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Indian cuisine as a whole showcases the diversity this country has with each state offering a stellar range of regional delicacies that is beyond one’s imagination. Be it the rustic curries, the robust spices, the unique flatbreads, the wholesome thalis or sinful desserts, you’ll get it all in every state’s local cuisine. Rajasthani cuisine is no different. While the mere mention of the cuisine might remind you of the rich gatta curry or fiery lal maas, the truth is Rajasthani cuisine is brimming with lot more. Including some interesting flatbreads.
The variety of interesting rotis that the royal state boasts of; from Bajra ki Roti, Bejad ki Roti and Khoba, is mind-boggling. But my recent trip to the desert land introduced me to one unique roti that impressed and satiated me to no end – The Tikkad Roti. Cooked with oodles of ghee, tikkad roti is flavoured with onion, ginger, garlic and more. It is primarily an unleavened flatbread made with equal portion of maize and wheat flour and is then spiced with a host of spices and vegetables. Tikkad literally means a big ‘tikia’ or a baati, which is essentially paired with dal. It means something which is cooked on fire. The best part about tikkad is that you don’t need any curry or sabzi to pair with it. The flavourful roti can be paired with just your favourite pickle or the staple lehsun (garlic) ki chutney. And that’s exactly what I did when I got the chance to relish the crunchy delight layered with poppy seeds on top, at a local eatery near Alwar city. While we had a complete traditional meal with paneer, dal tadka and aloo tamatar sabzi, served to us in a pattal made of dried leaves, my eyes were set on garlic chutney and tikkad roti. All I did was gulp down glasses of chaas after chaas under the hot sun and noshed upon tikkad rotis with lehsun chutney.
Upon having a conversation with the locals, I found out how easy it is to actually make it at home! You can even make it with leftover rotis. All you need to do is combine maize and wheat flour with spices such as ginger, garlic, chilli powder, green chilllies and salt. Knead into a dough and cook it over hot pan with some ghee. Here we have a recipe with a tangy addition of tomatoes to it.
Find the full recipe of Rajasthani tikkad here. You can pair these with chilled curd in the summer heat or simply enjoy with a pickle or your choice if chutney. Let us know your experience.
