Makki di Rotiਮੱਕੀ ਦੀ ਰੋਟੀ
⏱ Prep 15m🍳 Cook 20m🍽 Serves 4🌿 Vegan
Video: Cook With Rupam Sehtya (YouTube)
Makki di Roti is Punjab's beloved corn flatbread — dense, earthy, and deeply nourishing. Made from coarse maize flour and shaped by hand (never a rolling pin), each roti carries the gentle smoke of a cast-iron tawa. Paired with sarson da saag and a generous knob of white butter, it is the quintessential winter meal of the Punjab plains.
📍 Make it in Plano
This recipe is the same everywhere — but where you buy the ingredients and eat the dish is local to you.
Finding Desi spots near Plano…
Ingredients
- ▪Makki atta (corn/maize flour)2 cups
- ▪Warm water¾ cup, plus more as needed
- ▪Salt1 tsp
- ▪Ajwain (carom seeds) — omit for a milder roti½ tsp
- ▪Green chilies, finely chopped2
- ▪Fresh ginger, finely grated1 tsp
- ▪Fresh methi (fenugreek) leaves, roughly chopped¼ cup
- ▪Ghee or neutral oilfor cooking
🌍 Cooking abroad? Substitutions
- Outside India, look for makki atta labelled fine corn flour or maize flour in South Asian grocery stores. Mexican masa harina (used for tortillas) is a workable stand-in — it is also nixtamalized corn flour and gives a similar soft texture. Do not use cornmeal or polenta, which are too coarse.
- Fresh methi leaves: use 1 tbsp of dried kasuri methi (rub between your palms to wake up the aroma) or simply omit — the roti is delicious plain too.
- Ghee: for a fully vegan version, use coconut oil or vegan butter; both give a good finish on the tawa.
Method
- 1Combine makki atta, salt, ajwain, green chilies, ginger, and methi leaves in a wide bowl. Mix well.
- 2Add warm water a little at a time, kneading into a soft, pliable dough. Makki dough has no gluten and will crack at the edges — work quickly and keep your palms damp.
- 3Divide into 6–8 equal balls. To shape: place a ball on a damp muslin cloth, flatten with your palm, then pat outward into a round roughly 6 inches wide and ¼ inch thick. Do not use a rolling pin — it will split the dough.
- 4Heat a tawa (cast-iron griddle) over medium heat. Slide the roti onto the tawa using the cloth as a guide.
- 5Cook 2–3 minutes until the underside shows golden-brown spots. Flip carefully and cook the second side another 2–3 minutes, pressing gently with a folded cloth.
- 6Apply ghee generously on both sides while still hot. Serve immediately — makki di roti firms up as it cools.
- 7Traditionally served with sarson da saag, sliced white onion, and a spoonful of fresh white butter (makhan).
A Desi.Net original recipe · part of our Indian Cuisine library. Confirm details and adjust to taste.