Masala Oats rotti - super food rolled into super yummy rotti

I thought I had put myself on a weekly routine for the blog until things became a little less rushed in life. But here I am, red faced with shame having missed my Sunday night posting :-(. It doesn't mean I love the blog any less but just that I am hardly finding the time to sit down and compose the post these past few months. if it is not the lack of time, it is the lack of words that just refuse to leave their cozy spot, come out and express themselves coherently. I called it the blogger's block once (yes, it has happened before) and lifts itself off as unpretentiously as it came in. I just need to wait patiently, that is all. When it does happen and I try to write a post, it feels exactly the same way as pulling an unwilling tooth at the dentist's :-). At other times, the words just gush out in torrents like the first rains of season - unstoppable, in tune and totally refreshing :-).

Now that I am reminded of dentists (category of people I live in mortal fear of :-)), I went to my dentist 2 days back, nothing major, routine visit and she asked me to schedule a couple of sittings for the cleaning just like that. Oh, before you all go off and start thinking of me as a stinky teeth, bad breath monster, let me tell you this. Here in US, we pay regular 'well check' visits to doctors, dentists and eye care professionals, this is part of life. Growing up in India, we went to a doctor only when sick and needed medical care. I don't remember going to a dentist at all. To top it, having an older sister in medical school, training to be a doctor only added to that routine. Everything from common cold to bruised knees were treated free of cost and with lot of love at home and we didn't feel the necessity to visit an outside doctor. The rare occasions I remember going to a hospital was when nammamma had a fractured wrist or I was falsely diagnosed with typhoid in my sister's absence :-). Other than that, of course when I delivered my little girl but then my sister was very much there throughout.

Anyways, my dentist visit was part of preventative care. I am not looking forward to her sitting me on a chair open mouthed (for what feels like eternity) while she goes about talking the entire time as she pricks, prods and hurts my gums, all in the name of cleaning. Dentists, I feel, tend to be talkative just to fill that void when the other person in the room cannot really talk much :-). All you can do is just nod your head and grunt even when she says unpleasant things like you need a filling or have a cavity. Well, my appointment is not for another 2 weeks and I won't spend much time thinking about it. All you compassionate people, send me some warm thoughts when you get a chance :-). But for now, away from the dentist's chair, my blogger's block seems to have lifted off magically and I am able to go yap, yap, yap :-)

Back to the recipe today, I have a delicious masala rotti loaded with vegetables and made with the healthy grain - Oats. Oats gained popularity in the last 2 decades or so as one of those super foods, a grain that beats everything else and is marketed and pushed for human consumption. I have elders in the family who still think oats is meant to be used as livestock only :-), some perceptions are very hard to change. I use oats regularly in my kitchen, I am not someone to dispute or uphold the various research around oats but like them in recipes just for variety. Oats being good for health - oh, I consider that as the fringe benefit. There are a bunch of recipes with oats on the blog already. If interested, look them up in the recipe index or search for them on the blog.

Being a South Indian, bred heavily on white, fluffy rice, it is my weakness. I crave for rice (a simple yogurt rice with pickle will bring me cartloads of happiness and cheer me up instantly) and sometimes go into withdrawal if I haven't had rice for a few days. When I was looking to incorporate more grains and bring freshness into the recipes a few years back, I stumbled upon oats, quinoa, different millets etc. Most of these work very well as rice substitutes especially if you mix them up with a spicy side dish. Many work well in idlis, dosas etc too. I have found this 'mix and match' strategy goes well not only with clothes but also with food. It gives the necessary break from monotony, keeps food interesting and invigorating.

Oats get some flak from people who say the carb content is as high or higher (depending on the type of oats) than rice. I would say it is a one sided argument. Oats, being high in soluble fibre is meant to be good for heart and to regulate blood sugar. It digests slowly and keeps you fuller for longer. I had seen the ready to eat Saffola brand oats in Indian supermarkets on my last visit but was surprised find them here locally in my grocery stores. I wouldn't buy them personally since processed oats do not really give you any advantage over white rice or refined flour. To actually benefit from oats, use either the rolled oats or steel cut oats.

