Fake Roti

Gross! I can vouch Ziggy's had real roti skins.

My favorite, ACE Roti Shop, uses the real thing, but unfortunately, as happens way too often....they have cut back on the amount of "goodies and sauce". We used to recommend them all the time. Haven't been in a long while. 🙁

I experienced this as well when I was in St. Thomas. They even billed it as "authentic" which was hilarious. More like a "burroti" than a roti.

What is a real roti wrapped in? I've had only real ones, as far as I know, but I don't know what it was.

Where I used to go for rotis closed in Smith Bay (don't know the name, if there was a name) and haven't had one in a long time. My friends and I are craving for some good rotis on STT.

Where on island can we go? Name and good directions please.

Thank you!

It's wrapped in a very thin dough that is made with flour, butter, water and milk mixture and fried in a light oil, like peanut oil. It is shiny-like and rectangular shaped. Light brown colored. That is the best I can explain the wrap.

I would say mostly East Indians and Trinidadians know how to make good rotis. That is where they originate from.
But anyone can learn, if they practice enough or learn from someone experienced in making real rotis.

But the roti is made with chick pea flour, I think, not regular wheat flour.

This lady delivers OK roti (a little dry for my taste, but I like lots of sauce, too!) Call 776-5671 any week day, and ask for the roti lady. She also has baked goods.

Many people like the Roti Palace at the bottom of Pollyberg Hill, but everytime I've tried to go they were closed or roti wasn't ready.

Sigh.

Ideal Restaurant on lower Garden Street (1st bldg. on the right after the Back Street stoplight/intersection, if walking N from Main St.) has authentic Trinidadian rotis. VERY popular with the Main St. crowd as well as West Indian cruise ship crews. Limited seating, mostly takeout. Traditional roti wraps hand-made on-site. Owned/operated by Trinidadian family.

The people on this board wouldn't know what a roti is even if it hit them in the face......

Cruz...that is ignonant and not nice to say. What makes you think that? What makes you the expert?

I'm no expert. But I do know, there are different ingredients to roti. Whether it be the roti bread or the stuffing.

Roti Palace's location isn't the best. No parking and the road construction makes it worse. It does get voted best place to buy rotis in the Daily News. Never went there due the parking situation and it always looks closed.

Time for me to make a few phone calls.

The people on this board wouldn't know what a roti is even if it hit them in the face......

That is just about the most unprovoked, inappropriate post I've seen on the board in the years I've been hanging out here. And, believe me, I've seen some doozies, but usually because of a difference of opinion about something social/economic, etc. That's just an ugly slap in the face (with a roti:@)), Cruz, and you should be ashamed of yourself.

The people on this board wouldn't know what a roti is even if it hit them in the face......

That is just about the most unprovoked, inappropriate post I've seen on the board in the years I've been hanging out here. And, believe me, I've seen some doozies, but usually because of a difference of opinion about something social/economic, etc. That's just an ugly slap in the face (with a roti:@)), Cruz, and you should be ashamed of yourself.

It wasn't just a roti. It was a Buss up Shot! 😉

Cruz trying to be funny with Trini creole. Buss up shot is a type of roti bread. It means bust up shirt- torn shirt. Torn roti bread cause it very thin before being stuffed with the filling. Maybe somebody should knock some sense into Cruz with a tawah. 🙂

Thanks Beachcomber....I wouldn't dare let Cruz know I didn't know what that was...:P LOL

I'm going to try Ideal Restaurant that xXxRUDExXx recommended, as it was also recommended. I was given their phone number, I will call for their hours.

Was also told to try Roti Palace like ms411. If & when I try them, I will call first to get their hours open.

Still going to make a few other phone calls, to see if others know about any other restaurants/cooks.

Thanks for those who were helpful.

Try me Cruz! Hit me in the face with good roti! One bite at a time if you would. Aim for my mouth, if you wll. When I finish it I will tell you if it is good roti or not! 😎

roti is plain
the roti with the yellow pea in it is called dal roti...
roti is not hard to make...
the main thing to making roti is to make sure you have kneaded it just enough and to make sure that you roll them out very thin thin thin before you put them on the tawah to cook...and use very little oil each time...just a light amount dabbed on with a paper or brush...place them while hot on a towel covered plate and keep it covered whenever you add another...
after the roti is cooked that is when you put in fillings such as curry channa and potato mix with some tamarind sauce on top...then roll it up and eat...

