I've arrived in the lands of the Fs - I'm in Fiji
Before I start talking about Fijian pancakes, did you know that February is National Pancake Month here in the states? Neither did I. Apparently it is though. I also wanted to say that made dessert "pancakes" this morning as well. I use quotation marks because they aren't really pancakes that I made for dessert, but chocolate chip cookies that were really yummy. Check out the recipe at Serious Eats if you have a chance. For those who are science minded, you can view how they came up with this cookie recipe here.
O.K., now back to pancake blogging. I find myself finally beginning the Fs. In Fiji I discovered that their version of pancakes is roti. Roti is a roll out style pancake that actually comes from India. I learned as I researched Fijian roti that comes from Indian contract laborers who were brought to the country in the 19th century. Fijians typically eat their roti with some sort of curry. I opted to make a potato curry to eat with my roti.
For those unfamiliar with roti, it is basically what we in Southern California or Central America would call a flour tortilla. The ingredients and approach to making them are pretty much the same. Also, if you've read any of my other posts on roll out style pancakes, you know that they pretty much never turn out for us. Knowing this about my attempts to make roll out style pancakes, I entered into my morning of pancake plans with a back up plan for breakfast. Keep reading to find out whether or not I had to use my back up plan.
To make Fijian roti, you'll need the following:
all purpose flour
boiling water
salt
vegetable oil
Did you notice I didn't include any amounts for the recipe? I deliberately didn't do this. In my research, I found two websites that I liked for this recipe. The first one had lots of great pictures for what the roti making process should look like, but it didn't have any ingredient amounts listed. The second one didn't have photos, but it did have ingredient amounts. I opted to use the directions from the site that had the ingredient amounts, and this is what I ended up with:
It was a gloppy mess that ended up in the trash. Even after I added extra flour, it was still a mess. You're supposed to get a soft, rollable dough. So, I went back to the site that had lots of photos, and followed their instructions even though there weren't amounts listed. I figured that at least I had photos to compare mine too, and I could adjust flour and water amounts until I got it looking the right way. As we go, I'll give rough amounts of what I used. Before making the roti though, you'll want to make your potato curry. Here's what you'll need for potato curry:
1/2 of a large yellow onion
1 large potato
curry spice
turmeric
cinnamon
cumin
oil for cooking
First you'll want to chop your onions and caramelize them in oil in a frying pan. They should be golden brown by the time they're done.
Next you'll need to cube your potato and fry it up as well.
Fry these up in a little bit of olive oil as well. When the potatoes are about halfway cooked, add the spices. I just sprinkled the various spices and mixed them up until the potatoes were evenly covered. Finish cooking the potatoes until soft and nicely browned.
While your potato curry is cooking, you can begin making your roti. I started out with about 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour in a bowl large enough for mixing and kneading.
Next you'll add your boiling water (about 1 cup) a little bit at a time, stirring it into the flour with a wooden spoon until you get a rough ball of dough.
After you have a rough ball, you'll need to let it cool for a few minutes before you begin kneading the dough. Once it is warm to the touch, you can begin kneading the dough. Unfortunately, I forgot to snap pictures of what the kneaded ball of dough should look like. However you can look at Fiji Diaries blog to see what the kneaded dough should look like. Also, I had to add about another cup of flour to my dough so that it wasn't sticky. Once the dough is smooth, you'll also have to knead in some oil, I added about 1/8 of a cup.
Once you have a smooth dough, lightly flour a flat surface. You're now ready to begin rolling out your roti. Pinch off a piece of dough about the size of a golf ball and roll it into a ball. Place it on the floured surface and sprinkle with a little bit of flour.
Begin rolling out your roti from the middle, and rotate 90 degrees after each roll.
Keep rolling until thin and flat. Once it is thin and flat, place it on a heated grill pan and cook until it begins to puff up. Flip and cook on the other side (about 2-3 minutes per side).
Remove from heat and keep warm on a plate covered with a clean towel until all of your roti are cooked. This recipe made about 8 roti.
Once you're roti are all cooked, place some curried potatoes in the middle of a roti, roll up, and eat.
These were delish!
O.K., now back to pancake blogging. I find myself finally beginning the Fs. In Fiji I discovered that their version of pancakes is roti. Roti is a roll out style pancake that actually comes from India. I learned as I researched Fijian roti that comes from Indian contract laborers who were brought to the country in the 19th century. Fijians typically eat their roti with some sort of curry. I opted to make a potato curry to eat with my roti.
For those unfamiliar with roti, it is basically what we in Southern California or Central America would call a flour tortilla. The ingredients and approach to making them are pretty much the same. Also, if you've read any of my other posts on roll out style pancakes, you know that they pretty much never turn out for us. Knowing this about my attempts to make roll out style pancakes, I entered into my morning of pancake plans with a back up plan for breakfast. Keep reading to find out whether or not I had to use my back up plan.
To make Fijian roti, you'll need the following:
all purpose flour
boiling water
salt
vegetable oil
Did you notice I didn't include any amounts for the recipe? I deliberately didn't do this. In my research, I found two websites that I liked for this recipe. The first one had lots of great pictures for what the roti making process should look like, but it didn't have any ingredient amounts listed. The second one didn't have photos, but it did have ingredient amounts. I opted to use the directions from the site that had the ingredient amounts, and this is what I ended up with:
It was a gloppy mess that ended up in the trash. Even after I added extra flour, it was still a mess. You're supposed to get a soft, rollable dough. So, I went back to the site that had lots of photos, and followed their instructions even though there weren't amounts listed. I figured that at least I had photos to compare mine too, and I could adjust flour and water amounts until I got it looking the right way. As we go, I'll give rough amounts of what I used. Before making the roti though, you'll want to make your potato curry. Here's what you'll need for potato curry:
1/2 of a large yellow onion
1 large potato
curry spice
turmeric
cinnamon
cumin
oil for cooking
First you'll want to chop your onions and caramelize them in oil in a frying pan. They should be golden brown by the time they're done.
Next you'll need to cube your potato and fry it up as well.
Fry these up in a little bit of olive oil as well. When the potatoes are about halfway cooked, add the spices. I just sprinkled the various spices and mixed them up until the potatoes were evenly covered. Finish cooking the potatoes until soft and nicely browned.
While your potato curry is cooking, you can begin making your roti. I started out with about 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour in a bowl large enough for mixing and kneading.
Next you'll add your boiling water (about 1 cup) a little bit at a time, stirring it into the flour with a wooden spoon until you get a rough ball of dough.
After you have a rough ball, you'll need to let it cool for a few minutes before you begin kneading the dough. Once it is warm to the touch, you can begin kneading the dough. Unfortunately, I forgot to snap pictures of what the kneaded ball of dough should look like. However you can look at Fiji Diaries blog to see what the kneaded dough should look like. Also, I had to add about another cup of flour to my dough so that it wasn't sticky. Once the dough is smooth, you'll also have to knead in some oil, I added about 1/8 of a cup.
Once you have a smooth dough, lightly flour a flat surface. You're now ready to begin rolling out your roti. Pinch off a piece of dough about the size of a golf ball and roll it into a ball. Place it on the floured surface and sprinkle with a little bit of flour.
Begin rolling out your roti from the middle, and rotate 90 degrees after each roll.
Keep rolling until thin and flat. Once it is thin and flat, place it on a heated grill pan and cook until it begins to puff up. Flip and cook on the other side (about 2-3 minutes per side).
Remove from heat and keep warm on a plate covered with a clean towel until all of your roti are cooked. This recipe made about 8 roti.
Once you're roti are all cooked, place some curried potatoes in the middle of a roti, roll up, and eat.
These were delish!
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