Tandoori Roti Recipe

Tandoori Roti is a soft flatbread that’s first cooked in tawa then roasted on direct flame to get that smoky flavor like how we get in restaurants. It is traditionally made in a tandoor oven, but you can also make it easily at home using an iron tawa and direct flame. The smell and taste of freshly made tandoori roti with ghee on top is something that makes any meal extra special.

This roti is a good match for North Indian gravies like paneer butter masala, chole, or dal makhani. It takes a bit of care to cook, but once you try it, you’ll enjoy the process. It puffs up beautifully and gets charred spots like the ones we get in dhabas. The trick is using the right tawa and flipping it over the flame.

About Tandoori Roti

Tandoori Roti is a slightly thick flatbread made with atta (wheat flour), water, salt and little oil. The dough is rested, rolled a bit thick, brushed with water on one side, and then cooked first on hot tawa and then flipped to direct flame using the tawa itself. That’s what gives it the tandoori look and feel.

This is a fun roti to make when you want to try something different from regular phulkas or chapathi. It turns soft with slight chew and light crisp edges. You can also brush it with butter or ghee once cooked to make it extra tasty. It’s a favorite choice in many Indian restaurants and street stalls.

The best part is that you don’t need any special oven or fancy ingredients. Just an iron tawa and regular gas flame is enough. If done right, the roti will bubble and puff up just like how it does in tandoor. The smoky taste it gets from direct flame makes it really special, not like the usual soft rotis we make daily. It gives that little burnt edge which feels just like hotel ones.

Tandoori roti or Naan is my staple order in restaurants when we dine out, As I always prefer North Indian cuisine it would be either Roti or Naan with any gravy. As a big fan of tandoori roti, I tried quite a few methods to recreate the same texture of the roti as we get in restaurants and finally I got hold of making it since a year so thought to share it now.

Tandoori Roti Ingredients

• Atta (Wheat Flour) – This is the main thing for making tandoori roti. You can use normal chapathi flour from store or homemade also. Homemade one sometimes soak more water and gives soft roti. Just make sure flour is fresh and fine.
• Oil – Just need one spoon only. Oil helps the dough to turn soft and smooth. It also makes it easy to knead and roll without breaking.
• Water – Add water slowly while kneading. Don’t pour all at once. Some atta take more water, some less. So keep adding little by little and mix well till you get a soft dough. Dough should not be too dry or too sticky.

Similar Recipes

• Aloo Paratha
• Masala Chapathi
• Methi Paratha
• Cheese Paratha
• Plain Paratha

How to make Tandoori Roti Step by Step

1.Measure and take chapathi flour(I used homemade), transfer to a wide mixing bowl. Add salt and oil.

2.First mix well with your fingers so that the distribution is even, then start adding water little by little, start kneading.

3.Knead it to a soft pliable dough. Let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes. Then knead it again and Make medium lemon sized balls from the dough. Transfer one ball to the rolling board and sprinkle little flour on it.

4.Roll it to a slightly thick roti, You can either roll it as a circle or oval as I did. On the top side, brush with little water. Repeat the process for other rotis too.

5.Heat a dosa tawa, I used my iron dosa tawa. Once the tawa is hot, carefully transfer a roti so that the water surface touches the tawa. Allow it to cook for a minute, as bubbles start to come, carefully flip the dosa tawa upside down as keeping keep flame in high. Cook until the rotis are charred a bit. Rotate the tawa for even cooking. It will start to fall down, you can hold it with a tong. It is better if you have a handle for the dosa tawa.

6.If you don’t have a dosa tawa with handle, then cook on one side in tawa then pull out the roti with a tong and place it directly on high flame as shown below. Brush it well with ghee / butter.

Serve hot!

Expert Tips

• Use iron tawa – Never use nonstick. Iron tawa helps the roti to stick and also easy to flip over flame.
• Roll it bit thick – Don’t make it thin like chapathi. It should be slightly thick to hold shape while flipping.
• Brushing – Brush water only on one side, This side goes on tawa and helps it stick.
• High flame – For that tandoori look, always use high flame while roasting.
• Rotate slowly – While roasting on flame, keep rotating the tawa so all parts cook evenly.
• Use tong for safety – Once the roti loosens from tawa, catch and roast with a tong to avoid burning.
• Apply ghee – Once you off the flame, brush ghee or butter for soft texture.

