Khoba Roti

Before you start

• Khoba means a cavity. The pinched pits are not decoration. They catch ghee and stop the thick bread from drying out, which matters in a desert.
• Knead the dough stiffer than you would for a chapati and rest it at least 20 minutes, or the pinched ridges slump flat on the tawa.
• Traditionally the roti is finished over dying coals. A gas flame or a very hot tawa does the same job.

Method

1. Mix the atta with the salt, ajwain and 1 tbsp ghee, rubbing until it feels like breadcrumbs.
2. Add the warm water in stages and knead 8 minutes into a firm, smooth dough. Noticeably stiffer than chapati dough. Cover and rest 20 minutes.Warm water makes a stiff dough pliable. Cold water leaves it tight and it will crack at the edges.
3. Divide into 4. Roll each into a thick disc about 15cm across and a full 1cm deep. Do not roll it thin.
4. Working from the centre out, pinch the surface between thumb and forefinger to raise ridges, leaving a pattern of small pits across the whole disc. Leave a 1cm plain border.Pinch, do not press. You want raised walls and hollows, not dents.
5. Heat a tawa on medium until a drop of water skitters. Lay the roti pinched side up and cook 3 minutes until the base is set and pale brown in patches.
6. Flip and cook the pinched side 2 minutes, pressing only the plain border with a cloth so the ridges keep their shape.
7. Flip back and cook the base another 3-4 minutes on low, turning the roti a quarter turn twice so it cooks evenly. It should sound hollow when tapped.Low and slow. A thick roti browned fast is raw in the middle.
8. Finish the pinched side directly over a low open flame for 30 seconds until the ridge tips char in spots.
9. Brush generously with the remaining ghee while hot so it runs into the pits. Serve with lehsun ki chutney or ker sangri.

Storage

Best eaten straight off the tawa. Keeps 1 day wrapped in a cloth; revive on a dry tawa for 2 minutes a side and re-brush with ghee. Do not microwave, it goes leathery.