Tandoori roti is made with a mixture of wheat flour, curd, salt, sugar, and baking soda, with or without nigella seeds or other embellishments, and roasted to perfection on low flame. The steps to make tandoori roti at home are quite simple, as explained in my recipe.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Tandoori roti is very popular and very versatile.
- Serve the rotis hot with any veg sabzi or non-veg dish such as paneer butter masala, dal makhani, chicken tikka masala, mutton rogan josh, shahi paneer, palak paneer, or butter chicken.
- Tandoori roti tastes mildly smoky, burnt, and earthy.
- Other similar rotis are plain naan, butter naan, garlic naan, missi roti, rumali roti, lachha paratha, and kulcha.
The Ingredients:
- 2 cups wheat flour (atta)
- 3 tbsp curd
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp eno (or baking soda)
- Water as required
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 tbsp garlic (finely chopped)
- 2 tbsp coriander leaves (finely chopped)
- 1 tsp nigella seeds
- 1 tbsp kasuri methi
- Butter or ghee as required
I got this recipe from the mother of my son’s guitar teacher. Every day, she packed one thing or another for her son’s lunch. One day, she offered a bite of a tandoori roti and paneer ka sabzi as I waited for a long time for my son’s class to end. The softness and taste of the tandoori roti intrigued me, and I asked her for the recipe, which she gave gladly.
I made it that weekend. My husband said it had musical balance, and the boys called it “Guitar Aunty’s secret.” Now, it features in our music-day dinner. That moment reminded me that melodies can flow not just through notes but through nourishing food shared without a second thought.
How to Make Tandoori Roti? (Step by Step Guide with Images)
Step 1: Take 2 cups of wheat flour (atta), 3 tbsp of curd, 1 tsp of sugar, ½ tsp of salt, and ½ tsp of eno in a mixing bowl.
Step 2: Mix everything nicely before adding water.
Step 3: Now add water to it gradually as required and make a stiff dough.
Step 4: Then, add 1 tbsp cooking oil and knead the dough again to make it soft. Cover it and keep it aside to set for 15 minutes for the dough to ferment properly.
Step 5: Check the dough after 15 minutes. You should see nets or webs in it when you knead it again and stretch it, as shown in the image below. This shows that the dough has fermented properly.
Step 6: Make medium-sized balls.
Step 7: Sprinkle a little bit of flour on the rolling surface and the dough ball and make a relatively thick roti. Now, sprinkle some nigella seeds and a little bit of kasuri methi on the roti.
Step 8: Roll it again. Keep it aside.
(Pro tip: You may roll the roti to an oval shape. It looks good).
Step 9: Alternatively, if you want to make garlic roti, make a roti, sprinkle finely chopped garlic and coriander leaves on it, roll it again, and keep it aside.
Step 10: Now, heat an iron tawa on a medium flame.
Step 11: By the time it becomes hot, wet your fingers with water and tap gently on the side of the roti with no nigella seeds or garlic.
Step 12: Place the roti with the wet side down on the hot tawa and press it gently and carefully so that it sticks.
Step 13: Cook it for half a minute on a low flame. You will see bubbles on the roti as shown in the image below.
Step 14: Flip the tawa with the roti stuck in it to cook it on direct heat of a low flame.
(Pro tip: It is essential to make tandoori rotis on a low flame. A high flame will burn it from the outside and leave it uncooked from the inside. Do not worry; the roti will not fall since it is a non-stick tawa).
Step 15: Move it in circles to let it cook nicely on a low flame for another 30 seconds and flip the tawa.
Step 16: Remove the roti from the tawa. It will still be stuck to the tawa. Use a spatula to remove it.
Step 17: The backside of the roti that stuck to the tawa will still not be cooked fully, as you can see in the image below.
Step 18: So, put the roti on the flame directly with the cooked side on top, as shown in the figure.
Step 19: Flip the roti a couple of times using a pair of tongs, and it will be fully cooked from both sides.
Step 20: Finally, apply butter or ghee on top of the hot roti.
(Pro tip: You may skip this step if you are health conscious. However, applying butter will enhance the taste immensely).
Step 21: Your homemade tandoori is now ready to enjoy. Serve it with paneer sabzi and onion salad.
Recipe Card
Tandoori Roti
Ingredients
- 2 cups wheat flour atta
- 3 tbsp curd
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp eno or baking soda
- Water as required
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 tbsp garlic finely chopped
- 2 tbsp coriander leaves finely chopped
- 1 tsp nigella seeds
- 1 tbsp kasuri methi
- Butter or ghee as required
Instructions
- Take 2 cups of wheat flour (atta), 3 tbsp of curd, 1 tsp of sugar, ½ tsp of salt, and ½ tsp of eno in a mixing bowl.
- Mix everything nicely before adding water.
- Now add water to it gradually as required and make a stiff dough.
- Then, add 1 tbsp cooking oil and knead the dough again to make it soft. Cover it and keep it aside to set for 15 minutes for the dough to ferment properly.
- Check the dough after 15 minutes. You should see nets or webs in it when you knead it again and stretch it, as shown in the image below. This shows that the dough has fermented properly.
- Make medium size balls.
- Sprinkle a little bit of flour on the rolling surface and the dough ball and make a relatively thick roti. Now, sprinkle some nigella seeds and a little bit of kasuri methi on the roti.
- Roll it again. Keep it aside. (Pro tip: You may roll the roti to an oval shape. It looks good).
- Alternatively, if you want to make garlic roti, make a roti, sprinkle finely chopped garlic and coriander leaves on it, roll it again, and keep it aside.
- Now, heat an iron tawa on a medium flame.
- By the time it becomes hot, wet your fingers with water and tap gently on the side of the roti with no nigella seeds or garlic.
- Place the roti with the wet side down on the hot tawa and press it gently and carefully so that it sticks.
- Cook it for half a minute on a low flame. You will see bubbles on the roti as shown in the image below.
- Flip the tawa with the roti stuck in it to cook it on direct heat of a low flame. (Pro tip: It is essential to make tandoori rotis on a low flame. High flame will burn it from the outside and leave it uncooked from the inside. Do not worry, the roti will not fall since it is a non-stick tawa).
- Move it in circles to let it cook nicely on a low flame for another 30 seconds and flip the tawa.
- Remove the roti from the tawa. It will be still stuck to the tawa. Use a spatula to remove it.
- The backside of the roti that stuck to the tawa will still not be cooked fully, as you can see in the image below.
- So, put the roti on the flame directly with the cooked side on top, as shown in the figure.
- Flip the roti a couple of times using a pair of tongs and it will be fully cooked from both the sides.
- Finally, apply butter or ghee on top of the hot roti. (Pro tip: You may skip this step if you are health conscious. However, applying butter will enhance the taste immensely).
- Your homemade tandoori ready is now ready to enjoy. Serve it with paneer sabzi and onion salad.
