Soft and flavorful rotis made with nutritious whole wheat flour make the best companions to delicious Indian delicacies served for lunch and dinner. This recipe of buttery and aromatic Tandoori Garlic Roti (Indian flatbread) is the ultimate creation that promises to take your meals a notch up with its blissful deliciousness!
Tastes exquisite when served next to homemade Instant Pot Dum aloo or Instant Pot lobia curry.
What is Tandoori Roti?
Tandoor is a cylindrical clay oven, and dishes cooked using this clay oven have a prevalent place in Indian cuisine.
From vegetarian to non-vegetarian dishes, tandoor can make them all. Tandoori dishes (dishes made in the tandoor) have a peculiar smoky flavor and an enticing uniqueness.
Roti is a soft, round flatbread, very common in Indian cuisine. Also known as phulka or chapati, this is made with whole wheat flour and kneaded with water to form a soft dough. It is then rolled out using a rolling board and pin and cooked or baked.
Tandoori roti is a delicious version of this flatbread, which is flavored with garlic and herbs and then baked in the tandoor (clay oven).
But not all households have a tandoor (due to its bulkiness and need for its skillful use); tandoori roti can be easily prepared using tawa (skillet) in the kitchen.
Tandoori rotis are served along with main course dishes like curries and gravy dishes as part of a wholesome meal.
We find different versions of tandoori rotis across the Indian sub-continent using different fillings and toppings for varied flavors, and each is purely delicious!
Reasons You’ll ♡ Tandoori garlic Roti
These Tandoori Garlic Rotis are the perfect accompaniment to homemade curries and main course dishes such as various paneer dishes and non-vegetarian dishes.
Here is why you will love these flavor-rich rotis —
- Easy to make with simple pantry staples
- Made with 100% whole wheat
- Healthy and Nutritious
- Nut-free and egg-free
- Free from preservatives or unhealthy additives
- Superior to its store-bought counterparts, and
- Tastes heavenly when smeared with butter!
The best part is that these fragrant and irresistibly delicious tandoori rotis are entirely customizable. They can easily be adapted to fit vegan meal plans.
Plus, they can be varied according to one’s taste buds by adding different herbs and spices or even a myriad of different fillings for an utterly ethereal experience.
Tandoori Garlic Roti Ingredient List
Flour — The base ingredient for this recipe, whole wheat flour, gives structure and flavor to the rotis. Use fresh flour for the most tasteful tandoori garlic rotis.
Baking powder and Baking soda — Collectively, they give the dough a quick rise and add fluffiness to the rotis, preventing them from drying out and turning hard.
Garlic Powder — Adds an intense garlic flavor to the garlic tandoori rotis, taking them to another level.
Sugar — Helps in the proper rising of the dough, which is essential for making soft rotis. It also elevates the flavor of the rotis.
Oil — Makes the dough softer, which produces softer rotis.
Buttermilk — Added to the flour to bring it together instead of using water for this purpose. It helps raise and soften the dough, which is essential for making the best tandoori rotis.
Yogurt — It makes the dough tender and more pliable to roll into rotis.
Butter — Melted butter is used for brushing the cooked rotis to give them extra flavor and a beautiful glaze.
Cilantro leaves — Chopped cilantro leaves remove the bland look of the rotis and add a glamorous look to them besides a pleasant taste.
Garlic — This recipe of tandoori garlic roti derives its garlic flavor from the chopped garlic, which is spread over it after rolling it.
Nigella seeds (Kalonji) — These seeds are spread over the rotis before cooking/ baking them. They lend more charm to the rotis while also adding health benefits.
Recipe Tips and Variations
Add the buttermilk slowly — Buttermilk is added to the flour for kneading it. Add it slowly while bringing it together. Do not add all of it at once because it may make the dough runny and difficult to shape or roll out.
Kneading to perfection — Kneading is essential in bringing elasticity and structure to the dough. Kneading develops the gluten in the dough, an important component that makes it more pliable and lends proper structure to the dough.
Resting time for the dough — Resting time of at least an hour is essential for making soft and tender rotis. During this time, gluten is formed, which results in light, soft and flavorful rotis.
For fixing the sticky dough — You may find your dough turning sticky while kneading. Just dust it with some extra flour and knead it until it is smooth.
Leavening agents — Baking powder and baking soda are the two leavening agents used in the recipe as excellent substitutes for yeast. They react with yogurt and buttermilk and slightly ferment the dough, which produces tender and pillowy soft-textured garlic tandoori rotis.
The thickness of the rotis — While rolling the tandoori garlic roti, ensure not to spread them more than required. Thin rotis will turn out to be hard, dry, and not soft and fluffy as we want them to be. Tandoori rotis make it best when rolled a little thicker.
Vegan version — This recipe can be made vegan by replacing buttermilk with plant-based buttermilk and yogurt with plant-based yogurt. Buttermilk and yogurt made with soy, almond, oat, or other products make the best options.
