
Whole-wheat flatbread slapped onto the inner wall of a clay tandoor, where it puffs and chars in a minute, the bread of the village sanjha chulha.
Region: PunjabOccasion: Everyday meals; dhabas and langarsTime: 30 min + 20 min restingServes: 4Vegan
Ingredients
- 3 cups whole-wheat flour
- 1 tsp salt
- About 1¼ cups water
- White butter or ghee to serve (optional)
Method
- Knead the flour, salt and water into a soft, slightly sticky dough. Cover and rest for 20 minutes.
- Heat the tandoor until the walls are very hot.
- Shape a ball of dough into a round about 15 cm across by patting it between wet palms.
- Place it on a cushioned pad (gaddi) and press it firmly onto the inside wall of the tandoor.
- In 1–2 minutes it will puff and brown. Pull it off with two iron rods.
- At home without a tandoor, cook it on a hot iron tawa turned upside down over a flame, or on a griddle and then directly over the flame. Spread butter and serve.
History
Clay tandoors have long been used across north-west India and Central Asia. Many Punjabi villages had a sanjha chulha, a shared tandoor where women brought their dough to be baked together.
Significance
The sanjha chulha was a meeting place where women of the village shared news and songs while the rotis baked, and it is remembered as a symbol of village togetherness.