Tuna Roti

This tuna roti recipe is inspired by the Sri Lankan fish roti. However, making Sri Lankan fish roti involves soaking the dough in oil or leaving the dough to rest for a few hours which makes the dough really soft and pliable. Ours is a more quick and easy version with no oil soak; and you only have to rest the dough while you prepare the filling.

Makes: 16

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 ½ tbsp. oil (for the dough)
• 20 tbsp. hot water
• 1 small onion
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced leeks
• 1 small tomato
• ½ scotch bonnet pepper (or to taste)
• 1 tsp. grated garlic
• 1 tsp. grated ginger
• 1 tbsp. oil (for the filling)
• 5 curry leaves
• 1 tsp. chicken curry powder
• ½ tsp. red chilli powder (or to taste)
• ½ tsp. ground black pepper (or to taste)
• 1 tuna can (180 g)
• 1 cup boiled and mashed potatoes
• ½ tsp. salt (or to taste)
• 1/4 lime
• 1 tsp. oil (for the pan)

Instructions:

1. Combine the flour and the salt in a large bowl. Add in the oil and use your fingers to mix it together with the flour. Gradually add in the water, a couple of tablespoons at a time; also, every time you add in the water mix well using your fingers. Only add as much as needed. Knead the dough until it is soft and elastic. It shouldn’t be sticking to your fingers and it also shouldn’t be too dry. When you are done with the kneading, cover the bowl and let the dough rest while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2. Dice the onion, slice the leeks thinly, quarter the tomato and cut it into ½ cm thick pieces and thinly slice the scotch bonnet pepper. Grate the garlic and ginger.
3. Add the oil to a large pot and heat it up. Once heated, add the onion, curry leaves and scotch bonnet pepper. Stir fry until the onion softens and then add the ginger and garlic and stir fry again for another minute or until the garlic and ginger soften.
4. Add the tomatoes and leeks and stir fry for another minute.
5. Add the chicken curry powder, chilli powder and ground black pepper to the pot and stir fry for another minute.
6. Add the tuna can, mix well to combine and then add the mashed potatoes and mix again.
7. Have a taste, add salt according to your preference. We added half a teaspoon. Squeeze in the lime. Adjust the spiciness to your preference too. Give everything one last good mix and then switch off the stove. Let the mixture cool down a bit.
8. Going back to the dough now. Divide the dough into 16 equal portions. Take one portion and roll it into a rectangle of roughly 5 inches long and 4 inches wide.
9. Lay the rolled out dough piece on a plate; long side on the vertical axis. Scoop 2 tsp. of the tuna filling and place it at the center of the dough piece; shape it into a line of about 3 inches along the vertical axis. Fold the ends of the vertical axis over the filling. Then fold the sides of the horizontal axis over the filling. Now you should have a sort of a long dough “pillow” with the filling inside. Place it on a clean plate. Repeat the process until you run out of dough and filling.
10. Heat a pan and add a teaspoon of oil to it and then use a piece of tissue paper to spread it around evenly. You can skip this step if you are using a nonstick pan.
11. Once the pan is well heated gently lay the first batch of tuna rotis on it. When you see brown patches on the bottom, flip it over and cook the other side. You can use tongs to get all sides cooked. When cooked properly the rotis will look white with brown patches. You can keep the heat on medium throughout. When done, remove to a plate and repeat with the other batches.