Make restaurant style Tandoori Roti at home without any tandoor with this easy step by step recipe. These rotis are crisp on the edges and soft in the center and make the perfect pairing with creamy dals and curries.

I grew up eating roti everyday of my life. But it was always the simple, basic roti. When we ate out at restaurants, we would order naan since we didn’t get to eat that at home. And the other thing which we always ordered was tandoori roti.

It’s still my favorite bread to order when we go to Indian restaurants. I know I might be in minority here but I actually prefer it over naan. It’s my go to bread with daal and simple curries.

What is Tandoori Roti

It’s a flatbread made with whole wheat and traditionally cooked in tandoor (cylindrical clay oven) hence the name tandoori. Some people also add all purpose flour to their tandoori rotis but I like to make it with whole wheat only.

The roti is usually thicker than the regular roti and has crisp edges and soft center. It’s a popular bread that you would find on the menu of most Indian restaurants and it’s almost always served with some ghee or butter on top.

The idea of making tandoori roti at home might sound intimidating since most of us don’t have tandoor at home but it’s actually quite easy to make. We make this using a small iron wok or tawa and invert it over heat which mimics a tandoor and thus gives the roti it’s charred characteristic appearance and texture.

Ingredients

You need some basic pantry ingredients to make this roti.

Atta (whole wheat flour): the everyday atta that we use for making regular rotis is what I have used for tandoori roti as well. My preferred brand here in the US is Sujata Gold.

Yogurt and oil: the addition of yogurt and oil make this roti soft from inside.

Seasonings: the seasoning here is in the form of some sugar and salt.

Leavening agents: we use baking powder and a pinch on soda to puff this bread up a bit when we cook it. This make the roti light.

Most tandoori rotis are always brushed with ghee or butter on top before serving. It’s optional but highly recommended.

How to Make Tandoori Roti

1- To a large bowl add, 2 cups atta (whole wheat flour), 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 3/4 teaspoon baking powder and a generous pinch of baking soda.

2- Mix well using a wire whisk.

3- Then add 3 tablespoons plain yogurt and 2 tablespoons oil.

4- Mix until all the oil and yogurt is well incorporated with the flour. Rub the flour with your fingers until it’s all mixed well.

5- Now, start adding water little by little and knead to form a smooth dough.

6- It should be a soft dough but not too soft, it should be little firm. I used around 1/2 cup + 1 to 2 tablespoons water here, use as much as you need.

7- Drizzle little oil on top, give a final knead. Cover with a damp cloth and rest for 30 to 45 minutes.

8- After the dough has rested, divide it into 8 equal parts, around 60 to 65 grams each.

9- Heat a concave iron tawa or an iron mini wok (I have used a 9-inch lodge mini wok which works perfectly for tandoori rotis) on medium-high heat. Now, take a dough ball, dust with dry flour and roll into a circle of around 5 to 6 inches diameter. You should roll it on the thicker side, it doesn’t have to be thin like a normal roti.

10- Now, generously wet one side of the rolled roti with water. Use water liberally here since we need enough water for the roti to stick well to the pan.

11- Once the work (or tawa) is hot (it needs to hot and not medium hot), place the rolled roti with the wet side down on the wok/tawa. Since you applied water, the roti from that side will stick to the wok.

12- Now let it cook for 20 to 30 seconds on high heat. You will see lot of bubbles appearing on top.

13- Now carefully flip the wok (I wear gloves since this is cast iron) and cook the roti directly on heat with the wok being upside down. Heat should be medium at this point and you should move the wok a little bit so that it gets cooked evenly everywhere.

14 & 15- Once the rotis have brown spots all over, flip the wok back and remove the roti from the wok using a spatula.

16- Apply ghee on roti. Make all rotis similarly. You will notice some rotis might be stuck, remove them carefully using a spatula. And there will be some browned bits from the sticking, just scrape that off using a damp paper before you put the next roti on the wok/tawa.

This roti is best enjoyed with creamy dal makhani or curries like butter paneer and paneer tikka masala. It’s even good with dry sabzis like my favorite aloo gobi.

I hope you guys enjoy this recipe of Tandoori Roti because

• it makes the perfect tandoori roti at home without tandoor.
• pairs so well with Indian dals and curries.
• easy to make with basic ingredients.

Variations

This is the recipe for plain tandoori roti. But you can make several other variations with this base recipe.

• brush with ghee and add chopped garlic on one side, flip and apply water on the other side, place roti with water side down on the hot tawa.
• other toppings- cilantro, kalonji, mint, coriander seeds, ajwain.
• you can even stuff the roti with potato, paneer, onion etc.

Tips for Success

• Let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour after you knead it.
• Roll the rotis slightly on the thicker side and not thin like basic roti.
• Use a iron wok or a concave iron tawa. I have used a small 9-inch iron wok here. Do not use non-stick pan, the roti will not stick to it and fall off when you invert the tawa.
• Do apply water generously on one side of the roti, don’t be afraid of it.
• Dust off any excessive flour with a pastry brush after you have rolled the roti and before putting in on the tawa.
• The tawa needs to be heated really well before you put the roti on it. So, make sure it’s hot enough.
• The rotis might stick to the wok/tawa. Just use a steel spatula or tong to remove it. And wipe any residue that might be left with a damp paper.

Notes

• To make this vegan, use a non-dairy yogurt in the dough. Brush the rotis with vegan butter once cooked.
• I have made this roti with atta (whole wheat flour) only, you can add some all purpose flour to it if you want. Like in this recipe. you can replace 1/4 to 1/2 cup with all purpose flour. You can even do 50-50 ratio of whole wheat and all purpose.
• If you do not have an iron tawa or wok, you can even use the inside of a pressure cooker and stick the rotis there and then invert it.
• You can keep leftover rotis in the fridge. Re-heat in the oven for 2-3 minutes. However they do lose their crispy edges so it will still be soft but not crispy from the edges if you eat it the next day.

If you’ve tried this Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen and on YouTube to watch my latest videos.