Amma asked me sweetly if she can make Ragi dosa for dinner today and I refused. Then she said, there is a lot of leftover rice so we could eat that. I refused. She finally gave up and said “eat your roti and be happy”. I am a roti loving Tamilian. I speak Hindi like a native and if you didn’t see my face, you would bet money that I am from Delhi or a Hindi speaking state. I look like a South Indian to the North Indians and my Tamilian brethren think am too wild to be one of them ! धोबी का कुत्ता ना घर का ना घाट का.
Well, am 100% Indian 🇮🇳.
Comfort Food – Roti
A well made roti is my comfort food. I can eat it with anything and just by itself. The point is “well made” and there lies the secret :). A well made roti according to my taste, should be thinly rolled out, should puff up and be made like a phulka. I don’t generally enjoy the roti made on the Tawa.
Memories …
The only thing I knew how to make really well before marrying Krishnan was the roti. My mother hates making rotis and she absolutely does not eat them unless there is nothing else available. Appa loved rotis so I learnt how to make them.
As I have said in several posts, my mother-in-law taught me how to cook and she was truly a MasterChef. I could eat her food every single day without complaints. Whatever she put on the plate would be super tasty. Except for the rotis 😆. I still remember, being almost in tears when my mother-in-law refused to let me make the rotis and insisted on making them herself.
I don’t like oil or ghee being put on the rotis while they are made and that’s how its made in several households. Too many quirks and conditions ? Yep !!
Ofcourse a few months later she relented and let me make them. She liked what I made even though she wasn’t too fond of rotis exactly like my mother.
The best rotis are at the Langar in a Gurudwara. They are infused with the blessings of the Gurus and the Guru Granth Sahib. Its an item on my bucket list to make rotis at some Gurudwara as Seva. Will get to it soon. I grew up in a Sardar household in Dehu Road, so no wonder I relate to their food and to the Gurudwara deeply.
Khapli Wheat
When we came in touch with Dr. Vijaya Venkat, wheat rotis went out of our lives quite a bit as Mami advised us not to consume wheat. She said most of the wheat that’s grown around the world is genetically modified and many people have gluten allergy while being unaware of it.
More recently I discovered Khapli Wheat or Emmers Wheat which is an heirloom variety and has low levels of gluten.
I buy Organic Khapli wheat from Sanesa or Indic Living. The rotis made of Khapli wheat flour are so tasty that even Amma likes them.
What’s your comfort food ? Do share !