Thoothu Rotti with Eggplant curry

This is a dish I hadn’t quite dared to make on my own because I had never done it before. Thoothu Rottis are treated like a special dish, since the process of making it is time-consuming and a little hard on the arms (the shaping part).I finally learned it from mom when I was India a few months ago.

Thoothu means ‘hole’ in Kannada. The reason this rotti is called so is because it has a small hole in the centre. There are many ways to make steamed rice flour rottis, so each one is a given a name to make it easier to differentiate.

These steamed rice flour rottis are best served with a spicy eggplant curry. It is an unique combination, tasty to the last bite.

Thoothu Rotti:

1 Cup Rice Flour

2 Cups Water

1 tbsp Oil

½ tsp Salt

1 tbsp Chana Dal (Kadlebele)

1 tbsp powdered Jaggery

2 tbsp grated fresh coconut

Add the oil, chana dal, salt, jaggery and coconut to the water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Place a wooden spoon in the pan and slowly add in the rice flour. Do not stir. Reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir vigorously to blend all the ingredients.

Knead well on an oiled plate till dough comes together. Divide into equal sized balls. Smear a thick plastic sheet with oil. Place dough on the sheet and flatten dough with your fingers, while turning the sheet clockwise.

If the dough begins to break apart, lightly wet your fingers and press pieces together. Make a small hole in the centre using the tip of your index finger. Transfer to a hot non-stick pan, and roast on both sides till crisp on the edges.

Eggplant curry:

You will need:

2 long Green eggplants, washed and stemmed

6 Green chillies, slit

1 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp Chana Dal

1 tsp Urad Dal

2 tbsp Oil

Few curry leaves

1 Onion, chopped

2 tsp Rasam powder

½ Cup Tamarind juice

Salt to taste

2 tbsp Powdered jaggery

1 tbsp Ground Hurgadale (Dalia)

Cut eggplant into 1” pieces. Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard and when it begins to splutter add the chana and urad dals. Saute for a few seconds and then add the curry leaves and green chillies. Saute for 30 seconds. Now add the chopped onions and sauté till soft. Stir in the eggplant and sauté on medium heat, for about 8-10 minutes till eggplant is cooked through. Now add the tamarind juice, jaggery, salt and rasam powder.

Bring to a simmering boil and let boil for 5 minutes. Make a smooth paste of dalia powder with water and add to the curry. This will thicken the curry. Let boil for another 2-3 ,minutes and serve hot with Rottis.

To all my readers: My posts are not showing up right on Google Reader, please do click on the header to visit the blog to read the original post. Thanks! :)