Roomali Roti or Rumali Roti or Manda is a popular soft, and thin unleavened Indian bread served in restaurants and street food carts. ‘Roomal’ in Hindi means handkerchief. It is also quite popular in Pakistan and is called ‘Lamboo Roti’, which means long in Punjabi. This roti is so thin that it can folded like a handkerchief hence the name.
Roomali Roti has its origin that dates to the Mughal Era. It is believed that during the Royal meals, Roomali Roti was used as a handkerchief to wipe off excess oil from the food. The Royal Chefs kept Roomali Roti on the table for the kings to use as a handkerchief to wipe their hands after meals.
It is mesmerizing to watch chefs prepare roomali roti as professional chefs toss the dough in air similar to how pizza base is prepared in pizzerias creating a wafer-thin roti instead of using rolling pins. The roti is cooked on an inverted kadai on high heat and takes seconds to cook.
Roomali Roti is prepared with flour and has a secret ingredient of mashed banana. Mashed Banana gives elasticity to the dough hence it is easy to stretch and roll super thin. I will be honest; I am not a professional chef hence there is no flipping in the air for me. I roll it super thin using a rolling pin and cook on an inverted kadai. These homemade Roomali Rotis are slightly smaller than restaurants but that is only because I do not own a massive kadai like the ones used in restaurants. Roomali Roti is quite easy to make at home and can be prepared on inverted kadai or tawa or the biggest pan you own (keep it inverted on direct flame).
Roomali Roti can be served with North Indian recipes like Dal Makhani, Paneer Butter Masala, Paneer Lababdar, Achari Paneer, Kadai Paneer, Paneer Kolhapuri and Paneer Jalfrezi to name a few.
