Sooji (Semolina) Roti

Rotis made with Sooji (Suji) or Semolina can be enjoyed hot off the stove or later, without the fear of them getting hard. They are perfect for the lunchbox — with no need for reheating. Enjoy a break from the normal roti or chapati with this easy Sooji Roti recipe.

Prep Time: 5 minutes plus 5 to 10 minutes resting time
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Makes approx 8 rotis

Ingredients:

Fine Sooji – 1 Cup
Water – 1.5 Cups
Oil – 1 tsp
Salt – 1/4 tsp or to taste
Additional Oil for kneading – few drops
Rice Flour for dusting – 1 to 2 Tbsp

Method:
1. Bring 1.5 cups of water to boil in a saucepan with a lid.
2. Add Oil and Salt. Mix.
3. Reduce heat to a simmer and slowly add Sooji to the water while continuously stirring to avoid lumps.
4. When the water and sooji are well incorporated, switch off the stove, cover the saucepan and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
5. Once the sooji cools down (temperature should not be cold but a little more than warm), knead it like dough with lightly oiled hands.
6. Form the dough into balls and roll them into thin tortilla or chapati shaped disks with the use of Rice Flour for dusting.
7. Cook the rotis on a tava or skillet on one side for about a minute. Flip and cook other side for another minute.
8. Increase the heat to a high and allow the roti to puff directly on the flame. Keep flipping over and over with the use of tongs while the roti puffs. Note: Even if the roti does not puff fully, it will still remain soft.
9. Electric stove users can use a wire mesh or the rotis can be puffed on the skillet, with or without the use of oil.

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0 thoughts on “Sooji (Semolina) Roti

  1. Hi Hetal & Anuja,

    I recently discovered your website and am loving it ! The videos are so helpful. I was literally craving rotis but had given up on making them given some goofy experiences in the past. Your exact measurements and instructions have however encouraged me to try again :). I had one question re this recipe…can I freeze this dough? Or is it better to freeze semi-cooked rotis as you had suggested in the missi roti recipe? thanks in advance for your response !

  2. A couple of weeks ago, my hubby brought fine sooji instead of regular sooji … i asked my neighbour wat could i make using fine sooji but she couldnt give me any ideas.. i thought to trash it as i too have no idea of wat to do… Awww this sooji roti is here n i would luv to use the sooji rather than throwing… thnx for the recipe.. 🙂

  3. Thanks Hetal & Anuja for this simple and lovely recipe. I made these yesterday and they were super soft and yummy. Thanks 🙂

  4. Tried them for the first time yesterday and was very happy. It was very soft and the kids loved it for lunch today. Made your green moong dal as an accompaniment and my 7 year old daughter loved it.

  5. sooji roti looks yummy! i am a bit concerned about the glycemic index as far as sooji goes but otherwise this recipe is a delish treat once in a while.

    anuja looks chubby and healthy now that she is in her 40s.

    1. Hi Uma,

      We have not tried an electric roti maker with this recipe. A wire mesh is like a splatter guard. You put it on an open flame and rest the chapati or roti on it so that it does not fall through the flames.

  6. hai if u cut ts roti with the lid of dabbas u know u will get gud shape tats how we make rice roties same way we make the dough ten we make very thin rotti ten we cut with lid small or big in tat way u will get nice rotties.nice and round the edges also look nice…

  7. Hi hetal and Anuja,
    Once again an interesting receipe.
    I am going to try it soon.
    Where can I find wire mesh ?
    Thanks an advance

    1. Hi Bhavika,

      You can find the mesh (an actual one) at larger Indian grocery stores that carry pots/pans. Otherwise, many people have had great results with splatter screens available at stores like Walmart.

  8. This is agreat recipe. The rotis are so soft and fluffy. I would be interested in knowing how to make juwar rotis as they are more healthy. Thanks again

  9. Hey,

    Thanks a ton for this recipe. They were super delicious and very very soft. I made them for dinner with chicken curry. Initially my husband wasnt convinced that the rotis would go well with chicken (which made me skeptical too but i was determined to try them). But later he was so happy with the delicious combination that he even went in for second round (which he doesnt usually do for dinner), thanks again 🙂

    Regards,
    Shilpa

  10. Hi Anuja/Hetal,

    I simply love watching u two beautiful ladies, ur show, and follow it regularly. I keep waiting for new recipes to be uploaded so that i can try them immediately. Just felt that u guys have slowed down in posting recipes. Earlier it was 2 recipes per week but i think now its just 1. Just a request that do post more frequently bcoz I am so used to ur show that it feels so long waiting for one week to see a new post.