Serving and Storage

Tandoori Roti taste good when it’s hot. Just brush little ghee on top and serve them with any curry like paneer, dal or even chicken gravy. It suits veg and non-veg both.

Store leftovers in hot box wrapped in clean cloth. If eating later, heat it again on tawa or direct flame. Don’t use microwave, it will make it little hard. You can also keep extra rotis in fridge and reheat next day.

FAQS

1.Can I make tandoori roti without flame?

If you don’t have direct flame, you can cook both sides on tawa, but the smoky flavor won’t come.

2.Why is my roti not sticking to tawa?

Make sure to brush water on one side and use iron tawa, not nonstick.

3.Can I use maida instead of atta?

It’s best with atta, but you can use half atta half maida if you want softer texture.

4.Why it burns too fast on flame?

Flame should be high but don’t hold the tawa in one spot too long. Keep moving.

5.How long to rest the dough?

At least 30 mins is good. It makes the dough soft and easy to roll.

If you have any more questions about this Tandoori Roti Recipe do mail me at sharmispassions@gmail.com. In addition, follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest ,Youtube and Twitter .

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Tandoori Roti

Tandoori Roti cooking at home without tandoori oven is an art & an enjoyable sight to watch. Tandoori roti is very tasty, leathery soft paratha made by partly roasting in tava and partly roasting on a direct flame by flipping the tava. How to make Tandoori Roti at home is explained in this post with step by step pictures.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time50 minutes mins

Servings8 parathas

AuthorSharmilee J

1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 2 cups atta / wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon oil
• salt as required
• 3/4 to 1 cup water

Instructions

• Measure and take chapathi flour(I used homemade), transfer to a wide mixing bowl.
• Add salt and oil.
• First mix well with your fingers so that the distribution is even, then start adding water little by little, start kneading.
• Knead it to a soft pliable dough.Let the dough rest for atleast 30mins.
• Then knead it again and Make medium lemon sized balls from the dough.
• Transfer one ball to the rolling board and sprinkle little flour on it.
• Roll it to a slightly thick roti, You can either roll it as a circle or oval as I did.
• On the top side, brush with little water.Repeat the process for other rotis too.
• Heat a dosa tawa, I used my iron dosa tawa.
• Once the tawa is hot,carefully transfer a roti so that the water surface touches the tawa.
• Allow it to cook for a minute, as bubbles start to come,carefully flip the dosa tawa upside down as keeping keep flame in high.
• Cook until the rotis are charred a bit.Rotate the tawa for even cooking.It will start to fall down, you can hold it with a tong.It is better if you have a handle for the dosa tawa.
• If you don’t have a dosa tawa with handle, then cook on one side in tawa then pull out the roti with a tong and place it directly on high flame as shown below.
• Brush it well with ghee / butter.
• Serve Tandoori roti hot!

Notes

• Use iron tawa for best results.
• I used homemade chapathi flour so it absorbs more water than the store bought flours so adjust according to your flour variety.
• Make sure to rotate and cook else it will get cooked only in the middle. It is recommended to use tawa with handle so that its easy for you to hold and flip over. Yes I have tried in nonstick and the texture was not that great so I am suggesting to use iron tawa. You can even use a kadai.
• Do not use nonstick tawa as you might not get the right texture.
• Make sure to roll the rotis a bit thick and not too thin like we do for phulkas.
• Do not overcook while cooking in direct flame, I always use high flame, rotate and cook for just few seconds.

Nutrition Facts

Tandoori Roti

Amount Per Serving (150 g)

Calories 118 Calories from Fat 9

% Daily Value*

Fat 1g2%

Saturated Fat 0.1g1%

Trans Fat 0.003g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3g

Monounsaturated Fat 0.3g

Sodium 3mg0%

Potassium 33mg1%

Carbohydrates 24g8%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 0.1g0%

Protein 3g6%

Calcium 6mg1%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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