Moongdal - Veggie Rotis

My daughter has always loved seeing rotis whether in her lunch box or at the dinner table. However when she started carrying it to school, she point blank refused to carry a side dish as it was messy for her. Up until today, the situation remains the same though she enjoys side dishes at home. Stuffed parathas are out of question as somehow she never even touches them. In the quest of making those rotis wholesome for her, I started to add veggies and dal directly to the roti dough itself. This is one of such experiments that I thought to share today - Soft, yummy and nutritious rotis made with moong dal and veggies.
For younger kids this is a mess free wholesome option and for older kids who can handle spice, the chillies can be added according to their level of tolerance and a can of yogurt would be a great accompaniment. I sometimes sprinkle some chutney powder on rotis, smear with ghee, roll them and pack. Ketchup can be also packed along with rotis. To make them nutritious, milk / yogurt can be added to dough preparation instead of water. Besides, the addition of milk / yogurt and potato keeps these rotis softer for a long time. The dough can be prepared ahead the previous night and rotis can be made in the morning. 

Ingredients: (makes 20 rotis)
2 - 2 & 1/4 cups wheat flour / atta
Salt to taste
1/8 tsp turmeric powder (optional)
1/2 cup moongdal
1 inch peeled ginger piece
3 - 4 green chillies
2 carrots - peeled and grated
1 potato - peeled, cooked and mashed
2 - 3 tbsp cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
1 tbsp oil
Oil / ghee to toast rotis

Preparation of dough:
* Soak moongdal in water for about an hour or for about 30 minutes in hot water. Drain and grind it fine along with ginger and green chillies.
* Combine flour, salt, turmeric, mashed potato, grated carrot, cilantro and ground moong paste in a mixing bowl. Add a tbsp of oil and yogurt / milk / water as needed to form a pliable dough. 
* Allow it to rest for about 30-60 minutes. At this stage, you can go ahead with roti making immediately or refrigerate it to prepare rotis the next day. 

 

Making rotis:
* If the dough has been refrigerated, remove it and just zap it in the microwave for 30 - 60 seconds, depending upon the quantity of the dough. Remember to cover the dough while microwaving. 
* Pinch a golf ball sized dough, shape it into a ball, flatten it and dust it with flour.

* Roll it into a thin circle of about 5 inches diameter. Use flour for dusting if needed. 

* Heat a griddle or a shallow pan. Place the rolled out dough circle on the griddle. When the bubbles start to appear, flip it.

* Spread 1/2 tsp of oil around the edges and fry flipping in between, until brown spots appear on both sides. Remove and repeat the steps with the remaining dough. Serve them with any subzi / dal.
* The left over rotis can be refrigerated / frozen. Just warm them again on the griddle before serving.

This rice dish goes to 
1. Blogging marathon #40
2. Srivalli's Kids' delight event, hosted by Jayanthi this month with the theme - Lunch box.

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