Roti

Roti is perhaps one of India’s most versatile, yet unassuming, dishes. Bake it on a griddle, stuff it with mashed potatoes, lather it in ghee or butter, pair it with curries and pickles, roast it, fry it, or bake it in a tandoor. It is made with many grains, but traditionally with wheat flour. It is no wonder then that Roti is integral to Indian and cuisines from other South Asian countries, such as Pakistan and Bangladesh and a popular accompaniment in most Asian cuisine restaurants.

In Roti, author Anuradha Ravindranath introduces the reader to the different facets of this unprepossessing flatbread. She draws on her memories as a child, of her mother buying whole wheat grain at a market, of it drying on the rooftop of their Delhi home, of the trips to a nearby mill so that it is ground into fresh, warm flour, and the fluffy rotis fresh off the pan that was an enduring staple for lunches.

In doing so, Anuradha Ravindranath skilfully weaves her memories of the flatbread with over 90 delicious recipes and turns the humble roti into a delightful, glamorous showstopper. Packed with photographs, the book will feature accompaniments to rotis by way of dips and pickles, as well as easy-to-follow tips in classic DK style.

Anuradha Ravindranath Delhi-based food expert, she has previously written The Rice Cookbook, published by Penguin India in 2009. Her first book, however, was the definitive Tandoor: The Great Indian Barbeque, conceptualized by her father, businessman and philanthropist Ranjit Rai. In 1998, on the behalf of the Delhi Blue Pottery Trust, where she is a trustee, she published Pottery and the Legacy of Sardar Gurcharan Singh.