Missi roti (besan ki roti) is a traditional Pakistani flatbread made with chickpea and whole-wheat flour. This hearty vegetarian entree, always a crowd-pleaser, requires just 20 minutes of prep and 25 minutes of active cooking.
A delicacy from the Punjab region in Pakistan and India, missi roti is delicately spiced with whole and powdered spices, chopped onions, green chilies, and cilantro. This besan ki roti is a childhood favorite I especially crave in winter.
I like to eat my roti with plain yogurt, but if you want to elevate the meal, try it with cilantro mint chutney or cucumber raita. If you're a fan of chickpea flour recipes, try my kadhi recipe (with pakoras), Khow Suey (Pakistani curried noodles), or tindora recipe (ivy gourd).
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Why you'll love this missi roti recipe
- Nutritious—The combination of flours in this missi roti recipe makes it a hearty and nutritious meal that even your kids will love.
- Diet-friendly—This recipe is great for anyone on a vegetarian or vegan diet. With a minor change (mentioned below), it is also suitable for a gluten-free diet.
- Freezer-friendly - The besan ki roti is very freezer-friendly. I often make a large batch and freeze it to enjoy later.
- Creative & Versatile - Are you Bored with the same old recipes? Missi roti is a fun, creative breakfast, lunch, or dinner option.
Missi roti ingredients
- Chickpea flour—The chickpea flour used in this recipe is a South Asian variety known as besan or gram flour. It is made with split Bengal gram and differs from chickpea flour from garbanzo beans. For best results, use besan for this recipe.
- Whole-wheat flour—The whole wheat flour, popularly known as atta, is a stone-ground durum wheat flour. Again, use this instead of other wheat flour varieties for best results.
- Whole spices - This recipe uses coriander, cumin, and carom seeds. These spices pair beautifully with gram flour; I use them in many recipes, like aloo pakoras and green tomato pakoras.
- Powdered spices: Salt and red chili powder are essential, adding much-needed flavor to the rotis.
- Fenugreek - Dried fenugreek leaves, known as kasoori methi, add aroma and flavor to the besan ki roti.
- Onion - Chopped yellow onions add flavor and moisture to the roti.
- Green chilies - I like using one large or two small serrano chilies to add a little kick to the rotis, as besan tends to be slightly bland.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients, measurements, and recipe instructions.
Substitutions & variations
- Make a tandoori version - Growing up in Pakistan, tandoori-style besan ki roti, cooked like naan, is a popular street food. If you want to try this version at home, add four tablespoons of yogurt, one teaspoon of baking powder, and half a teaspoon of baking soda to your dough. Roll the naan and bake in the oven at 500 degrees Fahrenheit for 3-5 minutes. Brush some melted butter or oil on the surface and enjoy.
- Use a different fat - If dietary restrictions do not limit you, use butter or ghee instead of cooking oil for a richer flavor.
- Add veggies - This recipe is a great way to sneak some vegetables into your family's diet. Spinach is best, but shredded carrots work great as well.
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How to make missi roti
- First step: Mix the two types of flour, salt, and red chili powder. Then, mix the water and two tablespoons of cooking oil to form your dough.
- Second step - Place the dough on a work surface and knead for 5 minutes.
- Third step - Crush all the whole spices in a mortar and pestle to help break them up.
- Fourth step - Mix these, along with the chopped onions, green chilies, and cilantro to the prepared dough, kneading for an additional 5-10 minutes.
- Fifth step: Place the prepped dough in a bowl, cover it with a damp dishcloth, and let it rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Sixth step - Remove the dough, shape it into a disc, and cut it into eight equal portions.
- Seventh step - Shape each portion into a ball and dust with flour.
- Eighth step - Roll the dough into a one-eighth-of-an-inch thick circle.
- Ninth step - Preheat a tawa or flat griddle and place the roti on it, cooking for 30 seconds.
- Tenth step - Flip the roti and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
- Eleventh step - Add 1-2 tablespoons of oil on the surface and flip over to shallow fry.
- Twelfth step - Flip the roti and cook for 1-2 minutes, until blisters form on the surface. Repeat until all eight rotis are cooked.
Expert Tips
- Knead the dough well. This is an essential step in the process as it helps form gluten, which results in soft and pliable rotis.
- Let the dough rest - Resting the dough allows the gluten to relax, resulting in a perfect rotis.
- Don't roll the roti too thin - Missi roti is supposed to be dense and hearty. For this reason, avoid rolling your rotis too thin.
Recipe FAQS
For a gluten-free variation of this recipe, substitute the whole-wheat flour with rice flour. The texture will be slightly different, but you will still have delicious rotis.
Leftovers can be stored in a Ziploc bag in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for 6 weeks. To reheat, defrost overnight and then microwave.
Other flatbread recipes you may like
For more Pakistani recipes like this, check out 20 popular Pakistani recipes. If you decide to try this recipe, Please don't forget to leave a rating and comment below! If you take a picture, tag me on Instagram! Thank You!
Missi Roti (Besan Ki Roti)
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Ingredients
- 2 cups chickpea flour (besan)
- 2 cups whole-wheat flour (atta)
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp red chili powder
- ½ cup water
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 tbsp corriander seeds (sabut dhania)
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds (sabut zeera)
- 1 tbsp carom seeds (ajwain)
- 2 tbsp fenugreek leaves (sookhi methi)
- ¼ onion
- 2 serrano chilies
- ½ cup cilantro
- ⅓ cup cooking oil
Instructions
- Stir together the chickpea flour, whole-wheat flour, salt and red chili powder.
- Add the water and two tablespoons of cooking oil to this mixture to make a dough.
- Knead the dough for 10 minutes.
- Crush the whole spices in a mortar and pestle and add them to the dough until well incorporated.
- Add the chopped onions, serrano chilies, and cilantro and mix well.
- Place the prepped dough in a bowl, cover it with a damp dishcloth, and let it rest at room temperature for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Remove the dough, shape it into a disc, and cut it into eight equal portions.
- Roll each portion into a ball and flatten it into a small disc, using flour as needed.
- Roll out each disc into a ⅛th-inch thick roti.
- Preheat a tawa or flat griddle on the stove to cook your first roti.
- Cook the roti for 30 seconds on each side, add one to two tablespoons of oil to your griddle, and continue to cook for another minute or two until both sides have dark brown flecks on the surface. Repeat this process until all your rotis are cooked.
Farah Javaid
Ap ny buchpan ki yad dila di jeeti rhye shad o Abad rehye ameen sumameen
Nosheen Babar
Thank You Farah, I'm so happy the recipe makes you remember your childhood.