Ever since I was little, weekends were about South Indian brunch! My mom always makes delicious traditional South Indian breakfast dishes and classic rice baaths on Saturday and Sunday mornings. This is a tradition that I have tried to continue as well, to the delight of my husband.
However, we both still enjoy weekends with my parents and brunches made by Mom! Plus, there are still some dishes that I have been hesitant to try and was content to have Mom’s expert hands make them instead.
For a long time, Masala Akki Roti/Thalipeeth was one of them. But, I finally spent a couple weekends with my Mom learning how to make this delicious breakfast roti and I am please to say that I got the hang of it! The ingredients are basic but the process is a bit tricky. However with a little practice, it is definitely doable!
Masala Akki Roti or Thalipeeth is an absolutely delicious South Indian style flatbread made with rice flour, dill, and a few other basic ingredients. There are many variations of it, but this is my Mom’s tried and true recipe. It tastes great with a dollop of butter, a side of yogurt, and any of your favorite chutneys! This time, I enjoyed it with coconut chutney, cranberry chutney, and kadley chutney pudi. 🙂
Masala Akki Roti/ Thalipeeth
Cuisine: Indian, South Indian4
Roti30
minutes20
minutes150
kcalA South Indian style flatbread made with rice flour, dill, and a few other basic ingredients
Ingredients
1/2 cup dill (washed, fried, finely chopped)
1 cup rice flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 green chili (minced)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 medium onion (yellow or red)
A handful of cilantro (finely chopped)
1/2 cup boiling water
Oil
Instructions
- First, soak 2 tbsp chana dal in a bowl of water for 20 min to soften it. Then, start your prep.
- Thoroughly wash and dry 1/2 cup of fresh dill. Chop it finely and keep aside. (Note: I used a salad spinner to thoroughly wash and dry the dill.)
- Add 1 cup of rice flour to a mixing bowl.
- Mix in 1/4 tsp salt, 1 green chili (minced), and 1 tsp cumin seeds.
- Then add in 1/2 medium onion (finely diced), 1/2 cup dill (washed, dried, and finely chopped), and a handful of cilantro (finely chopped). Mix well.
- At this point, drain the chana dal that was left to soak/soften for 20 min. Add in the softened chana dal (2 tbsp) to the rest of the batter.
- Make a hole in the middle of the dry batter. Pour in 1/2 cup of boiling water into the hole. Don’t mix in the water. Cover the top of the hole filled with water with a bit of the surrounding flour. Let it sit for 5 min. (Note: This is to allow the intrinsic heat from the boiling water to cook the rice flour.)
- Then, slowly mix in the batter from the sides. Make a big ball of dough. Smear a bit of oil on the outside of the ball. Let it sit for 10 min.
- Then separate the big ball into smaller balls, around the size of a lemon. (Note: 1 cup of rice flour should yield about 4 balls to turn into 4 rotis.)
- Now it is time to shape the ball into a roti. You will need an oil friendly sheet such as a plastic sheet or a piece of parchment paper. I prefer a silicone mat, like the one linked here.
- Drizzle a bit of oil on the mat and spread it all over. Use your hands so that your hands are well oiled as well.
- Place a ball of dough on the mat. Press along the sides of the ball to flatten it. Slowly keep pressing along the edges to expand the disc and form a round, flat circle. If needed, you can use a rolling pin to flatten the roti further.
- Meanwhile, heat a cast iron griddle at a medium flame.
- Pick up the mat containing the roti with one hand and a flat spatula with the other hand,
- Flip the mat over above the cast iron griddle and use the flat spatula to slowly peel off the roti onto the griddle.
- Let the roti cook for one minute until the edges start to dry out.
- Flip over and drizzle some oil all over the roti. Let cook for another minute.
- Flip again and drizzle some more oil along the edges of the roti. Cook for one more minute and then take off flame. Enjoy your Masala Akki Roti hot with butter and your favorite chutneys! 🙂
Notes
- The prep time of 30 min does not include 20 min of soaking the chana dal because you can do is as you are prepping other ingredients.
- You could use either yellow or red onions for this recipe. I used yellow this time, but I also like using red as it adds a pop of color.
- There are many versions of this recipe. This is my tried and true version that I learned from my Mother. I hope you love it!
- Vegan Option: This dish is vegan. 🙂
Did you make this recipe?
I hope you all try this recipe out! I would love to see your own adventures in cooking! Please take a pic and share them with me on Instagram/Facebook @chaitrascreations.
