Rotis are flat breads and  this one uses grated coconut which gives it a distinctive flavour and texture. I make mine around 6 centimeters round, using an egg ring to cut the circles of dough. But they are usually made twice as wide. My father taught me a little trick of using self-raising flour instead of plain flour. The rotis puff up slightly when you cook them and you can slice them neatly in two and put, say, a sambol or a single curried prawn or chunk of curried meat with their gravy on then and serve then as canapes. Make them bigger than 6 centimeters and you can split them and make a sandwich with them too.

Pol (coconut) Roti

A very simple way to make a roti that is great as a side with your main meal or just on its own
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Sri Lankan
Keyword coconut, roti
Prep Time 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 1 cup fresh grated coconut You can also use frozen grated coconut but do not use dessicated coconut.
  • 2 cups self-raising flour
  • pinch salt
  • water or milk
  • flour for rolling out the dough

Instructions

  • Put 1 cup of grated coconut in a mixing bowl
  • Add 2 cups self-raising flour
  • Add a pinch of salt
  • Mix this together well
  • Using you hands, keep mixing as you add the water or milk a couple of tablespoonsful at a time.
  • Keep mixing and adding water until you get a ball of dough that easily comes away from the sides of the bowl.
  • Dust the surface on which you are going to roll out your dough with flour
  • Roll out the whole ball of dough till it is about 1 centimeter thick
  • Using an egg ring, or cookie cutter, or glass press down firmly into the dough to cut out circles
  • Heat a skillet or frying pan without oil till it feels hot when you hold your hand over it.
  • Place the circles of dough on the skillet or frypan. Don't crowd them, give them room to breath and expand
  • Let the roti circles puff up slightly and brown on one side. This may take a minute or two. The roti should be able to be easily moved around the skillet with a spatula or spoon.
  • Now turn them over and brown them on the other side for a couple of minutes also. They won't brown evenly, but in patches. See the picture for what you are aiming for. It doesn't matter if some parts are darker than the others. You can flip them over once to check how they are going.
  • As each batch is made, put them on a plate or in a dish
  • Serve them warm