In Sri Lanka, I stuffed myself with dahl, sambol and roti. I love roti and decided to make it a smidge healthier and guilt free by experimenting with a vegan protein packed coconut roti! Vegan and gluten free but with all the satisfaction of regular roti!
- 2 cups quinoa flour
- 1 1/4 cups fresh grated coconut or unsweetened desiccated coconut
- 2 to 3 fresh green chilies, seeded and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2/3 cup warm water
In a large bowl, combine the flour, coconut, chilies, oil and salt. Using your hands, work the oil into the mixture until well distributed. Gradually add water to the bowl until you have a soft dough that is not too sticky but moist enough to shape into a ball.
Knead the dough in the bowl for about 3 minutes until the dough is smooth and pliable. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let sit for at least an 1 hour.
Divide the dough into 8 pieces and shape into balls. Using the palms of your hands, press each ball into a small round that is roughly 1/4-inch thick. Keep the uncooked dough covered with the towel while you cook up batches of the roti so the dough doesn’t dry out.
Brush a non-stick skillet with a bit of oil and heat over medium-high heat. When hot, cook the rotis in batches until browned on both sides — about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Take care not to overcook otherwise the roti will be too hard and won’t have a nice bready consistency. Keep them warm while you cook the remaining rotis.
2 comments
@ Ann:
Sure! You can use any flour you like ; ) I just like using quinoa flour so it’s an added protein punch ; )
I find quinoa flour to have quite a strong taste. I’m wondering if I can use my mini-processor or coffee grinder to make a small batch of the flour, rather than buying a package and ending up not using it. I do make oat flour this way, but it’s a lot softer than quinoa. The above recipe makes my mouth water – it looks just like naan, but gluten-free. Or, if grinding quinoa isn’t a good idea, could another flour be substituted? It looks like the quinoa flour kind of mimics the kneadability of wheat (ugh!!) flour. Thanks! 🙂