Dal Roti
Hope you all had a fabulous weekend! I had a great weekend, it was relaxing. My little one decided he want to learn archery, I don’t know what’s this new obsession with this sport.
Perhaps too many Super Hero movies…lol! He’s been pestering my hubby to enrol him at the archery club. Gives me time to post my Dal Roti recipe.
Finally he did, so he goes with dad on Sunday mornings and the 18-year -old was also away. I had the house all to myself, pure bliss.
I love having a few hours to myself but instead of relaxing, guess what I was up to. Cooking and baking as usual. I didn’t make the Dal Roti though. I meant to post this a while back and I forgot about it.
What is Dal Roti
It is a popular North Indian unleavened bread (any bread that doesn’t require a raising agent, such as yeast) stuffed with a spicy Dal filling. I use the usual Roti Recipe and just fill them with the cooked Dal.
If you feel the roti making is too much of a task you can make the filling ahead of time and freeze it. When you are ready to make the rotis you an allow the filling to thaw and then fill the dough.
Is it difficult to make?
Most people are intimidated at the thought of any roti making but trust me it is not that difficult. If you follow the instructions they are really simple to make.
It is a little bit of a process but I wouldn’t say difficult to make. Roti making is a little tricky at first.
But you work with the dough and make it often enough you will eventually get better at it. With my years of trials and errors I have finally got it down to an art.
I don’t even using a measuring jug anymore. I suggest you use about 1&1/2 cups of boiling water, straight out the kettle. If your dough is still too sticky you can add a little more flour. Please have a look at my roti recipe for more tips.
What ingredients do I need?
For the Roti you require flour. butter, salt and boiling water
The filling is made up of cooked gram dal, cumin, butter, turmeric, spring onion, coriander and salt
Liquid
Temperature and humidity can affect the amount of liquid used so you may need less water or more. If it is humid the amount of liquid can be reduced slightly.
If the weather is dry increase the liquid a little. I think my older, wiser side is learning to embrace all our South African authentic Indian food.
I’m hoping that someday my kids will still have these recipes to look back on so our heritage and culture is never lost.
We do love eating healthy so I make lots of salads and steamed veggies but nothing beats a good old-fashioned curry and roti from time to time.
I do want my blog to be filled with all the recipes my hubby and I grew up with as I am appreciating them more now.
I always say cooking is therapeutic for me, it helps ease my stress. Although making these Dal Rotis is a bit of a lengthy task, it does relax me. We all have some stress in our lives, don’t we.
As long as we have kids we will always be stressed, at least it’s what I think. I love my kids to bits but I can’t say everyday is easy.
I’m so glad I have found a place that makes me happy, my food blog and my kitchen. It’s what keeps me sane.
You can try some delicious vegetarian curries to go with the Dal Rotis:
Recipe first published on 5 August 2019 and updated on 29 March 2022
Dal Roti
Ingredients
Dal Filling
- 1/2 cup gram or chana dal
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 3 tspn coarsely ground cumin
- 1/4 cup chopped spring onion
- 1/4 cup chopped coriander
- 1 tsp salt
Roti
- 3 cups flour
- 3-4 tbsp butter plus extra for brushing rotis
- 1&1/2 cup freshly boiled water
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Boil the gram dal until tender but still firm. Should still keep it;s shape but soft when pressed between your fingers. Add it to a food processor and pulse until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Do not process too much or it will be mushy.
- Heat butter on medium heat, add the spring onion and saute for a few seconds.
- Add the cumin and dal. Season with salt and mix well. Cook for a further minute and remove from heat
- Once the dhall is cool add the coriander
Roti
- Add flour and salt to a large bowl, make a well in the centre and add the melted butter
- Pour in the boiling water
- Combine all the ingredients using a spoon. It will be really hot so don't attempt to mix with your hands just yet
- Once it cools a little knead the dough for a 5 minutes until it forms a soft, silky dough
Divide the dough into 12 balls and fill them with about 2 tbsp of dal. Bring the edges together to form a ball.- Roll into circles, very gently. Toast on a non-stick pan on medium heat. Toast one side for a few seconds. Turn it over and toast for another few seconds. Brush the top with butter and turn over again. Repeat this step. Should take about a minute to cook
- Place them between a clean kitchen towel or paper towels. If you are not serving it immediately separate them with some parchment or wax paper and re-heat when serving
Notes
- If you don't have gram dal you can use yellow split peas
- You can also adjust the amount of cumin in the dal mixture, more can be added if you prefer. The same applies to the spring onion and coriander
- You do require a little extra butter when brushing the rotis so I would say set aside at least four tablespoons to brush the roti
Hi, love your blog, i just bought a bottle of chili flakes and want to add some to the gram mixture, please advise. Thanks!
Hi Leesha! Thank you so much. Yes I am sure you can add the chilli flakes. We love Chilli so always works for me. Take Care:-)
Hi thank u for sharing soooo much. My first on dhal roti. Tell me if I can substitute oil dhal for gram dhal.
Shukran
Hi Thasneem! I have never personally used oil dhal but I do know that yellow split peas works just as well. It’s the only two kinds of dal I have used thus far. Sorry that I can’t help with that. Take Care:-)
We are doing our vegetarian fast at the moment and I made these rotis for my family. I am a big fan of dhal roti and so glad to find this recipe. Thank for a delicious recipe!!!!!
Thank you so much Veronica. So happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe:-)
This recipe was absolutely delicious. Just tried it today. It was so soft. Thank you so much for sharing.
Hi Lorraine love your recipes
I want to try the dhal roti just one question when measuring the butter do u melt the butter first or measure first on the scale then melt it
When I measure on the scale it seems like sooo much of butter to use
Plz help
Oooh gram dhall in dhall roti was so delicious, have been lazy to make for a while, but after seeing your recipe n the delicious soft looking Pic on your blog. I made it.
Had to make some with mashed potato for my fussy son.
Hi Lorraine, i love your recipes, i used the SA roti recipe and tweaked to add sourdough discard and shared it on one of my groups. It came out fabulous.