This soft and delicious rice rotti is made using soaked raw rice, not ready-made rice flour. The rice is soaked for a couple of hours and ground into a smooth batter. The batter is then cooked until it thickens into a soft dough, which is kneaded, divided into portions, rolled, and cooked on a tava.
The special cooking method helps make these rottis soft, tender, and easy to eat. Sesame seeds and cumin seeds add a wonderful aroma and mild flavor without the need for many spices.
This is a simple vegan and naturally gluten-free rice rotti made with just a few basic ingredients. Since the rice is ground after soaking, the dough has a soft texture, and the finished rotti remains softer than many traditional rice-flour rotis.
It makes a delicious breakfast or light meal and can be served with coconut chutney, vegetable palya, sambar, or any curry of your choice. The rottis are especially enjoyable when served hot and fresh from the tava.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups raw rice
• 3 cups water, approximately
• 1½ tsp salt, or salt to taste
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds
• Dry rice flour, as needed for rolling
• Oil, as needed for greasing

Method:

Prepare the Rice Batter:

1. Wash the rice thoroughly and soak it in 2 cups of water for at least 2 hours. Soaking the rice is important for achieving a smooth batter and soft rotti.
2. After soaking, transfer a little of the soaking water to a cup. Grind the soaked rice to a fine, smooth consistency. Add some of the reserved water while grinding as needed.
3. Transfer the ground rice batter to a thick-bottomed pan.
4. Add salt, sesame seeds, and cumin seeds. Mix everything well.
5. Add enough water to make the batter thin, similar to the consistency of neer dosa batter. I used approximately 2¾ cups of water in total, including the water used for soaking and grinding.

Cook the Dough:

1. Place the pan over medium heat and cook the batter, stirring continuously.
2. As the batter cooks, it will gradually thicken and come together to form a soft dough. Continue stirring so that the dough cooks evenly and does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
3. Once the batter has thickened sufficiently, turn off the heat.
4. Cover the pan and allow the dough to cool slightly until it becomes warm enough to handle.

Prepare the Rotti:

1. Grease your hands with a little oil and knead the warm dough well. Kneading helps bring the dough together and gives the rotti a soft texture.
2. Divide the dough into approximately 20 equal portions and keep them ready.
3. Grease a tava and heat it over medium-low heat.
4. Take one portion of the dough and roll it like a chapati. Use a little dry rice flour for dusting while rolling to prevent the dough from sticking.
5. Once the tava is hot, carefully place the prepared rotti on it.
6. Cook the rotti on both sides as shown in the video. Cook until it is done and lightly roasted on both sides.
7. Remove the cooked rotti from the tava and repeat the same process with the remaining portions of dough.
8. Serve the soft rice rotti hot with your favorite chutney, sambar, curry, or vegetable palya.

Recipe Notes:

1. No rice flour is used to make the dough. The rotti is made entirely from soaked and ground rice.
2. Dry rice flour is used only for dusting while rolling the rotti.
3. The amount of water may vary slightly depending on the type of rice and how much water the rice absorbs while soaking.
4. The batter should be thin before cooking, similar to neer dosa batter.
5. Avoid overcooking the dough, as keeping it soft helps produce softer rottis.
6. Keep the cooked dough covered while preparing the rottis so it does not dry out.
7. This recipe is vegan and naturally gluten-free, provided the rice flour used for dusting is certified gluten-free if cross-contamination is a concern.