    Good luck and keep up ur great effort

    Aditi

  11. hi,
    thanks for the wonderful recipe.
    is it possible to do in coarse suji?because here it is difficult to get a nice suji…..if possible to do in coarse suji…i will be very happy…
    thank you
    waiting for ur reply

  12. Hi Hetal & Anuja,

    Thank you for all your wonderful recipes. I have been a silent follower of all your recipes and have also tried making some of your vegetarian recipes and some dessert recipes and was successful.

    I wanted to let you know that we use this fine sooji to make the puran poli (Karnataka style), however, never tried it just as a roti though… this sure must be really soft and I will try this soon.

    thanks,
    Sunitha.

  13. Hi! great recipe. Thanks a lot for ur wonderful recipes.
    and a small request can u show some short-eats items. thanx

  14. great recipe… just curious, how did you guys come up with “adding a pinch of spice to your life” tag line.. it’s cool i think 🙂

  15. What a lovely change from the regular rotis! But I would agree with one of the posters above that it should not be eaten too often due to health reasons. Having said that, one can definitely eat this to beat the boredom from eating whole wheat rotis.

    Hetal & Anuja, can you also post the recipe for rice roti a.k.a akki roti? This is a staple from Karnataka, India and tastes fab!! Looking forward to try your version of this dish…

  16. http://skipthepie.org/cereal-grains-and-pasta/wheat-flour-whole-grain/compared-to/semolina-enriched/
    This is the site where you can get some idea of the difference between sooji & aattaa. I used to make sooji rotis exclusively when I was in a place where the local wheat was very poor quality, the rotis would turn out ugly color, leathery & simply unpalatable. I would use 1 cup of sooji, 1 tsp oil, knead it into a really soft dough, somewhat sticky. Then let it rest for at least an hour. Then knead it for a couple of mimutes. Used that for making beautiful rotis & pooris, which were delicious too. In fact everi one used to ask me to bring roties for meals. They remain soft too, if the dough is made with adequate water. I have never used hot water, as you ladies have recommended. May be that will work too, but now, with good quality whole wheat chapati flour (let me be honest: frozen, rolled, ready to cook on the tawa whole wheat chapatis) available, I have done away with all the hard work. I just buy a pack of frozen rotis & cook them fresh whenever needed. Thanks for sharing another way of making siiji rotis…yes, they are delicious & very pretty to look at too, just like regular, phulkas, but very white, kind of like rotis that have been overly treated with fair’n’lovely 😛

  17. Wonderful nice healthy & interesting roti.I think you are opening doors to a new cooking dimension..which makes cooking very intersting.I really like what you both are doing.Thank You. Deya

  18. Dear Ladies,

    It is an wonderful recipe which am gona make for breakfast tomo mrng..what would be ideal side dish for this roti??

  19. Thanks for the receipe. I do the same but instead of sooji I use rice flour or jowar flour which is helpful for gluten-sensitive people.

  20. Hello,
    This recipe looks really easy and I am thinking about shifting from Atta rotis to Sooji rotis for packed lunches, but I wanted to know what the difference between the two are, with refernce to the “health” factor. Is sooji as healthy as atta? Basically, I am trying to figure out if this change can be “permanent” or only a “once in a week option”.
    Thanks,
    Ann

    1. Sooji is so not a healthy option to replace whole wheat atta. Sooji is notorious for increasing blood sugar levels and is a strict no-no for diabetics. If I am right it is also very high in calories.

      I personally would not feed this to my family more than once a month maybe!

      1. Thank you so much for this comment! I thought using this flour was a healthy alternative. Its so good to know that this is not the case!

  21. Nice one
    I liked that one — it puffed up like a pulka 🙂
    we used to do patties with the same dough (shallow fry them on tawa)
    and we also make rings with them (thick) and deep fry in oil

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