What is Missi Roti?

by Rotimatic Team
Missi Roti served with curd

In Indian culture, flatbreads are tied to our history. Since time immemorial, our flatbreads have been the focal point of most meals. If not as a center of attention, then flatbreads make an appearance as a trusty companion on our spreads! In our journey of exploring different flatbreads of India, we have now come across another worthy addition to our collection- missi roti.

Missi roti is a famous North-Indian flatbread that is featured heavily in the winter cuisine of Punjab and Rajasthan. The etymology of missi roti originates from the words ‘Misra’ (meaning mixed) and ‘rotika’ in the Sanskrit language. Loosely translated, missi roti stands for mixed roti, as it is made with a blend of different grains, or flours, spices, aromatics, and herbs. Historically, missi roti has been featured in several historical and religious chronicles. Emperor Humayun discovered this roti while sharing a meal with a fakir while exploring Shergarh (formerly the city of Dinpannah) in the early 1800s! Missi roti made another appearance in the lore attached to the birth of Guru Hargobind Ji in Sikh religious texts, where his mother Mata Ganga Ji prepared this mixed roti to appease Baba Buddha to be blessed with a child.

If these instances tell us anything, it is that this mixed roti is rooted in Indian culture and has been a staple for centuries. It has a very long shelf life and is often compared to Gujarati theplas, and this delicious roti can be paired with many winter preparations and dishes. So, let's dive into age-old traditions and discover how to make missi roti.

How to Make Missi Roti

Missi roti is made with half a quantity of gram flour or besan, and whole-wheat flour or atta. You can alter the proportions depending on your preferences. Along with these ingredients, you can choose to add your choice of spices and aromatics. You can even add chopped green chillies, onions, and other vegetables if you want to make the recipe healthier. All the dry ingredients are combined with water and a little oil and kneaded into a dough, which is then portioned, rolled into flat roundels, and cooked on a tawa.

Due to the besan, this roti can be a little heavy on your stomach, so it’s recommended to add ajwain or carom seeds to aid digestion. Traditional Punjabi missi roti is made in a tandoor, but at home, you can use a tawa or cast-iron skillet. In this article, we are going to explore how to make missi roti at home, the traditional way, and the modern, Rotimatic way! 

Missi Roti Recipe: Traditional Method

  • Preparation Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes mins
  • Total Time: 30 minutes mins
  • Yield: 5-6 rotis

Ingredients:

  • 2 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 ½ cup besan (gram flour)
  • 1 teaspoon ajwain (carom seeds)
  • 2-3 finely chopped green chillies
  • ½ cup finely chopped onions
  • ¼ teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 teaspoons oil (for the dough)
  • 1 cup water or as required
  • Oil as required (for roasting)

Preparation Process:

  • Making Dough

  1. Take whole wheat flour, besan, and ajwain and put them in a mixing bowl.
  2. Add salt, finely chopped onions, chopped green chillies, asafoetida, and oil to the flour mixture. Mix well with your hands.
  3. Slowly begin to add water and start to mix and knead the dough into one solid homogeneous mass. Knead until smooth and soft.

    Tip: The amount of water needed may be more or less depending on the quality of the flour you are using. Feel free to adjust the recipe according to your judgment. The dough should be soft and smooth.

  4. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes after kneading and then portion it into medium-sized balls for rolling.

  • Rolling Missi Roti

  1. Take one of the dough balls and place it on a smooth work surface or a chakla (Indian rolling board).
  2. Dust the ball with some atta, along with your work surface as well.
  3. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough ball into a flat circle of about 5 to 6 inches, like any chapati.
  4. Keep sprinkling more flour on the dough while rolling, if required.

  • Roasting Missi Roti
  1. Place the rolled-out roti on a pre-heated hot tawa or skillet.
  2. When the base is partially cooked and flecked with golden-brown spots, flip the roti.
  3. Spread some oil on the partly cooked side of the roti.
  4. When the second side is cooked and brown spots can be seen, then flip the roti again. Spread some oil on this side too. Flip again.
  5. Press the edges of the missi roti with a spatula so that the sides are also cooked well.
  6. Flip once or twice more, so that the roti cooks evenly. Avoid overcooking as the roti becomes dense.
  7. Serve the missi roti immediately or place them in a casserole or basket and consume warm.
  8. Serve these delicious missi rotis with a sabzi, dal, pickle, yogurt, or butter, or even eat it alone as a snack!

