THIS IS MY DAD’S COMFORT FOOD, A DISH CREATED IN HIS HOME WHEN HE WAS A CHILD. IT’S BEEN PASSED ONTO MY SIBLINGS AND ME. ONCE YOU TRY IT, I SWEAR YOU’LL WANT TO EAT IT FOREVER.
Roti Ka Salan is Urdu for “bread curry.” Sound simple? It is. It’s a curry made from leftover stale bread that you may normally throw away. Nothing goes to waste here.
The bread used in my dad’s home recipe is a chapati, a wheat bread that’s a staple in many South Asian homes. Ideally, that’s what you’d use. But if you don’t have any chapatis, you can use store-bought tortillas. That’s what I do.
You will also need curry leaves, a South Asian herb. You can find them in specialty stores, particularly South Asian ones. If not, you should be able to get them online.
One final point. Don’t worry too much about the exact measurements in this recipe. Keep tasting as you go along. This recipe is all about your personal tastes. In the end, you may well create your own version of a Roti Ka Salan.
HERE’S MY TAKE:
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 16 oz. can of crushed tomato (organic, no salt added)
- 1 28 oz. can of crushed tomato (organic, no salt added)
- 8-10 curry leaves
- 1 pack of organic flour tortillas (about 15 oz.)
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- vegetable oil for frying (about 2 tbsp)
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less, to your preference)
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- Big handful of coriander or cilantro, roughly chopped
*Don’t forget to scroll down for your Savory Sounds cooking soundtrack.
METHOD:
- Heat the oil in a pan. Add the curry leaves and fry for a couple of minutes.
- Add the onions and fry until translucent.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and stir well.
- Add the cumin, cayenne, salt and sugar. Stir and let the mixture stew over a medium heat.
- Prepare the bread. In a bowl, add some warm water (straight from the tap is fine). Tear your bread or tortilla into pieces and drop them into the water. Soak the bread for about two minutes. Don’t allow the bread to soften too much, or it will break up in the curry later.
- Carefully add the bread to the tomato mixture. Add about a cup of water from the bowl to the mixture too.
- Mix well and allow the mixture to stew. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Add the coriander or cilantro leaves. Mix well.
SAVORY SOUNDS
IT’S SUMMER, FESTIVAL SEASON, AND WHAT’S BIGGER THAN GLASTONBURY.
The Killers surprised the crowd with this song, their first in five years.
Next, here’s a pumping house tune from Aussie DJ Paul Fisher called Ya Kidding.
Finally, here’s the new one from the mysterious hooded DJ, Malaa.
