May 12, 2008

Dosti roti stuffed with Dill-Chana dal, Cardamom Iced Tea


My Dosti Roti stuffed with spicy Dill leaves and Chana dal goes to "Roti Mela" and to host Srivalli from "cooking for all 4 seasons", who got such a grand response to her Dosa mela, she has come up with Roti mela now! :D
Here is one from me Sri, thought really hard to come up with this one , enjoy! I can't wait for round up!:))


Roti:Roti, in general is a traditional Indian flat bread, eaten with gravies made of vegetables or meat. It is most often made with wheat flour or atta, sometimes with plain flour or Chickpea flour, any other flour made of grains, cooked on a iron griddle called a tawa. It is similar to a tortilla of Mexico, Lavash in Iran etc. When rotis are stuffed with dry veg or meat preparation, they are often served as they are or just with yogurt, ghee or butter on top.

Dosti Roti:
Dosti means "friendship" in Hindi. This popular roti recipe is influenced by Indian population settled in countries like Guyana, Trinidad etc and are made with slight changes such as adding baking powder to personalize to give it a bit of rise while cooking, which makes the rotis soft.
A dosti roti is made by two layers of thinly rolled out rotis, are then stacked one on the other (or hugged?! :D) just smeared with some oil and/or flour in between the layers, then pressed gently or rolled again to make a double layered roti without any filling and cooked on the tava or iron griddle, often brushed with oil on the rotis while they are cooking. I took the basic idea of Dosti roti and stuffed with south Indian style filling to make it mine!

I thought of making a collage of all the rotis I have made so far in both of my blogs like I did in this Dosa Mela post but list is too long!! So I am just linking to my roti section in my recipe Index. Have fun browsing, you can see all kinds of rotis there!!
Just eating one of these stuffed Dosti rotis will fill you up and very nutritious all in one meal. You can replace Dill with any greens you like or use different dals too. Hope you try.

Dosti Roti with Dill and Chana dal filling, served with Yogurt mixed with chilli and Chaat masala, my style! :)

Ready for you, grab one!Sneak peek inside the Dosti roti:

Step by step photos:
For filling, you need:
1/2 Cup Chana dal, 1 cup chopped Dill leaves, 1 small onion, finely chopped, 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp or more red chilli flakes, salt, 1/2 tsp coriander seeds powder, pinch of garam masala (optional), 1/2 tsp lemon juice.
For dough: 1 1/2 cups of wheat flour or Atta, 1/2 cup plain flour, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp oil, 1/2 tsp Baking powder, 1/4 tsp chilli pd (my touch!)+enough warm water to make a firm dough. I use my stand mixer and knead the heck out to make a nice smooth dough! :D
Make the filling first:1. Wash 1/2 cup Chana dal, add 2 cups of water, 1/4 tsp oil and microwave for 15 mins or until it is cooked soft. Drain the water, and mash roughly until you get a thick mass, add 1/4 tsp salt. Mix and set aside.
2. Heat 1-2 tsp oil in a pan, add cumin, onion and chilli flakes, stir fry until onion is soft.
3. Add the Dill leaves, 1 tbsp of water cover and cook for 2 mins. Add in all the spice powders, salt.
4. Add cooked and mashed Chana dal, adjust the salt,lemon juice, mix well and cool the mixture.
For dough: Mix all the ingredients for roti to a firm dough with enough water, cover and let it rest for atleast 1 hour. Divide into golf sized rounds, about 10 or 12 pieces.
To make the rotis:
Heat a griddle until medium hot.
1. Roll one dough ball out to thin 6"-7" circle, do the same with another dough ball.
2. Now take 1-2 tbsp of cooled dal mix, spread it with a back of the spoon, put the other roti circle on top of the mix and seal the edges by pressing it with your fingers.
3. Press the layered roti with your palm gently and put it on the griddle and cook one side for a minute. Drizzle a tsp of oil on top, flip the roti and drizzle some more oil.
4. Cook both sides until roti is crisp and golden. Serve with plain yogurt, sprinkled with Chaat masala and chill pd which is optional.
Note: Make sure you cook the rotis on medium heat so it cooks the inside as well since it has double layer of thin rotis. Roll out the rotis thin to layer them. If they are too thick, they won't cook properly on the griddle. Enjoy! :)

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Southern Iced (Green) Tea flavored with Cardamom, Honey, Balm Lemon leaves and Lime is my contribution to EC from "Simple Indian food" blog. She is guest hosting "Think Spice think.." event, which is started by Sunita of "Sunita's World". This month EC has chosen of Cardamom as her spice. Thanks for hosting EC, enjoy the chilled Tea! :)


