Today, I am going to share a recipe that I learnt about from Dr. M B Kavita Bhat who has extensively researched the free radical scavenging action of this barley roti and found it to be really helpful in boosting immunity. She calls it the 'radical scavenging roti'.
She infuses some spices into roasted and finely ground hulled barley flour and creates a wonderfully delicious recipe. Roasting the hulled barley is said to enhance the antioxidant action of these grains.
Without much ado, let me go straight to the recipe.
Serves one person with a good appetite. (Adjust the proportions according to your appetite or number of people)
Ingredients:
Hulled barley flour - 1 cup
(To be roasted on a medium flame until it is slightly reddish and then ground into a fine powder)
(Pot barley flour can be used if hulled barley is not available)
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Triphala - 1/2 tsp
Black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Dry ginger powder - 1/2 tsp
Long pepper powder (Pippali) - 1/2 tsp (Can be skipped if unavailable)
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Carom seeds (Ajwain) - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp or to taste
Ghee - 2 tsps to 4 tsps
Sesame oil - 2 tsps to 4 tsps
Water - as needed for kneading the dough
Please do try the recipe with whatever spices you have if you don't have everything.
Procedure:
a. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl except water. Then slowly add water little by little kneading it well for a few minutes. Make a soft but firm dough.
b. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes to 30 minutes.
c. Make lime sized balls of the dough and roll it into a smooth ball.
d. Heat a frying pan on medium heat.
e. Dust a little barley flour on a rolling board. With gentle pressure, flatten the dough and roll it into a thin round bread. You can dip the ball in plain barley flour to help it not stick to the board. If you observe that the edges start to crack, try and smooth the edges and then continue rolling without exerting a lot of pressure.
f. Transfer this rolled round dough onto the frying pan.
g. Let it cook on a medium heat for about 10-15 seconds. Flip it over every 10 seconds until you see some browning on the bread.
h. Take it off the heat and put it inside a casserole lined with some tissues.
i. Continue making the rotis with the entire dough.
j. Serve it hot with some ghee and jaggery or with a simple curry. You can also roll it up with some honey after it has cooled down a bit and enjoy.
Doshic benefits and variations:
The addition of the spices balances the properties of barley and is suited for all the doshas with good agni. This roti is good to be consumed in the colder winter months.
Variations:
This roti can be eaten on its own. You can try to pair it with a simple curry if you have a good appetite. If you tend to have an average appetite, try to eat it with ghee and jaggery.
This recipe can be made without all the spices too. But it would be ideal to at least use asafoetida, dry ginger powder, salt and ghee in this roti for consumption in the warmer months.