Finally, to blow some trumpet - when I was making these rottis for dinner, DD had a couple of her friends at home working on some music practice. As I took hot rottis out of the tawa, I smeared a dab of ghee, rolled it up and gave it to the girls. Polite teenagers that they are, both said it tasted yummy but I really found it truthful when they rolled a few more rottis on their own accord, wrapped them in foils and took with them to munch on as they headed out. It is tried and tasted, so go ahead and make some in your kitchen too.

What do you need to make masala oats rotti? 
Makes about 10 rottis
1.5 cups oats
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup grated broccoli
1 cup chopped fenugreek or fresh methi (optional, I love it)
1 medium potato boiled until soft
1/2 cup grated carrots
2 Tbsp finely chopped onions
2 green chilies - finely chopped
1 Tsp salt (adjust to taste)
1/4 Tsp red chili powder
1/8 Tsp amchoor powder
1/2 Tsp sesame seeds
2 Tbsp oil - divided use
pinch of turmeric
1 Tbsp wheat flour for dusting

How do you make masala oats rotti? 

• Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a pan, add chopped onion and saute for a min or until it softens. 
• Add grated broccoli, carrots, chopped green chilies & methi followed by salt and mix well. 
• Cover and let cook for 3-4 minutes until the raw smell of the vegetables fades away. 
• Mash the boiled, peeled potatoes and add it to the cooked vegetables. This absorbs moisture. 
• Add the dry powders now - red chili powder, amchoor and sesame seeds. 
• Mix well, taste and adjust salt or spices. Switch off and let cool. At this time the vegetables mixtures should taste strong on salt and spices, or else the rottis turn bland when mixed with flour. 
• Powder the oats into a fine textured powder. 
• Take the wheat flour and oats flour in a wide bowl, add the cooked vegetables and bring them together. DO NOT ADD WATER AT THIS STAGE. 

• The moisture from the vegetables helps bind the dough.
• Add water in drops to get a slightly firmer dough than chapati dough. 
• Knead for a couple of minutes until the dough turns into a smooth ball, cover and let it rest for 20 minutes. 

• Heat a roti griddle or flat pan on medium heat. 
• Divide the dough into 10 equal portions and smooth them into a round ball. 

• Dip the ball into dry wheat flour, flatten it and smooth any cracks at the edges. 
• Roll out the rotti with a rolling pin, do not use too much pressure. Gluten in this dough is very less compared to regular chapati dough so it cracks under pressure. 
• Roll the rotti into a circle of 1/2 mm. 

• Put it on the hot pan, brush it with oil on top. Let cook for a minute before turning it over to the other side. 
• Brush with oil and cook until both sides develop tiny, bright brown spots all over. 
• Take it out and serve it with a cup of cool yogurt. 

Notes: 

• You do need some wheat flour to be able to roll the rottis, this 1:2 (oats:wheat) proportion works well.
• You can replace cooked potato with cooked raw banana (plantain) or skip it all together
• Use spinach instead of methi leaves. 
• Use other vegetables of preference like grated radish, bell peppers, chopped green beans for variety. 
• Green chilies and red chili powder both add to the heat, use according to your taste. 
• Cook the rotti on medium heat until the sides turn a golden brown, raw oats takes time to cook. 
• You can make kadak rotti (it is a North Karnataka specialty made with jowar flour) or crispy rotti by cooking it for longer until it turns brittle, perfect to store and carry on travels. 

Cucumber rave rotti - fusion of dosa and rotti

To begin with, let me clarify that 'rotti' is not the same as 'roti' (notice the emphasis on 't') and while I have seen a lot of rotti varieties in Karnataka and Maharastrian cooking, I am not aware of this genre in other regions of India. I will be glad to be surprised on this if any of you can enlighten me. So, rotti in Kannada refers to a dough (mostly with a flour) embellished with vegetables and patted on a tawa/griddle while 'roti' is the basic version of Indian leavened bread made with wheat flour. While the traditional rotti also called 'talippittu/Thalipeth' is made with rice flour there are rottis made with rava/sooji, jower flour, ragi flour etc. Each has its distinct taste. Look for my Avarekalu akki rotti here.

