Makai ki Roti

Ingredients

Dough

• 400 gmakai ka atta, fine maize flour
• 1 teaspoonsalt
• about 300 ml hot water
• 2 tablespoonsplain flour, optional, to help binding

Sometimes added

• 1green chilli, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoonschopped coriander
• 1/2 teaspoonajwain

To cook and finish

• ghee or butter, for the griddle and the top
• extra maize flour, for dusting

To serve

• sarson ka saag, mustard greens
• white butter
• jaggery
• raw onion and green chilli
• buttermilk or lassi

Directions

1. Use maize flour milled for roti, sold as makai ka atta. It should be finely milled rather than coarse. Put the maize flour and salt into a bowl. Add the chilli and coriander if using them. Bring the water to a full boil.
2. Pour about two thirds of it over the flour. Stir it hard with a wooden spoon. It will be far too hot to touch at first. Add more boiling water gradually as needed. The dough should come together into a mass.
3. Let it cool until you can just handle it. Knead it while it is as hot as you can bear. Wet your hands in cold water as you work. Knead for a good five minutes. It should become smooth and slightly sticky. Add a little plain flour if it will not bind.
4. Keep the dough covered with a damp cloth. It dries out and cracks within minutes. Divide the dough into six equal balls. Lay a ball between two sheets of cling film.
5. Press it flat with your palm or a flat pan base. Peel the top sheet off carefully. Wet your palms with cold water. Set the ball of dough onto one palm. Turn it as you pat to keep it round. Keep wetting your hands as you work. Aim for about half a centimetre thick.
6. Press the cracks back together with a wet finger. Cooking them needs a moderate griddle. Heat a heavy tawa over a medium heat. Do not use a very high heat here. Lay the roti carefully onto the dry griddle. Use the plastic sheet to lift it if you used one. Cook it for about two minutes. The surface should look dry and set.
7. Flip it over with a wide spatula. Cook the second side for two minutes. Press it gently around the edges with a cloth. Cook until both sides carry brown spots. The whole thing takes about five minutes.
8. Stack them in a cloth as they come off. Serve them with sarson ka saag. Set a lump of white butter on top of each one. Put jaggery, raw onion and green chilli on the table. Reheat them on a dry griddle with a little ghee.

Technique

• Makai ki roti with sarson ka saag is a Punjabi winter dish on both sides of the border.
• The mustard greens are in season in winter, which is when the pairing is eaten.

Substitutions

• A small amount of wheat flour or a boiled mashed potato makes the dough far easier to handle.
• Bajra or jowar flour can be used the same way and give different but related breads.

Variations

• Some households mix maize and wheat flour half and half.
• Adding grated radish or fenugreek leaves to the dough is common.
• A thicker version cooked slowly is made in some villages.

Frequently asked questions

What is Makai ki Roti?

Makai ki Roti is a bread & pastry from Pakistan: coarse maize flatbread patted by hand, cooked on a griddle with butter.

How long does Makai ki Roti take to make?

Makai ki Roti takes 20 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes 6 rotis. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Makai ki Roti?

Yes, within limits. A small amount of wheat flour or a boiled mashed potato makes the dough far easier to handle. Bajra or jowar flour can be used the same way and give different but related breads.

What is the most important thing to get right in Makai ki Roti?

Use maize flour milled for roti, sold as makai ka atta. It should be finely milled rather than coarse. Put the maize flour and salt into a bowl. Add the chilli and coriander if using them. Bring the water to a full boil.