Makki Di Roti / Corn Tortillas - Punjab

Coming to the beautiful state of Punjab. Punjab’s name is derived from “Panch / Punj” means five and “ab” means water. A land of 5 rivers. From wiki – “Punjab is one of the most fertile regions on earth. The region is ideal for wheat-growing. Rice, sugar cane, fruits and vegetables are also grown. Indian Punjab is called the "Granary of India" or "India's bread-basket". It produces 10.26% of India's cotton, 19.5% of India's wheat, and 11% of India's rice. The Fazilka and Ferozpur Districts are the largest producers of wheat and rice in the state. In worldwide terms, Indian Punjab produces 2% of the world's cotton, 2% of its wheat and 1% of its rice. People in the area of Lahore and Amritsar prefer stuffed parathas and dairy products which is well known in the area for the quality of its milk products. There are certain dishes which are exclusive to Punjab, such as sarson da saag and makki di roti. The main masala in a Punjabi dish consists of onion, garlic and ginger. Tandoori food is a Punjabi specialty. The largest cultivated crop is wheat. Other important crops are rice, cotton, sugarcane, pearl millet, maize, barley and fruit. The infrastructure of Punjab has been rated the best in India. ”….
Flash back about 8 years - I was asking my husband, what is his favorite North Indian food for eating outside.. He said Makki Roti.. Me - I have never heard of it.. So what is makki roti? I started to ask all the restaurants around as to who is serving makki roti.. Most of the restaurants around had roti, naan and types of stuffed roti and kulchas.. But none of them had makki roti.. And then went to google search and landed on a place called Punjab sweets which was about 30 miles drive from our house. I called them and asked - "Do you have makki roti" and I still remember that answer - "Makki di roti Sarson ka Saag gu".. And I was like - yaay!! Found one restauramt serving it.. So asked them - "Till what time are you open".. They said "until 8 pm". I was like - what??? Meaning we have start from our house at 6pm.. Ok then plan finalized.. We all came from office early - around 5.30 pm and started to this restaurant.. It was peak hour, so the traffic was high and finally reached the place around 7pm.. It looked more like a sweet shop than a restaurant. Now I had my doubts - did I hear properly??? Anyways we went inside and there was a line to order.. While waiting in the line, my eyes fell on the board there which had the menu.. No Menu card!!! The menu said - Makki Di Roti and Sarson Ka Saag.. I was so relieved and happy.. Then we ordered so many stuff there and stuffed ourselves with all the delicious items there.. We also ordered some sweets to go.. After that experience this place was on our monthly visit.. Now I wanted to make this at home and surprise my husband.. So I googled for the recipes.. And most of the ingredients look different from what is in our pantry.. I never had corn flour or makki atta in our house.. Never buy mustard greens.. Never use mustard oil.. So I had a list to buy before I could make it.. I bought them all.. And I made it at home and everybody were super excited!!! Initially I bought them – corn flour, mustard greens from Indian grocery stores, but I realized that corn flour is available in all the American Grocery stores also as it is an important ingredient to make the Corn Tortillas which are so authentic to Mexico. Corn Tortillas are made from the flour called Masa which was initially stone ground from corn. Now a days, flour mills and electronic machines are used. This recipe makes 12 - 16 rotis.
Ingredients
Makki Ka Atta (Corn Flour) – 2 cups
Salt – 1 ½ tea spoon
Ajwain (Carom Seeds) – ¼ tea spoon
Radish (grated) – ¼ cup (optional)
Hot Water – ½ cup – ¾ cup
Ghee for pan frying
Butter – for serving


Method In a mixing bowl, add the corn flour, salt and ajwain and mix well. Add the radish without squeezing out the liquid. Heat water in a microwave for 90 seconds.
Add the hot water to the corn flour mixture, 3 table spoon at a time. After adding 3 times, try to make a fist full of the dough and if it holds shape, knead very well and make a dough. Add more water as needed.
Make 1 ½ inches diameter balls out of the dough and keep them covered to ensure that they do not dry out. Wet your hands very well and take one ball and place them in the roti maker. I even dip it in water ¼ way through the water for 1 second. The better hydrated the dough, the easier it is to work with.
The best and the easiest way to make the rotis are to use the roti maker. I tried making it with plate covered with plastic and it kept breaking apart. Heat up the roti maker and once hot (it needs to be hot), make a roti by pressing not too hard. It will be thicker than regular roti.

Transfer the roti to a very hot (400 degrees) tawa or sauté pan and cook on both sides. Each side takes around a minute. Brush with ghee on each side when making the roti.
Once you see brown spots on both sides, the roti is done. Transfer it to an insulated container and keep them covered.
Serve as is or top it with butter. The best and most famous side dish is sarson ka saag…


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