Southern Iced Tea with a Indian twist!
Whenever you visit any homes in the Southern sates of US, specially in Summer months, first thing they offer is Iced Tea as we would offer Tea in North India, Lassi in Punjab and coffee or buttermilk etc in the south of India! Usually in the in South (US), they brew Tea in the morning in large jugs, let it cool, add sugar(for sweet tea) and lemon slices and/or mint to serve chilled or at room temp.
I have added a Indian twist to flavor the southern sweet tea with Cardamom and added honey instead sugar since I don't like my tea or anything for that matter too sweet. I like to taste the tea more than sugar in my iced tea. It's your choice how much sugar or Honey you would like to add. You can also use loose tea granules or any herbal tea to brew, I find bags are more convenient and less messy. Enjoy.

This is what WIKIPEDIA says about the tradition of Iced Tea in America:
"In the United States, iced tea is very popular as an alternative to carbonated soft drinks, especially in the hotter southern states: it is ubiquitous in restaurants, convenience stores, vending machines, and grocery stores. It may be freshly made on premises, or available in bottles and cans, and at self-serve soda fountains. Restaurants typically give the customer the choice of sweetened or unsweetened.
Sweet tea, sometimes known as "Southern Table Wine", is tea brewed very strong with a large amount of sugar added while the tea is still hot. The mixture of sugar and tea is then diluted with water and served over ice and garnished with lemon. Sometimes the diluted mixture is allowed to cool to room temperature. Other times the sugar and tea mixture is not diluted at all but poured hot over a full tumbler of ice to cool and dilute it.
The oldest printed recipe of sweet tea dates back to a community cookbook "Housekeeping in Old Virginia", by Marion Cabell Tyree, published in 1879. The term can also refer to plain tea with sugar or sweetener added. Sweet tea is the common type in the South; elsewhere, unsweetened tea is the standard.
Iced tea was popularized and believed to be created at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis by Richard Blechynden, but recent evidence has refuted this.[2] Iced tea's popularity in the United States has led to an addition to standard flatware sets; the iced tea spoon is a teaspoon with a long handle, suitable for stirring sugar into glasses".

Southern (US) Iced Tea flavored with Cardamom and honey:Personally, taking a photograph of a drink or a beverage in a glass is the hardest thing to do, pardon me for this unnatural color of tea! It's my shadow standing infront of it, photo taken on a cloudy morning! Look at the bottom part of the color in the second photo, that's how it should look! :P

To make Cardamom Iced Tea:
You need: 1 1/2 cup water, 2 herbal or regular Tea bags of your choice, (I used Green tea with Lemon, herbal tea bags), 3 Cardamoms, take out the seeds and powder or 1/2 tsp of powder, 1-2 tsp of Honey or sugar to taste, 1-2 Balm Lemon leaves (which has natural lemony mint flavor!) or Mint and a slice of Lime or Lemon slice for garnish.

To make it:
This recipe makes 1 large or 2 small glasses of beverage. Double, triple the amount if you like more iced tea, with 2 bags for each glass, approximately.
1. Pour the water in a glass bowl, add cardamom powder and heat in the Microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes.
2. Take it out, add both tea bags, honey or enough sugar, let it seep for 2 minutes. Stir to mix well, squeeze and remove the tea bags. Adjust the sugar or honey to your taste.
3. Take a strainer, strain the tea to a big glass to catch all the Cardamom bits. Let the tea cool or chill in the fridge.
4. Before serving, add lots of Ice cubes, Balm Lemon leaves or mint and a lemon slice in each glass. Very refreshing to drink on a Summer day! Enjoy, see you all later!:)

53 comments:

vb said...

These roti are amazing! I've never tried yet to make them but I've got all the ingredients waiting. This has inspired me to get to it this week!

Priya said...

Never tried using channa dal and your ice tea looks so hmmmm.

kamala said...

Asha ji I want to grab this nowitsef for my breakfast.So tempting.Though I dont drink tea urs kook soo cool and inviting

ranji said...

As usual lovely entries asha!!!i loved the stuffed roti ,a very creative idea to add dill..i never would have thought abt it:)...Ice tea is so refreshing and welcoming in this hot summer...we have ice tea every now and then...have to try it with cardamam next time..:)

EC said...

Thanks Asha for the lovely entry to the event...Your dosti roti looks yummy..its a must try

FH said...

