Spinach Tandoori Roti (Stove Method)

Spinach Tandoori roti cooked on stove are a nutritious spin on popular tandoori rotis. You don't need tandoor or oven to make these rotis.Tandoori rotis are as as popular as naan in India. These rotis are soft inside & chewy to bite into. They pair so well with all sorts of indian curries or lentils.

I grew up eating dad's paani vaali roti. Few days of the year when he entered the kitchen, he made these special thick doughy rotis- cooked on tawa(griddle) and smeared with lots of ghee. He spread water on side of the roti to make it stick to the griddle and then cooked the other side by flipping the tawa over direct flame. What came out of the kitchen were immensely delicious flatbreads which were soft and chewy as well as super crispy. I remember eating them with chana dal.

The recipe of this spinach tandoori roti is based on those flatbreads. Growing up at grandma house, there used to be green dough made with seasonal greens (methi, spinach, bathua etc) all winter long. Addition of spinach makes these rotis so nutritious and full of fiber. The rotis are made on the stove top, there is no oven or tandoor needed and they taste the same as you would get at dhabas in India, I promise.

You can use this same recipe to make regular tandoori rotis at home. Just skip the spinach puree part and knead the dough with water.

1. I use cooking spinach in this recipe. Avoid using baby spinach(that is just for the pictures :))
2. Rest the dough well. It is important for soft rotis.
3. We knead the dough using thick, pureed cooked spinach. That gives the best spinach taste to the rotis. Avoid kneading with water or using a very watery pureed spinach.
4. Dont use non stick pan or tawa for this recipe. We want the roti to stick to the griddle so that we can flip and cook them on the direct flame. If you are using a cast iron pan, make sure that it has no oil. Our purpose is to make the roti stick to the tawa 🙂
5. The recipe uses 1 tablespoon of yogurt but you can substitute it with any plant yogurt for vegan version.
6. Use plant fat substitute to smear on top and make them vegan.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Spinach Tandoori Roti

A wholesome, nutritious Indian flatbread loaded with spinach. It is soft yet crispy and is made on stove top.

Prep Time1 hour hr

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 6 rotis

Author: Tanvi Srivastava

Equipment

• Griddle, rolling pin, rolling surface, bowls & spoons

Ingredients

Cook the Spinach

• 100 gms cooking spinach, cleaned
• 1 cup water
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• ¼ tsp salt

For the Rotis

• 1 cup whole wheat flour(atta)
• ½ cup all purpose flour(maida)
• 1 tablespoon thick yogurt/greek yogurt
• ¼ teaspoon hing
• pinch ajwain(carrom seeds)
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
• 1.5 tablespoon oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½-3/4 cup thick pureed spinach(prepared above)

For topping the Rotis

• 2 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
• ½ tsp nigella seeds
• Ghee to smear

Instructions

Make the Spinach Puree

• Wash spinach 3-4 times in water. Make sure all the dirt is removed from the spinach. Remove any thick and tough stems. You dont need to remove all the stems.
• In a large pot of water, bring water to a boil. Add the cleaned spinach to the water and press down using a large spoon. Slowly the leaves will wilt, the spinach will soften and get soaked in water. Cook on high heat in boiling water for 6-8 minutes till the spinach is dark green. Switch off the stove and let cook for 10 minutes.
• Add the boiled spinach(along with whatever water is remaining) to a high spped blender, add salt, hing and cumin seeds. Blend on high heat to a smooth fine puree. The puree should be thick like a smoothie consistency. Dont make a watery puree. If needed add a little water while grinding. You should get about ¾ cup thick spinach puree.

Make the Dough

• In a wide dish/paraat or you can use your stand mixer as well add the flours, salt, sugar, carrom seeds, yogurt, oil and baking powder. Using fingers rub the flour so that everything is mixed well and the flour is little moistened.
• Start incorpotating the spinach puree a little at a time and kneading. Each time you add the puree, let it mix well with the dough.
• As the atta absorbs spinach puree,it will start clumping up into a ball.Continue to add till all the dry flour becomes wet, your hands will be mighty messy but the flour will come together.Remember not to add too much puree at a time.
• Once a ball is formed,ensure that it is not very dry by trying to squeeze the dough ball between your palms as if making a fist and it should feel firm. Since we added salt to the dough, when the dough will rest it will get a little soft. Start using your knuckles to knead the dough next.
• Use your knuckles to flatten the dough out and then pull it all together towards yourself, using your palm & fingers, then knead again with knuckles to flatten out. Knead this way (flatten and bring together) repeatedly for 7-8 minutes.
• Towards the last 1-2 minutes of kneading, use both hands to knead for a very smooth & elastic dough (this will work up the gluten really fast). Once the dough looks and feels really really smooth, cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for (not more than) 30 minutes.If you are not planning to make rotis right away, place the dough into an air tight container with lid and refrigerate.
• When ready to make rotis, uncover and divide into equal portions.(Note: If you refrigerated the dough, take it out 10-15 minutes before and let sit on kitchen counter).
• Take each dough portion between palms of your both hands and roll to make as smooth balls as possible. Flatten the balls. Get some loose atta on another dish.
• Set a tawa(griddle) on the stove to heat. Dont use non stick pan or tawa for this recipe. We want the roti to stick to the griddle.
• Roll and cover each ball in the loose atta and place on a smooth rolling stone or pastry board or kitchen surface. Flatten out lightly on edges using tips of your finger. Using a rolling-pin, start rolling the dough to a oval shape.Dust the board or the roti as and when required when rolling.
• Once rolled, spread 1-1.5 tablespoon of water on one side of the roti and immediately place it water side down on the tawa. Keep the flame medium low.
• Press a little bit of garlic and sprinkle some nigella seeds on the top of roti. You can press down a little so that they stick to the dough.
• In 1-2 minutes,you will see bubbles on top of the roti. At this time, lift the tawa and invert it on direct flame. The roti wil start getting chars, keep on moving the tawa and make sure that entire surface of the roti is nice and charred.
• Ideally when the roti is nicely cooked, it will start pulling away from the tawa. Using a large flat spatula, carefully seprate the roti from the griddle and serve rightaway!

Notes

1. I use cooking spinach in this recipe. Avoid using baby spinach(that is just for the pictures :))
2. Rest the dough well. It is important for soft rotis.
3. We knead the dough using thick, pureed cooked spinach. That gives the best spinach taste to the rotis. Avoid kneading with water or using a very watery pureed spinach.
4. Dont use non stick pan or tawa for this recipe. We want the roti to stick to the griddle so that we can flip and cook them on the direct flame. If you are using a cast iron pan, make sure that it has no oil. Our purpose is to make the roti stick to the tawa 🙂
5. The recipe uses 1 tablespoon of yogurt but you can substitute it with any plant yogurt for vegan version.
6. Use plant fat substitute to smear on top and make them vegan.
7. Use plain warm water (a little over ½ cup) instead of spinach puree to knead the dough if you want to make regular tandoori rotis. The rest of the recipe remains SAME.