A Simple Recipe for West Indian-Influenced Roti Flatbread (2024)

FAQs

What is West Indian roti made of? ›

West Indian Bread for Roti:

To make the breads, combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Combine the oil and water and add this mixture to the well. Using your hands, mix to form a dough. Knead for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth.

One of the main differences between these two flatbreads is in the way that they are cooked. Before your naan or roti reaches your table, Roti will be cooked in a Tawa or flat skillet while naan is usually cooked in a tandoor oven. Both roti and naan have different types and varieties.

"The fundamental difference between the roti and the chapati is that you finish both sides of the chapati with fat, and then cook it again on the griddle," Kalyanaraman explains. "So, if you're making a roti, and you apply some oil on one side and cook it again on the griddle, it becomes a chapati."

Naan is a leavened bread (meaning it uses yeast), while roti is an unleavened bread (meaning it doesn't). The different ingredients give a far different texture: naan is soft and chewy, while roti is dense and thin.

West Indian roti tends to be bigger, flakier and less oily than its East Indian counterpart.

It is made from stoneground whole wheat flour, traditionally known as gehu ka atta, and water that are combined into a dough. Its defining characteristic is that it is unleavened.

From health perspective, flat breads made of whole wheat flour (roti/paratha/chapati/phulka) are better than the ones made with all-purpose flour (naan & kulcha).

A one-ounce slice of bread typically contains 75 to 100 calories. Corn tortillas, the traditional choice for tacos and enchiladas, generally have 60 to 65 calories in each small six-inch piece. Flour tortillas are slightly higher in calories because they contain added fat to make them softer and easier to roll.

Pita is a flatbread whereas bread comes in loaves. Despite their difference in shape, pita and bread have similar ingredients - largely water, yeast, flour, and salt. Because of the similarity in ingredients, the nutrient profiles of pita and normal bread are basically identical.

In regular terms Roti is called Indian Flat Bread or Tortilla in English. Roti or Indian Flat bread is made of Wheat flour/flour non fermented. Sometimes also known as Chappati. Tortillas are similar to Roti/Chappati but are made from corn flour.

Why does my roti get hard? ›

Over-kneading the dough can make the rotis hard and difficult to roll out. Using cold water for kneading the dough can affect the texture and make it difficult to roll out. Rolling out the dough too thin or too thick can affect the texture and cooking time of the rotis.

Naan has a rich history too, often associated with royal feasts and special occasions. Its preparation in a tandoor and the use of refined flour and dairy products made it a luxury in the past. It's considered more of a restaurant food now than a home-cooked food.

Texture & Taste

They taste warm and earthy, with a slight hint of nuttiness from the whole wheat flour. If cooked in a tandoor, a roti gets a hint of char and smokiness.

Jamaican Roti is a cross between roti and naan. Roti is a soft, thin, flaky flatbread cooked on a flat cast-iron pot called a Tawa. The main ingredients are wholewheat flour, salt and butter with no leavening agent added.

There are different types of Roti including Dhalpouri, Dosti, Bus-up-shut (Paratha ) and Sada roti. The Indian community also created Trinidad's favourite street food, 'doubles', made out of two rounds of fried dough, sometimes referred to as 'bara', filled with curried chickpeas and bathed in a hot chilli sauce.

Used in nearly every dish, roti is a type of flatbread from Jamaica. To compare, it's relatively similar to a fluffy tortilla or naan bread from India. Roti is used to create sandwiches or to simply scoop up the contents of the plate. Many Jamaicans make their own roti fresh at home.