Spinach Roti (Chapati)

Spinach roti is a super-soft unleavened Indian flatbread that is packed with spinach leaves. Rotli/roti/phulka/chapati - whatever you choose to call them, kids and adults alike will love these colourful rotis that are made from just 3-ingredients! This healthy and flavourful palak ki roti is made from spinach puree and wholewheat atta. For traditional and simple chapatis, our Round and Soft Gujarati Rotli or Whole Wheat Roti are the perfect curry companion.

 

Spinach Roti (Chapati/Tortilla)

Looking at the vivid green colour, I bet you are wondering what these taste like.

They have a mild earthy flavour but not overwhelmingly like spinach (happy days for those who aren't a fan of it).

This makes them great to eat with any of your favourite curries. The texture is that of a quintessential Gujarati rotli - thin and pillowy soft.

We have barely cooked the spinach to retain as much of the nutrients as possible - just a quick blanch.

I did not drain any water from cooking the spinach and added all of the goodness into the rotli.

We have used wholewheat atta (chapati flour) which has the highest fibre content. The whole grain of the wheat including the bran is used.

Difference between Spinach Roti and Spinach Paratha

These rotlis only have a little pinch of salt and spinach added to them. There are no extra spices or flavourings. Rotlis are soft and can be cooked directly on the flame.

Spinach Parathas are flavoured with both spinach puree and usually have an addition of green chillies. They are spicier and can be eaten alone or with food. They are coated with oil on cooking. Parathas are crispy and flaky.

We previously made Palak Paratha with a spiced paneer and pea stuffing. Palak Paneer and Mattar Paratha - as delicious and wholesome as they sound!

Inspired by those ideas, we made Farali Palak Poori - deep-fried Indian flatbreads with spinach. Pooris are smaller and have a tough, hard dough. They rise and have a flaky texture.

How to make Gluten-free Roti:

Can be made gluten-free by using a gluten-free flour such as farali flour, gram flour (besan) millet flour (bajri aata) maize flour (makke ka aata) sorghum flour (jowar aata)  or rice flour (available in Indian groceries)

Tips on how to make soft chapatis:

1. Use fresh flour every time and do not add plain flour to bulk up the atta
2. Use lukewarm but never boiling water
3. Add the water gradually
4. Give yourself time to knead the dough well
5. Do not roll the roti dough with too much pressure
6. Refrain from coating the dough in too much dry flour when rolling out
7. Cook the rotis on medium flame, a low flame will make the rotis chewy
8. The most important one ... PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT 🙂

Ingredients 

1. Spinach - a big bag of fresh spinach is needed for this recipe.

2. Atta - we have used wholewheat chakki atta but you can also use wholemeal or brown chapati flour too.

3. Salt

4. Oil - use a flavourless oil such as sunflower oil

Can I use frozen spinach?

Definitely, yes. First, thaw the spinach in a microwave then cook for a minute or so and make a puree.

How to make soft Spinach Roti

Bhaji rotis can be made in less than 40 minutes and prepared in three steps. First, make spinach puree, the Second step is to make a soft and pliable dough and the third step is to roll out and cook rotis. 

SPINACH PUREE

1. Add water in spinach.
2. Flash cook spinach.
3. Puree spinach and its cooking water.

4. Take atta in a mixing bowl or wide plate (part)

5. Add salt.