Recipe for Sindhi Koki

A rich, textured parantha from the Sindhi community, the Koki is a roti made with whole wheat flour and ghee, and flavoured with an assortment of spices and seeds.

Crumbed into pebbly dough, like you would shortcrust, I watched my grandmother make these for her husband, served alongside a ball of homemade white butter. The correct way to eat this is to brown it till it gets crusty, then hold it edge-wise over a plate and crush it with a big clap while it is still hot. Read the full story of Hena's Koki.
 

Recipe for Koki
Ingredients
2 cups atta
3 tbsp ghee, plus 3 tbsp more
1 tsp salt
1 onion, chopped fine
3 green chillies, chopped fine
2 tbsp coriander, chopped fine
1/2 cup water
Dried Pomegranate Seeds (optional) 1 tsp

Method
Place the atta, salt, onion, green chilli and coriander (plus pomegranate seeds, if using) in a large mixing bowl. Mix this with your fingers.
Add 3 tbsp ghee to this mixture and continue to work it like you would for pastry crust -- breading with your fingertips, to make a pebbly dough.
Add water bit by bit, pressing the dough together rather than kneading it, to form a shaggy ball that just about holds together.
Divide the dough into two and roll each of them out into a thick roti. Aim for even thickness so that it cooks evenly. It’s okay if the edges crack as you roll it out. Just keep patching it up as you go. If you find that the roti is thicker around the edges, use your fingers to flatten it out on the tawa itself. 
Heat a tawa and place the roti on it. If you find that the roti is thicker around the edges, use your fingers to flatten it out on the tawa itself. Cook on one side over low flame for 2-3 minutes, then flip your koki to continue cooking on the other side for another 2 minutes. If your koki breaks during flipping, that’s perfectly alright. This just means that you have added more ghee to your koki, and it will actually taste better.  
When you’re ready for the next flip, increase the heat to medium, add a pat of ghee to the koki and flip again, pressing down with a kitchen cloth or flat spatula to ensure it cooks evenly. When the roti forms a golden crust on one side, add more ghee and flip and repeat on the other side. Your final result should be a good dark golden crust with a few black spots. Serve hot with dahi or hot ginger tea.

This recipe is a #1000Kitchens feature!

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