Thanks Vb, hope you try. Little work, end product is worth the hard work!:))

Priya, dill and Tuar dal Sambhar is fave of mine, thought of trying with Chana dal. Came out very tasty!:)

Love Iced Tea in Summer Kamala, I love Cold coffee too. Same method with coffee brew! Try it!:)

Ranji, nothing beats Iced tea with lemon and honey! Hope you try both :))

EC, glad you liked it. I didn't like the photo of tea but recipe is delcious!:)

KonkaniBlogger said...

That iced tea looks so refreshing, I love tht shot!! And mouth is watering looking at the Dosti Roti, looks delicious, and like u said nutritious and filling too. Great one Asha !! Btw, I updated my post after ur comment, I infact made the Orange Cake itself, but somehow typed it as Lemon..Thnx to you, that got noticed :)..

Suganya said...

Hi Asha...
That is a YUMMY roti.... That was a different stuffing, never tried before.. Looks great.... Ur cardamom iced tea is so cool....

FH said...

Maya, you are kind to me girl!:)
We had a Tornado hit in the next city last week, it rained and so gloomy all day and I am trying take a photo of the tea in the middle of it!:D
You know Lemon works too in that cake, tangy and so fragrant, gave me an idea for next time.Orange gives it a great color.

Sukanya, eating just one of these made me so full, I had to save the rest for my dinner as well! All in one meal!:)

Sig said...

I am not a big iced tea fan, but the cardamom will surely add a nice touch... Love the filling in the dosti roti too... Hope you had a great Mother's day weekend Asha!

Kalai said...

Love the idea of your dosti roti, Ashakka! Looks perfect. And that iced tea with cardamom... Cook and refreshing! :)

Namratha said...

The filling sounds very interesting and delish Asha, will try it the next time I buy Dill. The Iced Tea, ah, perfect for this blazing heat!

Shilpa said...

I love the name "dosti roti". Its sweet.I will try it soon.

Hope you enjoyed Mother's day. Waiting to see a post on it.

TheCooker said...

Dosti-roti: such a cute name.
The tea looks refreshing.

Srivalli said...

That looks so lovely asha...thank you

FH said...

Sig, make ice cold coffee in the same, I love cold coffee on a hot day! Arvind was on call, so we went for dinner, kids got a gift card and we came home. It was nice!:)

Kalai, it i svery refreshing. specially when you smell the mint in there!:)

FH said...

Namratha, sapseege soppu and chana dal is perfect together, very tasty, try!:)

Name itself makes you eat more of these Shilpa!:D
I had a great time, not too much to do in the weekend, I loved it!:)

Thanks TC, hope you try!:)

Sri, glad you liked it. Just doing one roti like this felt like I am making hundred!:D
Enjoy, can't wait for the round up.

Richa said...

dosti roti, what a cute name :)
it looks so nice n flaky with all those layers!

FH said...

And that cute name comes from Caribbean too instead of India Richa! We Indians have converted almost everybody into making Indian style food, specially the British people!:D

Unknown said...

The dosti roti looks too good..love the name 'Dosti'.I like the cardamom flavored tea too..am trying it this evening

TBC said...

Dosti roti- I like the name. :D

Unknown said...

Love the name dosti roti,never knew the before. Channadal and dill stuffed roti, reminds me of channadal-dill vada taste must have tasted great.
Drink with cardamom looks delicious.

A Cook @ Heart said...

Dosti Roti!! cute name!!! And looks SO Delish! absolutely love the golden brown color ofthe roti! Have never tried using dill... time I tried it!

Cham said...

Dosti roti sounds good.. I like the filling... The ice tea is cool with the touch of cardamom. Hope u had a great mother's Day :)

Uma said...

lovely entries, Asha! stack of roties and the cup of iced tea all mine, ha ha! Delicious.

bee said...

no bourbon in da tea? what's wrong with ya? today's southerners have lost touch with their roots, i tell ya.

Red Chillies said...

Dear Asha, Thank you so much for the warm Mother's Day wishes. Hope you had a great day.

We all love dill and the combination with chana daal in roti is awesome.
I also loved your simple yet elegant idea of adding cardmom to iceed tea. Beautiful picture!

Sum Raj said...

hai asha....its looks so delicious that no words to express...and ice tea too....feel like sipping now itself....

Ramya's Mane Adige said...

"Dosti roti" is such a nice name!!!! and they look tempting... Love the pics, Ashakka

J said...

Trust you to come up with some unique dosti roti!! The colour of iced tea actually makes it look exquisite :) (Next time, don't clarify and keep everyone guessing! ;)

Purnima said...

Dosti Roti is a beautiful choice of name! Loved the tea in pic! Ah..thks for linking to your previous flat-bread posts!! :D Me waiting for ur special Mother's Day Post!

