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These vegan and gluten-free rotis with rice and dal are incredibly delicious, nourishing and satisfying. With only rice, toor dal, a few common spices and herbs, these nutritious rotis are very simple to make.
Origin
This roti originates from the South of India. It is called ‘Pappu Rotte’ in Telugu or ‘Paruppu Rotte’ in Tamil, and it is commonly eaten as a main meal across many parts of South India. ‘Pappu’ or ‘Paruppu’ means dal or lentils. ‘Rotte’ means roti or flatbread. Hence, Pappu Rotte means roti made with lentils.
Rotis are typically prepared by kneading dough, rolling them into flatbreads, and pan-frying them. The preparation technique for pappu rotte aka GF rice-lentils roti is different from that of a traditional roti. Pappu rotte is prepared by grinding rice, dal, and a few spices into a thick batter. This batter is then cooked on a pan like a crepe or a dosa.
Popularity
This gluten-free roti/pappu rotte is not something that you would easily find in a South-Indian restaurant. In fact, it is also hard to find a recipe for pappu rotte on the internet. I have grown up eating this. It is one of the most homiest and comforting meals that always reminds me of my childhood. My mom is an amazing cook and she often made this for me. She passed this recipe to me and I hope you will love it as much as I do.
Key ingredients
Rice
Toor dal – great source of protein
Dry red chillies
Fennel seeds
Fresh or shredded unsweetened coconut (use fresh if available)
Chopped onion
Fresh dill
Salt
What does it taste like
This gluten-free roti/pappu rotte tastes like a thick savoury crepe or dosa but with an explosion of warm flavours. Rice gives this recipe a crispy texture. Dal, along with the other spices and herbs give it a delicate savory taste.
It is usually eaten with a chutney on the side. Coconut chutney and Tomato chutney go very well with pappu rotte.
Pappu rotte is:
Super-delicious
Healthy
Crispy
Packed with flavor
Vegan and Gluten-Free
Step by step instructions
Step 1 – Prepare the rice and dal
Add rice and toor dal to a large bowl. Rinse this a few times until you see clean water running out of the mixture.
Soak the rinsed rice and toor dal in freshwater until fully submerged. Cover with a lid and soak for at least 30 minutes.
Step 2 – Prepare the batter
After the rice and dal mixture has been soaked for 30 minutes, drain all water and transfer the mixture to a high-speed blender.
Add 2 red chilies (stem removed and roughly chopped), salt, fennel seeds, fresh or unsweetened shredded coconut, and water to blend well.
It is important to not add all the water at once. It is best to check the consistency and add in small increments.
Step 3 – Blending process
Scrape the edges of the blender jar and blend well till a smooth batter is formed. Add more water if necessary. The batter should not be too thick so that it is difficult to pour. It should also not be too thin and runny. It should be of pancake batter consistency. If it is too gritty, add about ¼ cup water to get the right level of consistency.
Step 4 – Add onions and dill
Transfer the batter to a large bowl. If it is still too thick, you can adjust the consistency by adding more water.
Finely chop an onion and dill leaves. Add the chopped onion and dill to the batter. Mix well.
TIP – Do not throw the top and bottom parts of the onion. We will use this in Step 5.
Step 5 – Prepare the pan
Heat a large cast iron pan or a non-stick pan on medium-high heat.
Once the skillet is hot, drizzle a little oil, and swirl it around so it coats the pan without pooling. Rub the pan with half an onion before spreading the batter. This prevents the pappu rotte from sticking to the pan. This technique can be used for making dosas as well.
Step 6 – Add batter to the pan
Add about ½ cup of pappu rotte batter to the pan and rub it in swirl it in an outward spiral pattern using the bottom portion of a ladle.
Drizzle oil over the top part and the perimeter of the pappu rotte.
Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, till the top is almost cooked. Gently flip and cook for another 3 minutes.
Repeat this step to make the remaining pappu rottes.
Step 7 – Add butter (optional)
Transfer to a plate. Smear some butter on top of the pappu rotte and enjoy with some coconut chutney, tomato chutney or any other chutney on the side.
If you try this recipe, please let me know in the comments and don’t forget to leave a rating. I love hearing from you!
Recipe
Gluten-Free Roti with Rice and Toor Dal
Equipment
- cast-iron pan or a non-stick pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice
- ¾ cup toor dal
- 2 dried Kashmiri red chillies substitute with any other available dry red chilli
- 4 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 6 tablespoon fresh or unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 onion
- 20 grams fresh dill
- 1.5 cup water
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 tablespoon sunflower oil to drizzle over the roti while cooking
- vegan butter to smear on the rotis optional. Sub with regular butter for a non-dairy version
Instructions
- Add rice and toor dal to a large bowl.
- Rinse this a few times until you see clean water running out of the mixture.
- Soak the rinsed rice and toor dal in freshwater until fully submerged. Cover with a lid and soak for at least 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, 30 minutes, drain all water and transfer the mixture to a high-speed blender.
- Remove the stems of the red chillies and roughly chop them.
- Add the 2 red chilies , salt, fennel seeds, fresh or shredded coconut, and half a cup of water to blend well.
- It is important to not add all the water at once. It is best to check the consistency and add in small increments.
- Scrape the edges of the blender jar, add another ½ cup of water and blend well till a smooth batter is formed. If the batter is still too thick and gritty, add another ¼ cup of water. The batter should not be too thick so that it is difficult to pour. It should also not be too thin and runny. It should be of pancake batter consistency.
- The amount of water depends on the dal and rice quality. Check again for the consistency of the batter and add another ¼ cup water if necessary.
- Pour the batter in a large bowl.
- Finely chop an onion and dill leaves. TIP – Do not throw the top and bottom parts of the onion. We will use this to grease the pan and prevent the roti from sticking to it.
- Add the chopped onion and dill to the batter. Mix well.
- Heat a large cast iron pan or a non-stick pan on medium-high heat. Drizzle a little oil, and swirl it around so it coats the pan without pooling. Rub the pan with half an onion before spreading the batter.
- Add about ½ cup of pappu rotte batter to the pan and rub it in swirl it in an outward spiral pattern using the bottom portion of a ladle. Drizzle oil over the top part and the perimeter of the pappu rotte.
- Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, till the top is almost cooked. Gently flip and cook for another 3 minutes.
- Repeat this step to make the remaining pappu rottes.
- Transfer the pappu rotte to a plate. Rub a tablespoon of butter on top of the pappu rotte and enjoy with some chutney on the side.
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