On making a good roti

"If you want to make good rotis, you must knead your dough well." My mother intoned, as mothers usually do, while casually rolling a roti of her. 

There are many stages to making a roti. Three, however, are obvious - knead the dough, roll the roti, and cook it on the stove. I always thought that the last piece determined how well the roti was going to turn out - how well you cook it on the stove. My mother was turning that on its head. 

"What? How? Why?" 

Mom continued smiling. "See this roti on the stove? It has no powdered flour (atta) on it. Which means it won't dry up later as we store it. It also means that we can cook the roti completely, without the loose flour burning on the surface of the roti. 

For that to happen, you should be able to roll the roti without needing too much powdered flour. 

For that to happen, your dough should be well kneaded and fresh. You girls think a round roti is a cosmetic thing. It's not. The dough needs to roll just so - so the roti turns out thin at the edges and thicker near the center.  That's how we get the round shape. When the roti is thick at the center and thin at the edges, you don't end up with raw edges after cooking. 

But that thin at the edges and thick at the center will not happen if you take your rolling pin and use it to torture the dough. Your dough must dance under the pin." 

"And how will the dough do that?" 

"When you are kneading, don't stop after adding a little water and making a small clump of dough. Add a little water and knead it more. And then again, until your atta has absorbed the water and is happy with itself. When it is ready, it will leave the sides of the vessel in which you are kneading it. Then, the dough is ready. Don't store it. Roll it then. And you will find it dancing on the board. Once you knead the dough right, the rest will be effortless." 

She signed off with a smile. 

That was the day I learnt that if you want a good roti, you must knead your dough well, even when it appears as if it is done and doesnt need any more kneading. But once you do that foundational work, the rest is easy.