Dhal Puri Roti or Roti Skins – Indian Heritage in Trinidad and the Caribbean

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• 200 g peas (split peas)
• 1 pinch of saffron powder
• 3 garlic cloves
• 600 g flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 350 ml water, approx.
• Salt
• ½ tsp cumin powder (Geerah)
• 1 pinch(s) chili powder, hot
• Ghee
• Flour for the work surface

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Rest time approx. 50 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 2 hours 30 minutes

constant companion to Caribbean curries

Cook the split peas with saffron, a little salt, and a clove of garlic until soft. This should take about 45 minutes. Drain, add two more cloves of garlic and a pinch of hot chili powder, and mince. Alternatively, you can also puree them with an immersion blender. Season with salt and geerah to taste. While the peas are cooking, prepare the dough. Mix the flour with baking powder and 0.5 teaspoon of salt, slowly add the water, and knead until a smooth dough forms. Divide the dough into eight balls, wrap in plastic wrap, and let rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Make a hole in each ball and fill with about 2 tablespoons of the pea mixture. Seal the hole tightly and let rest for another 20 minutes. Then roll out thinly on a floured surface. Grease a large pan with ghee, bring to medium heat, and fry the roti, one at a time, for about 2 minutes on each side. The result is a thin, soft dough flatbread filled with a layer of spicy pea puree. Let it cool and serve with a Caribbean or Indian curry.