Indian Flatbread with Tamarind-Lime Chutney

About This Recipe

This pairs everyday roti — whole wheat flatbread cooked directly on a hot tawa until it puffs and blisters — with a tamarind chutney sharpened with lime, a combination inspired by the sweet-and-sour tamarind chutneys that accompany street snacks like samosas and chaat across India. The chutney itself, made from tamarind pulp simmered with jaggery and spices, is a pantry staple in many Indian households, kept on hand for exactly this kind of quick pairing. Rolling the dough evenly and cooking it on a well-heated tawa are what determine whether the roti puffs up light and soft or stays flat and tough. The dough needs a short rest after kneading so the gluten relaxes enough to roll thin without springing back, and the tawa needs to be genuinely hot — a drop of water should sizzle and evaporate almost instantly when it hits the surface. Served warm, torn into pieces and dragged through the chutney, this makes a simple but satisfying light meal or snack, closer to how flatbread and chutney are eaten as an everyday combination rather than a composed restaurant dish.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2 cupwhole wheat flour (atta)
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 tbspoil
• 0.75 cupwarm water, plus more as needed
• 150 gtamarind pulp
• 1 cuphot water, for tamarind
• 0.5 cupjaggery, grated
• 1 tsproasted cumin powder
• 0.5 tspred chili powder
• 0.5 tspsalt, for chutney
• 1 tbsplime juice
• 2 tbspghee, for cooking roti

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Mix flour and salt, add oil and warm water gradually, kneading until you get a smooth, soft dough. Cover and rest 20 minutes.

2. 2

   Make the tamarind chutney

   Soak tamarind pulp in hot water for 15 minutes, then mash and strain through a sieve to extract the pulp, discarding fibers and seeds.

3. 3

   Simmer the chutney

   Simmer the tamarind liquid with jaggery, cumin powder, chili powder, and salt over medium heat for 10-12 minutes until thickened to a syrupy consistency. Stir in lime juice off heat.

4. 4

   Roll the roti

   Divide the dough into 8 balls. Roll each on a floured surface into a thin round, about 6 inches across.

5. 5

   Cook the roti

   Cook each roti on a hot dry tawa for 30-45 seconds per side until bubbles form, then finish directly over an open flame or press gently with a cloth on the tawa until it puffs.

6. 6

   Serve

   Brush warm roti lightly with ghee and serve alongside the tamarind-lime chutney for dipping.

Variations

• •

  Add a pinch of ginger powder and roasted fennel to the chutney for extra warmth.

• •

  Use dates along with tamarind for a sweeter, thicker chutney, common in chaat preparations.

• •

  Swap whole wheat roti for paratha, adding a layer of ghee and folding before rolling for a flakier bread.

Storage

Store cooked roti wrapped in a clean towel at room temperature for a few hours, or refrigerate up to 2 days and reheat on a hot tawa. The chutney keeps refrigerated in a sealed jar for up to 3 weeks.

Frequently Asked Questions