Pyaaz tamatar ka tikkad is like a spicy corn bread with onions and tomatoes. It is a popular flat Indian bread from the dessert areas of Rajasthan and Gujarat. Onion, tomato, chilli, ginger-garlic and spices are kneaded into corn meal to make a firm dough and a coarse roti is rolled out by hand and cooked on a pan.
It is thick, spicy, and very very rustic. Tikkad (or tikkar) is a spicy unleavened Indian bread similar to miss roti using corn flour instead of gram flour. With a little yogurt and green chutney or garlic chutney it serves as a complete meal. This recipe is straight from the desserts of Jodhpur where I was once working on a government project.
In one of my research trips, I was going from home to home to fill out an eGovernance survey. As is customary of rural hospitality between 10 am to 1pm I had covered 15 homes and 15 cups of very sweet tea! I decided to do one more home and then take a break for lunch and to my surprise the lady of the house asked if I would join her for lunch. She was very shy about it saying she has only made tikkad. I was famished and that pyaaz tamatar ka tikkad and chutney was one of the best meals I have had till now!
Before I asked her about using NREGA or other rural eGovernance services; I asked her to tell how to make those delicious all-in-one tikkads! And while I know the original taste also comes from the firewood stove she used, the ones from my regular gas stove also come out very nice.
In this recipe a little whole wheat flour is also added but tikkad can be cooked gluten free by using just cornmeal. Also cook with oil instead of ghee for a vegan preparation.
These spicy onion-tomato tikkads make a delicious on-the-go snack. Just spread a little chutney in the middle, roll and pack them individually. They stay soft for long, need no reheating and keep very well for long hour, which makes them perfect for lunch box and for traveling.
Pyaaz Tamatar Tikkad/ Spicy Missi Roti
Ingredients (1cup = 240ml; 1tbsp = 15ml; 1tsp = 5ml)
- ¾ cup makai ka aata/corn meal this is not the cornflour used as thickening agent but coarse cornmeal
- ¼ cup whole wheat flour
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 tomato deseeded and finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic grated
- 1 inch ginger piece grated
- 1 green chilli finely chopped (more if you like them hot!)
- 3-4 sprigs of fresh coriander leaves finely chopped
- A pinch of asafoetida
- Salt to taste
- 2-3 tbsp Ghee use oil for vegan preparation for cooking the tikkad
- Warm water for kneading the dough
Instructions
- In a bowl mix together corn flour, wheat flour, salt and asafoetida.
- Add the chopped ingredients (reserve about a third of chopped tomatoes, chillies and coriander to use as toppings later on). Mix them together, just using your fingers. It will be a soft crumbly mixture.
- Add water, little by little, and knead the flour into a soft dough.
- Divide the dough into 8 portions and shape into balls.
- Dust your kitchen surface or chakla with a little dry flour. Take one dough ball and roll it into a circle with your fingers. You can put a little oil on your fingers and gently press the dough and roll it in a circle of about 5 inches.
- Sprinkle some reserved tomato, chilli and coriander on the tikkad. Press them in slightly with your hands.
- Heat a tava and add some ghee. Cook the tikkad on the tava from both sides until it gets crispy and golden. I love the golden brown spots that come on it!
- Repeat with the remaining dough balls and serve with spiced yogurt or coriander chutney!
Notes
- For gluten free tikkads, use 1 cup cornmeal and no wheat.
- Cook with oil instead of ghee for vegan restrictions.
- All the veggies should be very finely chopped so they can be easily kneaded into the dough.
Did you try this recipe? You really should. It is like a little bit of rural India in your plate! Ask me a question, send me a picture, leave a comment or connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest and Instagram. Would love to start a conversation, share recipes, cooking experiences and food stories from India and around the world.
you are my savior! whenever I want to taste something new and need a new recipe I just browse through :-). Amazing collection :D. Thanku for putting together all lovely dishes!
awesome! 🙂 I am so glad! did you try the tikkads? they are super duper easy and tasty 🙂
Loved to read about your passion. I too share your passion about cooking.
Loved all the recipes.
Thanks Sumita!