Embedded in the local food culture, rotis have been puffing on the Mauritian tawas for decades.
This is a footage, filmed by my sister, demonstrating a typical roti seller in Mauritius.
Fillings served with the roti may vary slightly depending on where the roti is being purchased.
But there are at least two that are the most common ones — the white bean curry and the
rougaille sauce — and in this case, steamed taro greens are also served. Then, there are
some chutneys, vegetable pickles along with preserved chilies that are optional.
As humble as roti and curry may sound, the combination of these toppings all rolled up
in a soft freshly made flatbread create the most satisfying treat for the palate. No wonder
that through the ages, roti and curry remains one of the most popular food in Mauritius.
Hi guys, welcome to the Veganlovlie channel. This is Teenuja and today is a little bit different
because this is part 1 or a series of 3 videos. So, a few weeks ago, we had several requests
for recipes and one of them came from 'stolzie' who wanted the recipes for the
fillings that are served with the typical Mauritian roti. So, the fillings may vary
from seller to seller depending on where you are buying the roti,
but we have picked three fillings which are the white bean curry, the rougaille sauce
and a coriander chutney, which are the most popular ones.
So in parts 2 and 3, I will be sharing the recipes for the curry, the rougaille and the chutney.
But in this first part, let's start by making the roti itself.
The commercial roti or farata usually calls for oil in the dough and while cooking but
my version here is completely oil-free using only flour and water.
In a large mixing bowl, add the flour. Make a well in the centre and carefully pour in
the hot water. To help this oil-free roti retain its velvety soft texture, the water
has to be boiling hot, just out of the kettle.
With the help of a spoon, stir the mixture to combine the flour and water. Keep mixing
as much as possible to start forming a dough. Once the mixture is a little cooler and comfortable
to handle by hand, start to knead it into a supple dough. At this stage, you can either
add a little more flour if the dough is sticky or a little water if it is too dry.
What we are looking to achieve is a soft, supple and non-sticky dough.
Once a soft and non-sticky dough is obtained, smooth it into a ball and place it back into
the mixing bowl.
Cover with a lid or tea towel and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, knead the dough for a couple of minutes on a floured surface.
Then roll it out into a log and cut it into 6 equal pieces.
Roll each piece in the palm of your hands to form a nice smooth ball then flatten it.
Lightly press all around the edge then dip in a bowl of flour to completely coat the
dough with the flour.
Set the floured dough aside and do the same for the rest of the dough pieces.
On a floured board, place one piece of dough and begin to roll out. Try to keep a more
or less circle shape and roll out to about 2 mm thick.
As I mentioned, this is an oil-free roti but if you do want to use a little oil, then at
this stage, you can brush the surface of the flattened dough with a thin coat of oil before
folding it. Otherwise, fold 1/3 of the circle of dough toward the centre and fold the opposite
edge over to form a long rectangle. Then again fold, the two shorter ends toward the centre
to form a square.
Repeat for the rest of the dough. Keep all the dough pieces and folded ones covered while
you are working on the rest so that they don't dry out.
Now take the folded dough parcel and place it on a floured board. Begin to roll out to
about 2 - 3 mm thick. The shape will, more or less, remain square which is one other
characteristic of the farata apart from the multi-layer texture.
Place the rolled out farata onto a floured plate and continue with the rest, flouring
them between each layer so that they do not stick to one another.
If you are making a bigger batch of roti, I do not recommend that you stack more than 10,
as with time, the gluten will relax further and the rotis at the bottom will start to
stick to one another.
Before starting to cook the faratas, turn the whole stack over so that you may start
with the first roti that was rolled out.
Make sure the tawa or crepe pan is hot and the heat kept on medium-high. You may need
to adjust the heat later if the pan gets too hot. Allow the roti to cook for about 30 seconds
on one side and then flip over and cook for another 20 seconds or until it starts to bubble.
Then flip it over again and it will start to puff up. Gently press on the side of the
puff to push and distribute the air inside the roti for a more even puffing.
Then remove the roti from the pan and place on a plate. Keep the roti covered with a clean
tea towel to keep it soft. Cook the rest of the rotis and stack them
on top of one another. Occasionally flip the stack over. This will keep the freshly cooked
ones soft with the steam.
And look at those layers of fluffiness. These rotis are best enjoyed fresh and on
the same day. Now all we need is some curry to go with it.
So stay tuned for parts 2 and 3 where I will be sharing the fillings which are the curry,
the rougaille sauce and the chutney recipes.
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I'll see you soon!