I like rave rotti for its mild taste, I do not use onions or other items typically used with akki rotti but let the subtle hint of cucumbers play heroine in this warm rotti. If I feel like indulging in the onion flavor, I make the rotti slightly differently, will post that another time. This rave rotti is a cross between dosa and rotti, it is soft like the dosa but patted like the rotti.

Rave rotti is from coastal Karnataka but honestly I will not claim this as the authentic recipe since I have tweaked it to suit my  palate. The concept is similar that it uses rava and cucumbers but in Mangalore homes where I first ate this rotti, lemon cucumbers are used instead of the regular green ones because of their enhanced flavor. You can use whichever one you prefer.

You will notice I use the aluminium foil/sheet to pat the rotti. When I first set up my own kitchen, I used struggle with a single pan, holding it under the tap water to cool off I have set many a smoke alarms to go off. Then one of my smart friends pointed out that we could use the foil to prepare the rotti off heat and transfer over, I am indebted to her for ever :-).

Rave rotti needs about an hour of wait time before you can pat the batter into rottis and recommended to be eaten hot off the griddle. They tend to become chewy as they cool off but DD seems to love that version more than the 'hot off the griddle', I am used to the strange eating preferences of my daughter :-). So plan ahead a little and enjoy the mild taste of these cucumber rottis.

What do you need to make cucumber rave rotti? 
Makes 4-3 inch radius rottis
2 cups chiroti rave/rava - this is the super fine sooji
2 packed cups grated cucumbers
1 heaped Tblsp grated coconut (fresh or frozen)
1 green chili (optional)
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 Tsp salt (adjust to taste)
1 Tsp oil to cook the rotti

How do you make cucumber rave rotti? 

• Wash, peel and grate the cucumbers. You can use them whole if they are tender, discard seeds if they are not. 
• Take a wide bowl, add all the ingredients and mix it in. No water is necessary as cucumbers give out lot of water. 

• Cover & let the dough rest for an hour minimum.
• Spread an aluminium foil/sheet on a flat surface, drizzle a couple of drops of oil and spread it all over. 
• Pinch off a tennis ball size dough and placing it in the center of the foil, start patting it into a circular shape. Dip your fingers in water to make it easy. 
• The dough is stretchable and you can make it as thin or thick as you like. I like this to be really thin so it turns out soft. 

• Heat a flat griddle and turn the foil over on the griddle, let it cook for a minute before gently peeling off the foil. The foil is reusable for other rottis you will make. 

• Let the rotti cook for a couple of minutes (the cooking time is dependent on the thickness), once you see a few brown spots, flip it over and continue to cook for another 2 minutes until the rotti cooks evenly on both sides. 

• Take it into a plate, put a drop of ghee on top and enjoy with any spicy chutney or  chutney pudi. We had it with ginger tambuli yesterday. 

Notes:

• The rested dough should be slightly sticky but easy to spread into shape. If the cucumbers leave a lot of water, add another Tblsp of rava and knead it in well to get the right consistency.
• Do not grate cucumbers fine, this releases lot more water into the dough. Also it is nice to feel the thin cucumber grates in the mouth - so keep them big.
• I recommend using the aluminium foil (or banana leaves if you can get some) to pat the rotti.
• I use my non-stick griddle and do not need any more oil to cook the rotti. 
• Green chili is optional but go with the fresh ground black pepper to compliment the mildness of cucumbers. 

Akki Rotti - Mother's day Special

Updated on 8/31/12: I got some pictures of the avarekalu akki rotti from Akka's kitchen, thanks to GAC who remembered to click at the right time and send it over. 

