Does the name sound a little odd ?? Hindi speaking folks would confuse it with 'Junta' or the masses. So, is it a roti (indian bread) meant for the masses ? No, it is nothing of that sort. 'Janta' in odia loosely means 'pre-cooked'. The flour is cooked in hot water/milk to form a sticky mass. This is allowed to cool down before it is kneaded into a smooth dough which is then fried/baked/steamed. Most of the 'Pitha's' like Manda, Kakara, Arissa, or Poda pitha are prepared this way. The pre-cooking helps in easy chewing and digestion. Hence it is the preferred food for elderly folks and infacts who are just being introduced solid food. Even people who are recuperating from fever/jaundice/upset stomach can be given this 'roti'.
While many of my Odia friends may be knowing about it, still I would love to share the recipe as it is a very useful one. Read on -
Preparation Time - 20-25 mins ( For about 1 cup of flour, will vary with quantity )
Ingredients -
Dissolve 1 tsp of flour in 2 tbsp of water. Add this to the boiling water .
Then slowly add the remaining flour while stirring continuously. Cook for 4-5 minutes till the mass feels somewhat tight to move around. Remove from flame and allow to cool down completely. (it will be very sticky at this point.
Transfer the cooled mass to a working surface. Dust the surface with flour and drizzle 1 1/2 tsp ghee over the dough. Knead the dough till it forms a smooth mass.
Pinch small portions from the dough. Shape them into smooth balls and flatten slightly.
Dust the working surface with more flour and roll out the balls into small circles or rotis.
Heat the tawa and place the roti over it. Cook on medium flame till you can see small bubbles coming up on the surface of the roti. Flip it over and cook on the other side. The roti will swell up.Remove from tawa after 1 minute.
Repeat for the remaining rotis.
Serve with dalma and santula ( or dal and subzi ). These rotis stay soft for a very long time.
Note - One can also brush a little ghee on the roti while cooking on the tawa or immediately after removing.
While many of my Odia friends may be knowing about it, still I would love to share the recipe as it is a very useful one. Read on -
Preparation Time - 20-25 mins ( For about 1 cup of flour, will vary with quantity )
Ingredients -
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 cup water (plus a little more might be required as different wheat varieties absorb different quantity)
- 3 tsp sugar
- 2-3 tsp ghee
- 2-3 pinch salt
- extra flour for dusting
Dissolve 1 tsp of flour in 2 tbsp of water. Add this to the boiling water .
Then slowly add the remaining flour while stirring continuously. Cook for 4-5 minutes till the mass feels somewhat tight to move around. Remove from flame and allow to cool down completely. (it will be very sticky at this point.
Transfer the cooled mass to a working surface. Dust the surface with flour and drizzle 1 1/2 tsp ghee over the dough. Knead the dough till it forms a smooth mass.
Pinch small portions from the dough. Shape them into smooth balls and flatten slightly.
Dust the working surface with more flour and roll out the balls into small circles or rotis.
Heat the tawa and place the roti over it. Cook on medium flame till you can see small bubbles coming up on the surface of the roti. Flip it over and cook on the other side. The roti will swell up.Remove from tawa after 1 minute.
Repeat for the remaining rotis.
Serve with dalma and santula ( or dal and subzi ). These rotis stay soft for a very long time.
Note - One can also brush a little ghee on the roti while cooking on the tawa or immediately after removing.