How to make roti you will love. This authentic Indian flatbread roti recipe is made with dahl filling and is truly delicious. This roti recipe is very common in the Surinam and Indian kitchens as this dish is originally from India. So are you ready to learn how to make roti with dahl filling? Let’s get started!

Easy Roti Recipe

How a scent can bring you back almost like time travel. I can see it all in front of me again without having to even close my eyes.

It is just like I’m there again. The same applies to the dish we are making today.

I don’t know about you but when it comes to food for the longest time my eyes were always bigger than my stomach.

Seriously overestimating the amount of food I could eat. We had a rule at home that we always finish our plate and to this day I find it hard to leave food on the table.

Surinam Roti

This one time we were at a birthday party with my aunt. In Surinam culture, it is common that when you go visit on a birthday you eat a meal and this time was no exception.

My aunt and three or four other ladies were working hard in the kitchen to make sure everybody got to eat.

Can you imagine on a birthday cooking for like 40 to 50 people? She was making roti with all the bells and whistles.

So the roti base, potatoes, chicken or beef, egg, and green string beans, which is like a long green been cut into very small pieces.

For all the children they would cook kids-size roti but I thought I would have no problem eating a grownup portion.

So my aunt made me one. I think I sat there for more than an hour trying to eat it all.

My father was a little annoyed that my eyes were bigger than my stomach and said nothing but the expression on his face said enough.

I chewed and chewed and finally, I managed to finish my plate or that is what I can remember.

It would not surprise me if, in the end, my aunt took away my plate saying something like enough is enough child.

Well the scent of cumin and dahl, is so characteristic of soft roti that it takes me back to that birthday now and again.

Roti With Dahl Ingredients

To make this roti recipe with dahl you need quite an extensive shopping list. You need the following ingredients:

• Self-rising flour
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Hot water
• Flour for dusting
• Yellow split pea flour or yellow split peas
• Cumin powder
• Kurkuma
• Chili pepper
• Clove of garlic
• Shallot

If you do not have self-rising flour you can use make it yourself. Take a look at this self-rising flour recipe on our other website Fast Food Bistro.

How To Make Roti With Dahl

We are making roti with dahl filling but you can also make roti with potato filling or without any filling and then it is just a regular tortilla again.

Making Surinam wraps is not difficult but has several steps.

The Base

The base of this recipe is self-rising flour or flour with baking soda and baking powder added separately.

Further, you need water and salt. You need to create a dough from self-rising flour, salt, baking powder, and water.

Stir the mixture by hand and knead it into a consistent and elastic dough with your hands.

This will take a couple of minutes. If the dough is dry add a tablespoon of water and knead. If the dough is too wet add a tablespoon of flour and knead.

Repeat if necessary.

When you have a cohesive dough put it in an oiled bowl and brush oil on the dough as well.

Cover the bowl with cling film or a kitchen towel and let it rest for 1 hour so the gluten in the dough can do its work.

Dahl Filling

Dahl filling is made of yellow split peas that need to be cooked until soft. I opted for the yellow split pea flour.

Put the flour in a bowl and add hot water. Stir the mixture and you get the same result as cooking the yellow split peas but goes a little faster.

Add the garlic, pepper, and shallot to a mortar and pound until you have a soft paste. Now it is time to add the cumin and pound so more. Set aside.

Cook the pepper mixture shortly in some oil and add the dahl.

Combine the Dahl and pepper mixture and keep stirring until almost all the moisture has evaporated (do not make it dry).

Shape the dahl into small balls.

Make The Roti

Take the dough and knead thoroughly.

Then divide the dough into 4 to 5 balls the size of a large golf ball. Take a roti ball and add the dahl filling in the middle of the dough ball.

Close the dough around the dahl ball, press flat, and then roll into a roti on a dusted countertop with a rolling pin.

Heat a large skillet and bake the roti without oil first. Wait for the roti to puff up then start brushing the roti with oil and turn.

Brush the back of the roti with oil as well.

The oil will keep them soft. Flip regularly and keep them warm underneath a fresh kitchen towel.

These are so good you can eat them all by themselves. Just try you will see I am right. Eat it with some chicken like with this my father’s rustic roti recipe.

How To Store Roti?

You have several ways to store them. In all cases let them cool completely before storing:

• Freezer – soft savory roti freeze really well. So you can make a batch, fold them and store them in your freezer for future use
• Refrigerator – You can also keep them in a Ziploc bag for about a day or two in the fridge

How To Reheat Roti

These wraps not only store really well but are also easy to reheat. You have several ways to reheat them: 

• Oven – You can also heat your oven at 400℉/200℃ and wrap them in aluminum foil. Warm for 7-9 minutes or until warm. The roti is ready to serve
• Air Fryer – if you want to reheat 1 or 2 tortillas you can also reheat them in the Air Fryer. Preheat the Air Fryer to 375℉/185℃ for 3 minutes. Wrap roti in aluminum foil and heat for 5-7 minutes or until warm
• Cast iron skillet – when you want to reheat roti using a cast iron skillet sprinkle them with some water first. Preheat the skillet to warm not hot. Put the roti in the skillet and warm for 30 seconds, flip and warm the other side. Check if the roti is warm else repeat
• Microwave – roti can also be reheated in a microwave. Wrap the roti in plastic wrap and warm for 2 minutes or until warm

If you like to try different kinds of tortilla recipes then check out our ultimate guide on how to make tortillas.

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