A Very Happy Mother's day to all of you mothers out there.  Hope you had(ve) a wonderful day with your loved ones. 

Personally, I do not celebrate 'the' days so much as I believe the thoughts and sentiments expressed on 'the' day should be part of every day, but I do find it beautiful that people actually celebrate and find so many ways to share love and joy on the designated days.

As with everyone else, my mother is special and I love her dearly, there are so many things I remember fondly about nammamma now that I am away from the home I grew up in. I constantly think back on what she would have done in situations where my mommy skills are needed as she is my benchmark for mommying. Considering how I turned out, she did a pretty good job :-). With all the ups and downs she has gone through in life, she is a pillar of strength for us and a reminder that we can get through life with its umpteen turns and twists.

I got lucky a second time when I got married as my other amma turned out to be just as dear as nammamma. I sometimes tell BH that she made me miss all the fun I could have had with my friends complaining about my MIL if only she had been more like a mother in law and less like another mom to me :-). She is an image of dedication and extreme patience and boundless love where her family is concerned.

My other mother is a sister, best friend and mother rolled into one. When I was a little girl, she took care of me as a mom and as I grew up we became best friends. She continues to be that listener and eternal source of practical advice for me. She does not love cooking like I do but when she goes to the kitchen and makes something, you will think she is one of the best cooks ever, and I believe it is only because she gives her best whether she is delivering a baby or making uppittu in the kitchen.

I had a wonderful mother's day with thoughtful gestures from DD and BH and we are ready to call it a day in anticipation of next week. As a mother's day special recipe, here is my akka's famous avarekalu akki rotti - rice flour rotis patted into shape and made special by mixing in cooked avarekalu. I have this every single time I go back to visit home, she has two very old, battered pans specially for akki rottis and they just turn the rottis soft yet crispy and tastier than any I have eaten. There are many variations of akki rotti - each equally yummy but the one with avarekalu is a delicacy from Avarekalu loving regions of Karnataka. Try this and I guarantee you will fall in love with this version of the akki rotti.

What do you need to make Avarekalu akki rotti? 
1 cup cooked avarekalu
2 cups rice flour
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 Tsp finely chopped green chilies
1/2 cup grated coconut - fresh or frozen
1 Tblsp salt (adjust to taste)
1 Tsp cumin seeds
2 Tblsp chopped colantro
Water to make a soft dough
2 Tblsp of cooking oil

How do you make Avarekalu akki rotti? 

• Cook the avarekalu till soft and let it cool. 
• Add all the ingredients except for water in a wide bowl and mix it in.
• Add water (you can use the water used to cook avarekalu) slowly and mix the ingredients into a semi firm dough - it should be easy to pat on a flat surface. 

• Take an aluminium foil and put an orange sized dough in the center and make it into a thin (1/2 MM) circle by patting it with your fore fingers. Dip your fingers in cold water to help the patting process. 

• Heat a flat tawa/pan on medium heat, drizzle a few drops of oil on the tawa and put the aluminium foil on top with rotti facing down. 
• Let it cook for a couple of minutes and you can remove the foil easily from the top. 
• Drizzle oil on top of the rotti and let it cook until golden brown and crisp. 

• Flip the rotti and cook a couple of minutes on the other side too. 

• Remove it onto a plate, top it with ghee for additional flavor and serve it with pickles, chutney or yogurt. 

Notes: 

• Back home, akka and nammamma both have what is called as Bandle or a deep circular pan and rotti made in this bandle is more popular than the flat variety. Since I do not have a bandle and my stove is not compatible for a non flat bottom pan, I pat my rottis on the aluminium foil before transferring it to the pan. 

This is an updated picture from my akka's kitchen and that is the old bandle that has been in her family for years now.

• If you have access to fresh banana leaves, pat the rottis on a washed and pat dried banana leaf for a flavorful rotti. 
• If you do not have fresh avarekalu handy, don't fret, use the frozen stuff (called papdi lilva). 
• Do not skimp on the amount of coconut in this recipe. 

