Caribbean Channa Aloo Roti

 

The second instalment of easy, simple-to-make recipes for my sister Denise! I first fell in love with roti on a date with the fine gentleman who is my now husband, aaaah, it was meant to be! He took me to a Caribbean Flavours, a great little place in Ottawa, which unfortunately is now closed. The food was amazing, the wait times were extremely long, but in the end it was worth it. Here is my rendition of channa aloo roti, a spicy chickpea potato curry wrapped in freshly grilled roti bread. Make it as spicy as you like and/or can handle...you don't want to suffer the shame of being served from the 'wussie pot' of mild roti filling made especially for people who can't handle heat!

Ok, Denise is already wondering how homemade flatbread is supposed to be 'simple', and I agree - if you're not inclined to make the dough, roll it out and cook it in a frying pan, then just make a side of rice and skip the bread altogether. The filling is simple to make, and while it doesn't look overly visually appealing, it would tase great on it's own with rice. 

Makes 4 servings.

If you do decide to make the bread, start it first as it needs to rest for about an hour:

1 cup flour, half whole wheat & half white
1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp + 1 tsp olive or vegetable oil, seperated
1-4 Tbsp milk of choice

In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt and 2 Tbsp olive oil. Add enough milk to make a soft dough. Knead for 1-2 minutes on a floured surface. Clean the bowl, add the remaining 1 tsp oil, and roll the dough around in the oil to cover the surface. Put a clean towel over the bowl, and let rest for 1 hour while you prep the filling.

 

1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil

3 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp garam masala

1-2 large sprigs fresh thyme
1 onion, cut into small pieces
3-4 cloves garlic, minced or

1 can chickpeas, or enough cooked from dry to make 1.5 cups
2 medium sized potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/4" cubes
1 small scotch bonnet pepper, seeded and minced
note: wear plastic gloves or small baggies on your hands when handling the pepper, the juice will burn your skin!

salt to taste

Heat oil in a large pot, and add the turmeric, cumin, allspice, ginger garam masala and onions. Cook the spices over medium heat for a minute or so, until the spices become fragrant - be careful not to burn them! Add remaining ingredients to the pot, and continue to cook for a couple of minutes to brown the potatoes. Add enough water to just cover the potatoes, reduce heat to a low simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender.

 

At this point, the broth should have reduced quite a bit. Take a fork to break up a couple of the potatoes a little, creating a thicker mixture. Season with salt to taste.

Assembling the roti:

Cut your roti dough into 4 pieces. On a floured surface, roll out each piece of dough to a large circle, making sure it's no bigger than your frying pan. As the circle of dough rests, heat a tablespoon of oil in the frying pan over medium heat and swirl it to cover the entire bottom of the pan. Lay your circle of dough in the pan, and cook on each side for 2-3 minutes or until the dough puffs and is lightly browned on each side.

Place dough on serving plate, place a scoop of the channa roti filling in the middle and fold the sides to make a little bundle. Voila! Great served with ripe plantain grilled in a little olive oil, and streamed green beans sprinkled with oregano.

Per serving: 397 cals, 14g fat, 60g carbs, 601mg sodium, 11g fiber, 12g protein.  (PRO42.2/11%,CHO234/59%,FAT120/30%)