Ragi roti
Vegetarian
ರಾಗಿ ರೊಟ್ಟಿ · ragi rotti
A savoury Karnataka breakfast flatbread of finger-millet flour mixed with onion, chilli, coconut and dill, pressed thin by hand straight onto the pan and crisped with a little oil.
Ragi roti is a South Indian bread, ready in about 45 minutes and made with finger millet flour (ragi), onion and green chilli. It serves 5 and is rated intermediate to cook.
No licensed photograph of this dish yet.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Serves
- 5
- Level
- Intermediate
- Calories
- 257
Ingredients
For cooking
Method
Step 1
Mix the ragi flour (opens in a new tab) with the onion (opens in a new tab), chillies, coconut (opens in a new tab), herbs, cumin and salt. Add warm water gradually and knead into a soft, slightly sticky dough. Divide into 5.
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels Step 2
Grease a cool (unheated) frying pan or tawa with ½ tsp oil. Put a ball in the centre and, with wet fingers, press it out into a thin 18 cm round, about 3 mm. Poke 4–5 holes with a finger and drizzle a few drops of oil into them.
No second pan? Pat the roti on oiled parchment or a banana leaf and flip it onto the hot pan.
How it looks · Photo: Muhammad Khawar Nazir on Pexels Step 3
Place over medium heat, cover with a lid and cook 3–4 minutes until the top changes colour and the edges lift. Drizzle oil round the edge, flip and cook 1–2 minutes until crisp.
- 5 min
- medium heat
- Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)
Step 4
Remove, then cool the pan before the next roti — run the underside under cold water or alternate between two pans.
- 15 min
Food safety: Cool the pan under the tap carefully, away from your body; steam spurts off hot metal. Do not do this with thin non-stick pans, which can warp.
About this dish
- Origin
- Karnataka, India · Well documentedMore food from India
- Dish
- Breakfast · Dinner · Breads & flatbreads
- Cooking method
- Pan-fried
- Taste
- earthy, savoury, spicy (chilli heat), herby
- Diet
- Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredientsWith the listed swaps: Whole-food focusedWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · DASH-style - Good for
- Everyday
- Cook more with
- Finger millet flour (ragi) · Onion · Green chilli · Coconut · Coriander leaves · Cumin seeds
- Techniques
- Pan-frying · Kneading
Allergens
None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
257 kcal per serving
Estimated1 serving ≈ 112 g · recipe makes 5
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 8%
- Carbohydrate 51%
- Fat 41%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 257 kcal | 230 kcal |
| Protein | 4.9 g | 4.3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 33.4 g | 29.8 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 31 g | 27.7 g |
| Sugars | 2.1 g | 1.9 g |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 2.4 g | 2.2 g |
| Fat | 12 g | 10.7 g |
| Saturated fat | 2.6 g | 2.3 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | — | — |
| Sodium | 355 mg | 317 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0.9 g | 0.8 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 166 mg
- Calcium
- 19 mg
- Iron
- 2 mg
- Magnesium
- 54 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- —
- Vitamin C
- 8 mg
- Vitamin D
- —
- Vitamin B12
- —
- Folate (DFE)
- 24 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- Optional ingredients are not included: dill.
- Finger millet flour (ragi): Millet flour (FDC 172023) used as a stand-in; finger millet is notably higher in calcium, so calcium is understated.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Thinner rotis crisp better; thick ones stay soft in the middle.
Common mistakes
- Spreading the dough on a hot pan — it sticks and tears.
Serve with
- Serve with coconut chutney, ennegai, or a spoon of butter and spicy chutney powder.
Storage
- Best eaten hot; they toughen as they cool.
Reheating
- Re-crisp in a hot pan.
Variations
- Akki rotti: The same method with rice flour — see the separate recipe.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
What the dish is built around
Main ingredient
- Finger millet flour (ragi)200 g
- Coconut, freshly grated30 g
Baker’s notes
Customise in Bread & BakeryTimeline and readiness cues
Mix and knead · about 45 min
Knead until smooth and soft; it should feel like an earlobe.
- Start to finish: about 45 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.
The dough
| Ingredient | Role | Weight | Baker’s % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finger millet flour (ragi) | Flour | 200 g | 100% |
| Water | Water | 170 g | 85% |
| Onion | Other | 110 g | 55% |
| Coconut | Other | 30 g | 15% |
| Green chilli | Other | 12 g | 6% |
| Coriander leaves | Other | 10 g | 5% |
| Salt | Salt | 5 g | 2.3% |
| Cumin seeds | Other | 1 g | 0.6% |
- Total flour
- 200 g
- Hydration
- 85%
- With milk, eggs…
- 85%
- Wholegrain
- 100%
Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.
- Wet dough (over 75%) — sticky; use wet hands and folds instead of kneading. Ciabatta, focaccia and open sourdough.
- Salt 2.3% — normal for bread.
- 100% wholegrain — absorbs more water and gives a denser, nuttier loaf.
If something goes wrong
Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Tough or chewy flatbread
Likely causes
- Dough too stiff
- Not rested
- Cooked too slowly on too cool a pan
What to do
- Add water until the dough is soft and slightly tacky
- Rest 20–30 minutes covered so the gluten relaxes
- Cook on a very hot tawa or pan — quickly
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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