DAL ROTI (taught to me by trinidadian friend while living on st. croix)

3/4 regular flour
1/4 self rising flour
soft butter (scoop a good amount in your hand)...can use soy butter as well.
milk...undiluted can milk or whole milk works best (or soy milk)
a bit of water
(you can use any amount of these ingredients as long as they are equal to above in larger amounts...i would use 1 1/2 cup of regular and 1/2 cup of self rising to start until you learn...no sense in wasting)

filling

soak a bag of yellow split pea or channa (chick peas) over night

the day you are making the roti, cut up about 3 large cloves of garlic.

drain and pat dry in a towel the soaked legumes.

put in food processor (or hand crank with finest plate inserted) with the garlic and about a teaspoon of garam masala or ground black cumin seeds.

pulse (or grind) until mixture is fine.

it will be dry but must be fine (do not over process/grind because you do not want it to be mush) the consistency should be ALMOST like a sugar cinnamon mix...but not quite as fine.

set mixture aside.

put flours in large bowl
add the softened butter (i would say about 1/3 cup)
mix until crumbly...
add the milk and water mixture...not all at once...
you want the dough to be like biscuit dough but shinier (not crumbly)...if dough looks dull add a bit more butter...

let raise

punch down and let it raise a little more.

then you break off pieces a little bigger than a golf ball.

in palm of your hand, hold a dough ball and make an indention in it with your thumb.

add about a teaspoon of the pea mixture and bring dough around it...twisting it at bottom and tucking it (like you do pizza dough) gently form into ball.

place on lightly floured surface...continue doing this until you have used all the dough.

(you will have pea mixture left and this can be frozen and used again the next time)

cover the balls with a towel and let raise again.

lightly flour the counter

this is the tricky part...you have to roll each piece out very thinly without tearing the dough...roll out as thinly as you can...(you do not want to puncture the pea mixture, as when the roti is cooking and puffs...the pea mixture is in the middle of both sides...you see me?)

i do not advise rolling them all out at once...maybe four at a time

heat your tawa or your flat cast iron skillet

dipping a paper towel in a bit of oil...LIGHTLY oil the pan...do NOT use olive oil or a heavy oil...peanut oil is light and can take the heat...do NOT heat on high...you want a nice even heat

working quickly, place a rolled out piece of dough on tawa (or griddle)

DO NOT KEEP IT ON IT LONG...keep a diligent eye on it.

when it just starts to puff...turn it over (use your fingers)...when it puffs again, take it off...should be hardly brown...should have little dots of brown but not all brown...that would make them too hard.

repeat this with each piece...lightly oiling tawa each time...

lay the finished roti on a flat plate or pan...separating each one with a paper towel...

when serving, scoop filling of choice in middle, fold over and enjoy

walaaaa...you have roti

(you can plain roti using the same process, by leaving the pea mixture out if you want to use the roti with honey or some such other thing)

Irijah, good recipe. Tooooo much work for me...LOL.

Just found out a friend's relative makes roti. Will visit when she making it 🙂

i am one of the lucky ones, there is a lady who delivers roti on st. thomas... so we enjoy them at work, often.

i have never had a roti made with anything but the chickpea skin, so i am trying to imagine a flour tortilla... ugh!

saints be praised.

@ Anita Davis

Do you have the phone number of the delivery roti lady?

Anita, please, do share.

I'm sure she would like all the business she can get in this economy. 🙂

@ ms411

Can you please out the businesses/restaurants/shops that are passing fake rotis?

I wouldn't want to give them ANY business from me or my friends, even if we are not ordering rotis. Don't want to give them our hard earned money!

But the roti is made with chick pea flour, I think, not regular wheat flour.

This lady delivers OK roti (a little dry for my taste, but I like lots of sauce, too!) Call 776-5671 any week day, and ask for the roti lady. She also has baked goods.

Many people like the Roti Palace at the bottom of Pollyberg Hill, but everytime I've tried to go they were closed or roti wasn't ready.

Sigh.

Don't know who it was at St John Carnival (saw somebody eating them, and they pointed to a booth across the park).

The restaurant in STT is Jen's Caribbean Grill in the Grand Hotel. Voted Best Restaurant for Lunch one year by either Frommer's or Fodor's.