SMN said...

Ashakka.. very nice recipe.. toatally new to me.. luks so yumm

sra said...

Hey, that roti looks lovely, with the dill and the dal. The thought of iced tea cools me just by the very mention ... scorching summer here in India

Deeba PAB said...

I like the sound of your Dosti Roti Asha...has a feel good taste to it; very friendly!!The iced tea is a gem...got a small award for you; do stop by when you have uno momento! :0)

FH said...

DV, Tbc, Madhu,Manasi thanks girls.

Chana dal and dill in vades are a classic combo, I love it. This paratha taste almost similar too! :))

FH said...

Cham, Uma, that's right. Dosti roti with Iced tea is perfect, that's how I served it!:))

Bee, Mint Julep with Bourbon is a Kentucky classic, sounds great,huh? I don't think EC would have liked the booze in there if I did! :D

FH said...

I enjoyed the Ms day although Arvind was on call RC, hope you did too.
You know lot of south Indians except Karnatakites never tasted Dill before! For us, Supseege soppu is a delight!:)

Hi Suma, new blogger I see? :))
Thanks, Paratha, Iced tes are perfect together!:)

Ramya, love your profile photo, nice to see you there!:))

Thanks J, it's a odd color, had to say it, so when they make Tea they don't think "Hey, this doesn't look like her's"! ;D

FH said...

Purnima, Mother's day is passed, so no point in making a post but will tell you in brief what we did at FH tomorrow,hopefully. It's not ready!!:))

Sushma, try dill and dal paratha, really tasty! You get plenty of Supseege soppu there!:)

sra, I heard that it's 40C there which is about 102-3F!! OMG!! Hope you have AC there, it's scary. Iced tea or Iced coffee is a great idea to keep cool. Be safe!:))

Thanks for your dosti too Deeba, will swing by and check out later. Hope you make the Paratha!:))

Vanamala Hebbar said...

Roti looks toooo good...interesting recipe. Again tea looks lovely.

Deepa Kuber said...

thats amazing. its new to me. i bet it tastes delicious.. definately will try it.

sunita said...

Asha, 'dosti roti' is such a lovely name...I am surely going to try it...thanks :-)

FH said...

Thanks Mala, hope you try. Iced tea is great for Summer!:)

Hope you do try, Anjali!:)

Thanks Sunita, great for kids too just with plain yogurt!:))

Shweta said...

Love that dosti roti! But can I have the iced tea please? I never drink hot chai but can never say no to iced teas :)

Siri said...

wow, wow, wow, the stuffed roti and the tea looks so refreshing and inviting ashaji.. have to try that roti for sure..:D nice and different filling I must say..:) btw, me and Dhivs are upto a Recipe Marathon from 17th to 31st May.. just for fun..:)))

Hugs,
Siri

Lakshmi said...

wow wow dil is our fav veggie. Next time will give it a try. Tea looks good, loved its color Ashakka.

FH said...

Shweta, I love Iced tea but with lot less sugar. Enjoy!:))

Siri, I saw that announcement at DK's, have fun. I will check out your posts whenever I can. Exam time for Trisha now, little busy this week and next week! Wish I could blog everyday, takes a long time for me to type in the recipes than cooking!:D

Lakshmi, supseege soppu aroma itself reminds me of home, always loved it. Some people may be put off by the strange aroma of dill!:D

Jayashree said...

Delicious looking rotis, Asha....and I like the name....

Madhavi said...

WOW..this roti looks awesome jus divine. love the presentation. Stuff roti humm very creative idea. Ice tea looks very refreshing, cool. I love ur blog!!!!keep rocking gal :))

FH said...

Thanks Jaya and Madhavi. Stuffed rotis are like all in one meal, great to have for lunch or dinner!:)

Chibog in Chief said...

i love this cardamom ice tea..can't wait to use my cardamom seating in my spice rack for almost a decade hehehe

beautiful photos to..the dosti roti too are so tempting yummy

FH said...

Hi D, great to see you after a long time. Thanks, Iced Tea is my fav e too! Enjoy!:))

Unknown said...

I loved the idea of using channa dal in roties, they look like Calzone:) Very nice entry !
Cardomom iced tea looks creative, nice bright color, will try out today as my hubby is working from home and I want to surprise him with this, moreover this is a very nice idea to force him to have green tea which he usually refuses:) Thank you :) will let you know how it turns out:)

FH said...

Calzone Indian ishtyle:D

Add cardamom and sugar he will drink it up! I like Green tea bags than the green tea leaves, which are much subtle flavor than leaves!:)