Missi Roti

While a standard chapati is made exclusively from whole wheat flour (atta), missi roti incorporates a significant portion of besan (gram flour or chickpea flour). This combination gives the North Indian flatbread a denser texture and a distinctly nutty, savory flavor profile.

Missi roti is typically seasoned with a blend of aromatic spices including ajwain (carom seeds), cumin seeds, turmeric, and crushed coriander. Many recipes also call for finely chopped onions, green chilies, and fresh herbs like cilantro or fenugreek leaves to be kneaded directly into the dough.

The dough is rolled into flat rounds and traditionally cooked on a tava, which is a flat or slightly concave cast-iron griddle used widely in Indian cooking. It is often finished by cooking it directly over an open flame to make it puff up, and then generously smeared with ghee before serving.

No, missi roti is not gluten-free because it is made by mixing besan with wheat flour, which contains gluten. To make a gluten-free version, one would have to substitute the wheat flour entirely with a gluten-free alternative, though this significantly alters the traditional texture and pliability of the bread.