Quinoa Roti: A Fiber-rich Roti Alternative

Having a sustainable diet means having a variety of nutritious components in it, from green, leafy vegetables for vitamins and minerals, to dairy and lean meats for protein and fat, to whole grains and millet for carbohydrates and fiber. These components help your body function optimally and support a healthy, happy body.

Healthy millet and grains can have a positive impact on your body and your general health when consumed regularly. Diversifying from traditional grains and choosing healthier alternatives will only expand your diet and allow you to metabolize food that is more nutritious and beneficial, as compared to your day-to-day meals. Grains like quinoa, for example, are high in essential amino acids, and dietary fiber, have anti-inflammatory properties, help prevent blood sugar spikes, and help increase metabolic activity and maintain health due it being high in micronutrients like folate, potassium, iron, etc. Additionally, they’re gluten-free!

Hundreds of years ago, the Inca people considered this ancient grain as a sacred food, and now, due to its health benefits, it has gained popularity globally in the past decade. Quinoa is either consumed whole, sprouted, or it is ground into a fine flour known as quinoa flour. Quinoa flour can be used to make a variety of dishes like bread, brownies, tortillas, and even quinoa roti! In this article, we shall be discussing how to make quinoa flour roti in particular, and exploring two ways to make it, by using a traditional method, and by trying a more modern, Rotimatic method.

How to Make Quinoa Roti

The benefits of quinoa roti make it a likely candidate for individuals looking to incorporate a healthy alternative to their regular processed meals. Additionally, the fact that quinoa flour rotis are gluten-free, apart from having a host of health benefits that we have highlighted above, makes them a top runner in the race to a healthier diet! This roti is made from quinoa flour, which is nothing but ground quinoa flakes and seeds that have been roasted and then ground into a fine powder. This fine powder is then combined with water and oil, and much like a wheat flour roti, it is kneaded into a dough, set aside to rest, and then rolled out into flat rotis and roasted on a tawa or griddle with oil or ghee. On that note, let us now learn how to make quinoa roti, the traditional way.

Quinoa Roti Recipe: Traditional Method

Prep Time: 3 Hrs. 45 Minutes (3 ½ hours to roast the flour beforehand, and 15 minutes to make the dough)

Cook Time: 10 Minutes

Rest Time: 20 Minutes

Total Time: 4 Hrs. 15 Minutes

Yield: 9-10 rotis

Ingredients:

• 3 ½ cups of quinoa flour
• 1 ½ cups of water (or as required)
• 2 tbsp olive oil/ghee/oil
• ½ tsp salt (optional)
• ½ cup quinoa flour (for dusting)
• 4-5 tbsp ghee/oil (for roasting)

Preparation Method:

1. In a large baking tray, take your quinoa flour and spread it out evenly. Bake for 3-31/2 hours at 100 degrees Celsius until the flour has lost its bitter taste. You can do this step for larger quantities of flour and roast it and store it beforehand as well.
2. In a large mixing bowl or parat, add in your quinoa flour, oil/ghee, and mix. Start adding water gradually, as needed, and start kneading until the flour forms a homogeneous and smooth dough.
3. Set the dough aside and let it rest for 20-30 minutes
4. Once the dough has rested, divide the dough into small dough balls. Then, on a clean working surface or chakla, dust with quinoa flour or some other gluten-free flour like rice flour, oats flour, etc.
5. Using a rolling pin, roll out your dough ball into a flat circular disc. Keep dusting with flour to ensure that the dough does not stick to the work surface.
6. Heat a non-stick skillet, tawa, or cast-iron frying pan over medium heat and place the roti on it.
7. Cook the roti on one side until bubbles start to appear, then flip it over.
8. Spread some oil/ghee on the cooked side, cook the other side, spread some oil on that as well, and flip again.
9. Keep flipping until golden brown spots start to appear. 
10. The roti will puff up when cooked and that is your indicator that it's done.
11. Voila! Serve your freshly made quinoa flour roti, and enjoy!

Quinoa Roti Recipe: Rotimatic Method

In this section, we shall be exploring how to make quinoa flour roti with a Rotimatic, which was provided to us by our beloved Rotimatic user, Jyoti Ingalagi! She shared her experience of making quinoa roti on the official Rotimatic owners’ Facebook page known as Changemakers, and we were glad to find that she, along with countless other users, loved the Rotimatic experience! Our fully automated AI-based technology gives you a roti in just 90 seconds! Rotimatic allows you to use a vast variety of healthy cereal and millet-based flours to make rotis, all at the push of a button! Rotimatic is the future for busy, health-conscious individuals who want the warmth of healthy home food after a long day at work, in a fraction of the time and effort.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cup of quinoa flour
• 1 ½ cup Aashirvaad multigrain atta
• Water, as required
• Oil, as required

Preparation Process:

1. In a mixing bowl, add in your quinoa flour and atta, and mix until combined.
2. Add the flour mixture into the flour container of your Rotimatic.
3. Add water and oil into their respective containers. 
4. Set the machine to Aashirvaad multigrain atta mode, with the thickness setting at 2, the roast setting at 3, and the oil settings at 1.
5. Start the machine and let your Rotimatic do its magic!
6. Voila! Your tasty, nutritious quinoa roti are ready to eat and enjoy!

With the Rotimatic, you can create and enjoy several recipes for healthy, gluten-free cereal and millet rotis just like this one, and for a variety of Indian and continental flatbreads as well. 

Cooking Tips for Making Quinoa Roti

• Adjust the texture and consistency of the dough by adding more flour or more water depending on how sticky or dry your dough is.
• Always enjoy your rotis as fresh as you can, and you can store them in an airtight container and store them for later when you can reheat them before eating.
• When rolling out your rotis, do not add too much pressure on the dough ball as the dough will tear due to the lack of gluten content.
• You can use other flour alternatives to dust your work surface like jowar flour, rice flour, cassava flour, etc.
• You can try mixing a bit of brown rice flour into your quinoa flour to get crispier rotis.

So, is roti healthy? Of course, it is. But how can you make roti healthier? The answer to that question is alternating traditional rotis with rotis made from gluten-free and nutrient-rich flour like quinoa flour helps add an extra layer of nutrition to your meals, which will help supplement your body with the essential goodness it needs from food. Incorporating such power-packed foods into your meals will only help your body flourish optimally, and boost your well-being. So start harnessing the benefits of quinoa roti today by making it at home, or with your Rotimatic!

FAQs:

1. Which flour can be used in Rotimatic?

Rotimatic allows you to use a variety of flour like whole-wheat atta, multigrain flour, jowar flour, bajra flour, oats flour, quinoa flour, etc.

2. How many rotis can you have in Rotimatic?

Rotimatic can make up to 20 rotis in one batch of dough before refills are needed.

3. How to make Rotimatic roti soft?

To make Rotimatic rotis soft, you can adjust the settings using the smart screen or the app to ensure that the dough is kneaded properly and cooked evenly. Additionally, storing the rotis in a covered container or covered with a damp kitchen towel after cooking can help retain their softness.

4. How many calories are in a quinoa roti?

Usually, one quinoa roti has anywhere between 75-80 calories, depending on the size and ingredients used.