I didn't want to make this post personal but I guess I failed at it, but then mothers are personal. I leave you with a funny exchange about a mom with a second grader, enjoy..

Q: What kind of a little girl was your mom? 

A1: My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff. 

A2: I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be 'pretty bossy'

A3: They say she used to be nice.

Bili rotti - Rotis with rice flour

This is a recipe of a rustic Karnataka roti, and no, this is not the popular akki rotti. Though the main ingredient (rice flour) is common, preparation of these two rotis is very different and both taste delicious in their own ways. A few years back, you wouldn't have seen this bili rotti in restaurants, it was a purely home made food. But with halli tindi(Village food), mane tindi (Home food), Suggi (Harvest) and other such joints becoming the cool thing in cities, this food is touted as the authentic Karnataka food.

One thing that amazes me when I visit India now is the number of food joints (fast and slow :-)) and the people patronizing them any time of the day and week. Our restaurant visits were extremely rare while growing up and the shift in eating habits seem so exaggerated now. Before the the food joints started displaying authentic, rustic food items on their menu, the only place to go to was your own kitchen which is where all the action was.

Bili rotti as we called it to recognize the pure white color of the rotti except for the roasted spots is made from cooked rice flour and does not have any masalas or additives except for salt. Since it gets cooked twice, it is meant to be a good food even when people have digestive problems. It is a little time consuming and labor intensive process but your will forget all about it as you enjoy the silky soft rottis. Typical side dish for this rotti is badanekayi Ennegayi (Enne~oil, kayi~refers to eggplants called badane kaayi in Kannada) which is a flavorful eggplant dish. When made during summer months, nammamma always made Mango Seekarane in addition to the ennegayi as side dishes for the bili rotti.

Nammamma prepared rice flour for this specially at home, she would wash and shade dry rice inside the house and make a fine powder of it. This is called toledakki hittu (toleda~washed, akki~rice, hittu~powder/flour). She says rice flour made thus makes the softest bili rottis. I use the regular store bought rottis and as long as you get the dough soft and knead it well, you will get soft rottis.

What do you need to make Bili rotti? 
1.5 cups rice flour
3+1/4 cup water
1/2 Tsp cooking oil
1 Tsp salt
1/2 cup rice flour for dusting

How do you make Bili rotti?

• Take water, salt and oil in a thick bottom, slightly deep pan and let it come to a gentle boil. 

• Add the 1.5 cups of rice flour and let it continue to boil for 2-3 minutes, do not mix or disturb at this time, keep the pan covered.

• Remove the cover, simmer the heat, with the help of a long wooden spoon, mix the rice flour vigorously into the water to form a lump.

• Cover and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes. Switch off the stove, let it stand for 5 minutes. 
• Take the cooked lump of the dough into a gallon size zip lock cover, close it, put a towel on top and knead the dough for 2-3 minutes. 

• Pinch off lemon sized ball, knead for a minute and roll it into a circular rotti with a rolling pin, dusting it with rice flour as necessary.

• Heat a flat tawa (preferably cast iron), put the rotti on the tawa, sprinkle drops of cool water on top, let it cook for a couple of minutes. 

• When you see spots puffing up on the surface, flip it to the other side, sprinkle a few drops of water and let it cook to get light brown spots. 

• Repeat until you finish up all the dough. 

• We ate it with the delicious mango seekarane and simple eggplant fry. 

Notes:

• This rotti takes longer to cook than the wheat flour rotis. Keep the heat on medium. 
• There is no oil used in roasting these rottis, sprinkling water to the rotti helps it to become softer. Dip your hand in a bowl of cool water and use a spraying motion on top of the rotti. 
• Once you have kneaded the cooked dough, keep it inside the zip lock and take only the portions you are ready to roll into rottis. It helps if the dough is still warm. 
• Since there is no gluten like the wheat flour, this rotti dough needs more kneading. 
• A simple trick to get rottis to roll easily without tearing is to flatten the ball of dough and smoothen the edges before starting to roll it out.