Makki ki roti is a rustic Indian flatbread made with coarse yellow cornmeal. (Corn is known as Makki (or Makai) in Hindi.) It is usually made in winters and is an essential accompaniment to Sarson ka saag. Which is why, this is a super quick and short follow up post to the last blogpost of Sarson ka saag recipe.
Sarson ka saag is a classic winter recipe made with fresh mustard leaves. While it can be served with any flatbread, makai ki roti (cornmeal flatbread) is the traditional pairing. In fact, Sarson da saag and makki di roti is such a cherished meal combination that normally one dish is not spoken about without the other. 🙂
It makes sense flavor wise too as Mustard leaves are slightly bitter in taste and corn is naturally sweet. The sweet corn flatbread perfectly balances the spicy and bitter saag. But don’t limit makki ki roti to just saag! It is such a delicious bread that it will go great with any curry. Also it is gluten-free!
Different variations of Makki ki Roti
This is a very simple recipe with just 3 ingredients – flour, salt, and water. But more flavors can be added to the cornmeal bread such as ajwain seeds, fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped green chilies, paprika, or some mild curry powder too. In Rajasthan, we make another variant to makki roti which is also a popular travel food, called Tikkad. It also has onions and tomatoes kneaded into the dough.
How to roll makki ki roti
Corn, like most millet flours, is gluten-free. As a result rolling the corn dough into a flat round can get difficult. Traditionally, makki ki roti is rolled on the palm with wet fingers but I can never manage that way. Mine always breaks as soon as it is bigger than my palm’s size! I use the a trick similar to that of rolling Bajra roti, where I roll each dough ball on a plastic sheet. It makes it easier for me to roll and then lift up the roti to put on pan.
Makki Ki Roti (Indian Cornmeal Flatbread)
Ingredients (1cup = 240ml; 1tbsp = 15ml; 1tsp = 5ml)
- 2 cups Cornmeal Coarse whole-grain yellow cornmeal, called Makki Ka aata in Hindi
- 1/2 tsp pink salt
- Hot water as needed for kneading the dough
Instructions
- Add the cornmeal and salt to a large bowl. Simply mix using your fingers so that the flour is loose with no lumps.
- Slowly add in hot water and mix it using a spoon. Keep on adding water little by little as you bring the dough together. The dough should be hard and stiff. I used about 1 cup of hot water for 2 cups of cornmeal.
- Leave the dough covered for about 5 mins or until it is cool enough to be kneaded by hand. Knead to make a medium-soft dough. If required, add more water as needed.
- Dampen your hands with a little water. Divide the dough into 8 equal parts and shape into balls.
- Place a flat non-stick pan (tava) on medium heat.
- Lay a plastic sheet or a cut opened ziplock bag on your kitchen work surface.
- Place one ball at a time, on the sheet and roll out into a thick 5-6 inch diameter circle, using your fingers. Cover the open side with plastic sheet, turn it over and peel away the plastic from the bottom of the rolled roti to take it off.
- Transfer the rolled roti onto the hot pan.
- Cook over medium heat, till one side is done. Turn over and cook till both sides are golden brown. To get some charring (optional), cook the roti over open flame for 20-30 seconds after it is done on the pan.
Notes
- I actually timed and each roti takes about 5 minutes! So you can better use the time if you start makki ki roti along with the saag cooking.
- Nutritional Information is the approximate information for 1 of 6 servings.
- Traditionally, Ghee or butter is slathered over Makki ki roti once it is cooked but when we are eating it right off the pan, we like it as is without any butter.
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Fab recipe as I’m gluten intolerant, thank you so much….I have also discovered asofatieda as my tummy can’t tolerate garlic it onions so I’m going to make nice Indian curry to go with the flatbread
Thanks, Angela!
I am so happy that this cornmeal flatbread recipe found it’s way t your kitchen! Happy cooking. Would love to know what curry you paired it with 🙂