
Khamiri Roti
A soft, yeast-leavened Indian flatbread flavoured with carom seeds and Kashmiri chilli, then brushed with ghee. It tastes mild and aromatic, with a light smoky note from being cooked against the flame.
Dough spices
1.7 gStirred into the dry flour (step 2)Everything else
Method
- Stir 6.2 g dried active yeast and 4.2 g granulated sugar into 124 g warm whole milk. Leave for 10 minutes.
- Mix 250 g chapatti flour, 0.3 g salt and the dough spices in a large bowl.
- Pour in the yeast milk and stir, then work in up to 4 tbsp water to make a soft dough.
- Cover the bowl and rest for 1½ hours.
- Heat a large dry frying pan over a high flame.
- Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces.
- Roll one piece on a lightly floured surface to an 18 cm round.
- Brush the round all over with water and lay it in the hot pan; the water helps it cling.
- Invert the pan over the open flame and cook for 1 minute, moving it so the bread browns evenly.
- Turn the pan upright and set it on the heat for 1 minute to cook the base.
- Brush with melted ghee to taste, wrap in foil and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining dough.
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Dried yeast

Fast-action dried yeastUse the same weight. Mix straight into the flour as the recipe directs; no need to activate first. Proves a little faster.
Fresh yeastUse about 2.5 times the weight. Crumble into warm liquid with a little sugar and leave for 10 minutes before mixing. Slower and shorter-lived.

Granulated sugar

JaggeryUse equal weight; grate or shave finely so it dissolves rapidly, giving a warm, caramel-like sweetness and slightly darker sauce.

Whole milk

MilkUse 100% of the weight. If using semi-skimmed milk, stir in 10 g butter per 200 g milk to match the richness of whole milk.
Single creamUse 60% cream diluted with 40% water by weight to match the fat content of whole milk. Gravies will taste richer and reduce faster.

Whole wheat flour

Wholemeal flourUse the same weight; it is very close, but add water slowly as it can be coarser and absorb more.
Plain flourUse the same weight but reduce water by about 10%; the dough is softer and the flavour less nutty.
FlourUse the same weight as a plain-flour swap; reduce water slightly and expect a lighter, less wheaty result.

Carom seed

Carom seedsUse the same weight; this is the same seed under its other name.
Carom seed pasteUse the same weight; looser and stronger, so add near the end and taste.
Cumin seedUse half the weight, lightly crushed; gives a warm aroma but not carom's thyme-like punch.

Kashmiri chilli powder

Dried kashmiri chilliGrind deseeded dried pods to an equal weight of powder; gives identical vivid red colour and gentle warmth.
Red chilli powderUse 25% of the weight mixed with sweet paprika for colour; straight red chilli powder is substantially hotter and will make the dish fiery.
Chilli powderUse one-third of the weight; the sauce will be less intensely red and notably sharper in heat.

Ghee

Unsalted butterUse 120% of the weight; melt gently over low heat to avoid burning the milk solids, which will yield a softer, creamier richness rather than a nutty aroma.
Vegetable oilUse 85% of the weight; holds high cooking temperatures without smoking, but the final dish will lack traditional dairy depth.
Mustard oilUse equal weight; heat to smoking point and cool slightly before cooking, bearing in mind it introduces an assertive, pungent edge.
Similar dishes

- Same: Ajwain Paratha and this dish are both chapatti-flour flatbreads flavoured with carom seeds.
- Different: Ajwain Paratha uses more carom seeds, vegetable oil and water, has no yeast, sugar, milk or Kashmiri chilli, and is layered rather than yeast-leavened and flame-cooked like this dish.

- Same: Phulkas and this dish both use chapatti flour, salt, and ghee to make flatbreads.
- Different: Phulkas has no yeast, sugar, milk, carom seeds, or Kashmiri chilli, and it uses water instead; it is unleavened and cooked on a hot griddle, while this dish is yeast-leavened and cooked against the flame.

- Same: Puris and this dish are both Indian wheat breads made with chapatti flour and added fat.
- Different: Puris has no yeast, milk, sugar, carom seeds or Kashmiri chilli, and it is deep-fried in vegetable oil rather than yeast-leavened, flame-cooked and brushed with ghee.

- Same: Chapattis and this dish both use chapatti flour and salt and are flatbreads finished with a brushed fat.
- Different: Chapattis has no yeast, sugar, milk, carom seeds or Kashmiri chilli, uses vegetable oil in the dough and butter to finish, and is cooked on a dry griddle rather than against a flame.

