Tasty toppings — These delicious tandoori garlic rotis can be easily flavored according to your taste by adding spices and herbs of your choice. Dried fenugreek leaves and fresh parsley are excellent choices, while you can add the ground coriander and cumin seeds. Each variation is perfect and can be experimented with when you make these rotis next time.
To keep the rotis warm and soft — Keep the garlic tandoori rotis wrapped in a cloth towel when cooked while you are working on the other rotis. This will let the rotis stay soft and warm for an extended period and also prevent them from drying out.
Let me know what you think!
These amazingly delectable Tandoori garlic rotis are a must-try recipe to accompany your delicious homemade dishes.
You can make them hassle-free using just a tawa (skillet) even if you don’t have a tandoor, and I can guarantee you will carve out a delicious recipe in a few moments!
So, shall we begin with the preparation?
Should you make this Garlicky Tandoori roti, please let me know your thoughts by sharing your comment below. And don’t forget to share it with your family and friends.
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Follow step-by-step instructions to make the best Tandoori Garlic Roti
Tandoori Garlic Roti
INGREDIENTS
NAAN INGREDIENTS
- 2½ cups Whole Wheat flour
- 2½ teaspoons Baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Sugar
- ¼ cup Oil
- ½ cup Buttermilk
- ½ cup Yogurt
TOPPINGS
- 3 tablespoons Melted butter
- ¼ cup Cilantro chopped
- 2 teaspoons Garlic chopped
- ¼ teaspoon Nigella seeds (kalonji)
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large mixing bowl, combine wheat flour, garlic powder, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar. Mix to combine.
- Add yogurt, buttermilk, and oil.
- Mix with a spoon to combine.
- Knead until you form a soft, pliable dough. If needed, add an extra tablespoon of buttermilk.
- Cover with a clean and damp cloth. Leave to rest for 1 hour.
- During the resting period, gluten will develop, and the flour will get hydrated, resulting in a firm dough.
- Remove the cover and knead the dough for a couple of minutes. Flatten the dough.
- Divide the dough into 8 equal logs.
- Roll each log into a ball.
- Cover the dough balls and let them rest for another 30 minutes.
- Dust the surface with flour. Take a dough ball and roll it into the flour. With the help of a rolling pin, shape the dough ball into flat disc-shaped rotis. Move the rolling pin all around the roti. Evenly press the dough as you roll. This way, it will roll evenly from all sides.
- Grease the top part of the rolled roti with butter. Spread chopped garlic and cilantro leaves on top.
- Transfer the garlic roti onto a Tawa by taking it on your palm. But before placing it onto the tawa, brush the plain side of the roti with some water. This will help the roti to stick better onto the Tawa.
- Cook the Tandoori garlic roti on the tawa. When it starts to puff up.
- Flip the tawa over. Lower the heat to medium, and cook the roti over the direct flame.
- Cook until evenly brown from all sides.
- Remove from heat and brush with ghee or butter. Serve hot. PROTIP – While working on the other rotis, store the cooked tandoori Rotis wrapped in a towel. This way, they will not dry out and stay warm for a more extended period.
These came out amazing! I substituted 1/2 cup wheat with 1/2 cup all-purpose flour. This is one thing I never thought I could make at home, but this method is awesome!!
Yay! So glad you liked the recipe, Sharon!
Perfect recipe!! Came out so well. Excellent.
Thank you for the feedback, K!
How to prepare buttermilk for this recipe
Monica, combine milk and vinegar in a bowl. Whisk and set aside for 5 minutes. That is your buttermilk. Make sure the milk is at room temperature.
Hi. love love love your recipes. Subscribed 🙂
Why do you suggest using a Glass mixing bowl?
is it the baking powder & soda that reacts different in glass versus metal or plastic? How does glass help?
Thank you, Cris!
There is no specific reason behind the glass bowl. It’s my personal preference, plus the ingredients are quite noticeable in a glass bowl. 😊 You can use a metal or a plastic bowl too.
Hi
Looooovvveee your recipes!
Where have you been all my life? So glad I found your site.
I singed up for your subscription 🙂
Quick question; Why do suggest we use a glass mixing bowl?
Does a chemical reaction happen if I use metal or plastic? I think it does with metal, but checking anyways. My biggest bowl is plastic or metal. I’ll use the plastic today.
Is glass the most non reactive material and should I use it for everthing?
Very interested in hearing your opinion on this.
Cristine
Thank you for your kind words, Cris!
So glad you liked the recipe. 😊
I’ve been making these for a while and I love them. Mine turn out a bit crispy but I do like the texture. I only just watched the video and saw that you add quite a lot of oil, whereas the recipe says 1tsp. Should I be adding more and would that make them less crispy?
Thanks, Steve
Sorry for the confusion here, Steve. It’s 1/4 cup of oil and yes, oil makes the dough softer, which produces softer rotis.