Trinidad Recipes - Roti

roti is so delicious and special cos
they take a bit of time and patience...this recipe is authentic.
my good trinidadian friend taught me years ago how to make it in st. croix...and another
friend refreshed my memories several years ago...this recipe is a joy and has such a wonderful flavor.
this is the way trinis and east indians make roti at home. you can use wheat flour but
if you do, use half wheat flour and half white flour or they are crumbly like...

INGREDIENTS:
* 3/4 regular flour
* 1/4 self rising flour
* soft butter (scoop a good amount in your hand)...can use soy butter as well.
* milk...undiluted can milk or whole milk works best (or soy milk)
* a bit of water
* (you can use any amount of these ingredients as long as they are equal to above in larger amounts...
* i would use 1 1/2 cup of regular and 1/2 cup of self rising to start until you learn...no sense in wasting)
Directions:
1.soak a bag of yellow split pea or channa (chick peas) over night
2.the day you are making the roti, cut up about 3 large cloves of garlic.
3.drain and pat dry in a towel the soaked legumes.
4.put in food processor with the garlic and about a teaspoon of garam masala or ground black cumin seeds.
5.pulse until mixture is fine.
6.it will be dry but must be fine (do not over process because you do not want it to be mush)
7.the consistency should be ALMOST like a sugar cinnamon mix...but not quite as fine. 8.set mixture aside.

9.put flours in large bowl 10.add the softened butter (i would say about 1/3 cup) 11.mix until crumbly... 12.add the milk and water mixture...not all at once... 13.you want the dough to be like biscuit dough but shinier (not crumbly)...if dough looks dull add a bit more butter...

let raise
punch down and let it raise a little more.
then you break off pieces a little bigger than a golf ball.
in palm of your hand, hold a dough ball and make an indention in it with your thumb.
add about a teaspoon of the pea mixture and bring dough around it...twisting it at bottom and tucking it (like you do pizza dough) gently form into ball.
place on lightly floured surface...continue doing this until you have used all the dough.
(you will have pea mixture left and this can be frozen and used again the next time)
cover the balls with a towel and let raise again.
lightly flour the counter
this is the tricky part...you have to roll each piece out very thinly without tearing the dough...roll
out as thinly as you can...(you do not want to puncture the pea mixture, as when the roti is cooking and puffs...
the pea mixture is in the middle of both sides...you see me?)
i do not advise rolling them all out at once...maybe four at a time
heat your tawah or your flat cast iron skillet
dipping a paper towel in a bit of oil...LIGHTLY oil the pan...do NOT use olive oil or a heavy oil...
peanut oil is light and can take the heat...do NOT heat on high...you want a nice even heat
working quickly, place a rolled out piece of dough on tawah (or griddle)
DO NOT KEEP IT ON IT LONG...keep a diligent eye on it.
when it just starts to puff...turn it over (use your fingers)...when it puffs again, take it off...
should be hardly brown...should have little dots of brown but not all brown...that would make them too hard.
repeat this with each piece...lightly oiling tawah each time...
lay the finished roti on a flat plate or pan...separating each one with a paper towel...
when serving, scoop filling of choice in middle, fold over and enjoy
walaaaa...you have roti
(you can make it without the filling using the same process if you want to use the roti with honey or some such thing)