Khoba Roti (Rajasthani Moti Roti)

BM# 63: Journey through the Cuisines 

Week 2: Rajasthani Cuisine 

Day 11: K for Khoba Roti
Today's Rajasthani dish showcases the artistic side of the desert state. Rajasthan is famous for all its handicrafts and colorful fabrics. This Khoba roti looks like a work of art and the good thing about it is that the technique is not too hard to do.

I saw this roti for the very first time on Valli's blog for one of the previous BMs. It looked so appealing and sounded so interesting that it went into my to-make list. It took all this time (actually 2 years) for me make these. Khoba means deep indentation in Rajasthani, hence the name for the roti.
In its most basic form, the rotis are rolled out into about 1/2" thick and then the top is pinched with fingers in a circular pattern. Or you can get fancy like here and make a very intrinsic and beautiful pattern on the roti. I made mine with tiny tweezers.

The roti is quite thick and needs to be cooked for a long time to cook evenly. The final roti is crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle. It is usually served with a generous drizzle of ghee along with a curry or dal or any other spicy side dish.

Recipe adapted from Nisha Madhulika, Tarla Dalal & Carve your Craving:

Khoba Roti

Ingredients:

• 2cups Atta (Wholewheat flour)
• 2tsp Ghee
• To taste Salt

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine atta, salt and ghee. Add enough water and make a firm, pliable dough. Cover and set aside for 15~20 minutes.
2. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Roll out one piece into 6~7" round circle that is about 1/2" thick.
3. At this stage, you can either pinch the surface or use a tiny forceps or tongs to pinch the top layer of the dough in circular fashion to create the design.
4. Place the roti non-pinched side down on a hot tawa/ griddle and cook on medium flame till lightly golden. Gently flip and cook the pinch side until lightly golden and cooked through.
5. At this stage to brown the top of the roti, it can be placed directly on the flame for a few seconds or under the broiler for less than a minute. Remove and serve hot with a curry and Enjoy!! I served with some capsicum lauji (substitute carrot with peppers in this recipe) and palak dal.

That's my daughter having fun with ghee (??!!).

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