Missi Roti Recipe: Rotimatic Method

In this section, we shall explore the modern, Rotimatic method of making missi roti. We have outsourced this recipe from a beloved Rotimatic user, Sumegha Gupta from Winnipeg, Canada, who shared her experience making missi roti on our ‘Rotimatic Owners’ public page on Facebook. Our fully automated AI-based technology gives you a roti in just 90 seconds, all at the push of a button! Rotimatic is the future for busy individuals who want the warmth of home food after a long day at work, at a fraction of the time and effort.

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 cup wheat flour
  • 1 cup besan
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 3-4 teaspoons ground onion
  • 2 teaspoons ground roasted cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • Chili powder (to taste)
  • Salt as required (you may choose to put salt in water as well or in both the flour mixture and the water)
  • ¾ cup water
  • 4 tablespoons oil

Preparation Process:

  1. In a mixing bowl, add the atta, besan, ground onion, ground cumin, salt, turmeric, and black pepper.
  2. Thoroughly mix this dry mixture to eliminate any lumps
  3. Add the mixture to the flour container and the water and oil in their respective containers.
  4. Set the flour type as Elephant Gold Atta, thickness level to 1, roast level to 2, and the oil setting to 2.
  5. Start the machine and wait for your Rotimatic to give piping hot, crispy missi rotis!
  6. Serve warm and enjoy!

Is Missi Roti Healthy?

Missi roti has several health benefits due to its varied and locally sourced ingredients. It is a good staple for daily consumption while being good for your gut and digestion. The wheat flour found in missi roti is packed with vitamins and minerals like Selenium, Manganese, Phosphorus, and Folate. Additionally, wheat flour is very good for your gut. The besan in the recipe is full of soluble fiber, which helps to control blood sugar levels and burn calories faster. This makes missi roti the ideal low-cal flatbread for people watching their weight and eating habits.

Furthermore, spices like turmeric are often added to missi roti, and it is known for its anti-inflammatory properties. Turmeric controls your blood sugar levels, increases your libido, and keeps eye diseases and heart disease at bay. Next time you are looking for a power-packed breakfast or snack, missi roti is the perfect solution for your hunger!

Calories in Missi Roti

A missi roti has a calorie count between 110-400 kcal, depending on the ingredients and serving size.

What To Serve with Missi Roti?

As mentioned earlier in this article, missi roti is a winter-time staple. This flatbread is ideally a good combination with Indian curries and gravies like malai paneer, palak paneer, etc. Dry vegetable preparations like aloo gobi, baingan ka bharta, gatte ki sabzi, methi matar malai, aloo parwal, etc. pair well with missi roti as well. Additionally, lentil preparations like panchmel dal, dal bukhari, tridali dal, etc., are delicious pairings as well! If you are in the mood for something tangy, you can try missi roti with different types of raita to give your meal a tangy and tasty twist!

Missi roti is a deeply culturally rooted dish, with good reason! It is a sturdy, delicious flatbread with a long shelf life, that pairs well with most dishes and is super healthy. What’s not to love? It is no surprise that the dish has been carried forward as a part of India’s rich food heritage, and lovingly made in homes all over the world. So, try making this healthy, tasty, and mouth-watering dish this winter, just like our ancestors used to centuries ago.

OTHER ROTIS TO EXPLORE

If Roti is something you enjoy, we encourage you to go through some other Roti variations that you might also enjoy:

 

FAQ:

  1. Is Missi Roti healthy?
    Missi roti contains more protein in comparison to normal chapatis due to its besan content. It can be consumed even after being stored for 2-3 days, which makes it durable and easy to store, and prepare beforehand. Eating missi roti is also great for digestion and maintaining gut health. It lowers cholesterol levels, is rich in vitamins and minerals due to whole-wheat flour, and is low in gluten content.
  2. Can we eat missi roti on a diet?
    Missi roti has many benefits. It is a rich source of protein, which is attributed to the besan present in it. It is also great for weight loss as besan helps burn calories faster.
  3. What is missi roti made of?
    Missi roti is a North Indian flatbread prepared with gram flour, whole-wheat flour, onions, chilies, a few spices, water, salt, and a bit of oil. Depending on the variations, you can adjust and add different spices and aromatics to a missi roti, and even make it healthier by adding shredded vegetables to the dough.
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