Soft, nutty, and flavorful- you must give this classic Sri Lankan pol roti recipe a try. It is a flatbread with a difference!
Coconut rotis are a staple in Sri Lankan food- they go so well with almost anything you’re making- from curries and stews to the flavor-loaded pickles. And if you’ve been thinking of giving them a shot, here’s just what you need. Follow this easy and straightforward Sri Lankan pol roti recipe and you’re all sorted.
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Scroll down and keep reading to discover more about it, and what you need to do to nail the recipe.
Ingredients For the Recipe
You’ll need just a few simple ingredients to make the Sri Lankan pol roti. If you don’t want to pair it with the hot chili paste, you can totally skip the second set of ingredients here.
For the Rotis
- All-purpose flour: 1 cup
- Coconut (grated): ½ cup
- Milk/Coconut milk: ¼ cup
- Water: As required
- Salt: A pinch
- Onion (finely chopped): ¼ cup
- Green chilies (finely chopped): 2 tbsp
For the Hot Chili Paste (side dish)
- Onions (roughly chopped): ½
- Tomatoes (rough chopped): ½
- Red chili: 2-3
- Lemon juice: Half a lemon
- Salt: As per taste
- Chili powder: 1 tsp
- Chili flakes: 2 tbsps
Kitchen Tools Needed
How to Make the Sri Lankan Pol Roti
Once you have all your ingredients ready, here’s what you need to do to make the pol roti.
Add all the ingredients mentioned under the rotis and make a smooth dough. Add milk as required until you get a soft dough.
Rest the dough for 10-15 minutes.
Divide the dough into small portions and roll them out.
Preheat a cast-iron skillet or a non-stick pan over medium heat.
When the pan is hot enough, transfer the rolled-out roti onto the pan and cook for about 2 - 3 minutes, until the bottom starts to develop brown spots.
Flip the roti over and cook the other side for 2 - 3 minutes again, until you get brown spots on that side too.
Repeat the same with the remaining rotis.
For the hot chili paste, combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend into a smooth paste. Adjust the seasoning if required.
Serve the rotis hot with the chili paste and curry of your choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
This coconut roti recipe calls for the use of freshly grated coconut and while that is the best choice, no doubt, you can still use desiccated coconut or coconut flakes instead if that’s what you have at hand. To compensate, you can add some extra coconut milk while binding the dough. 
While using all-purpose flour to make this flatbread is the best option, especially considering the fact that there is no leavening agent required to make the bread; you can still choose to use a 50-50 mixture of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour to make the dough healthier.
You can use room temperature or slightly warm water to bind the dough together, but if you prefer a strong coconut flavor, you could use coconut milk too. Remember to add the water gradually and when the dough feels like it is almost put together, add the water by the spoonful to keep the dough from getting too soft. Also, don’t forget to cover the dough and allow it to rest for 15-30 minutes before you start to use it. 
Yes, you can. If you loved the rotis but don’t have enough time to make them every day, you can also batch make them and store them for later. Just lightly cook the rotis until they are semi-cooked, and allow them to cool down completely before transferring them to a Ziploc bag. You can then freeze these for up to 2 months, and when you want to have them, just thaw them and cook them on both sides on a pan. 
Tips to Make the Sri Lankan Pol Roti
Think you’re all ready to give the coconut rotis a try in your kitchen? Here are some additional tips and tricks you might want to keep in mind to make sure you get all the flavors and textures spot on.
- You don’t necessarily need to use a rolling pin to roll out the dough for the rotis- you can also use the palms of your hands to flatten the dough and get those rustic-looking rotis that work so well with any Sri Lankan curry you’re planning to make.
- If you feel the dough for the rotis has become too soft, you can add a little extra flour and work it in to get the dough to the perfect, smooth yet firm consistency.
- To make the rotis extra soft, you can add some oil into the mixture while binding it. This, of course, means that you’ll need to use less water.
- If you have some curry leaves or coriander leaves, don’t forget to chop them roughly and add them into the dough. They will lend a nice pop of color and some extra flavor into the rotis.
- To get a little extra flavor, you can slather on some butter or olive oil on both the sides of the rotis while you’re still cooking them.
- You can also skip the onions, chillies and other spices in the ingredients list, and make a dough using just the flour, grated coconut and coconut milk. This simple pol roti can then be served with any jam or any other sweet dip.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
Your Sri Lankan pol rotis taste amazing on their own thanks to the little spice kick that they have, but you can also serve them for breakfast with a side of any chutney or dip of your choice. And if you’re looking to make them a part of your lunch or dinner, you could do that too- just pair them with any flavorful Sri Lankan curry like the green bean curry or okra curry if you prefer a vegetarian curry or some Sri Lankan sour chicken or cashew chicken curry if you don’t mind a non-vegetarian curry.
And of course, don’t forget to wash it all down with a nice refreshing drink like the tamarind cooler.
Authentic Sri Lankan Pol Roti
Ingredients
Ingredients for the rotis
- 1 cup All purpose flour
- ½ cup Coconut (grated)
- ¼ cup Milk/Coconut milk
- As reqd Water
- 1 pinch Salt
- ¼ cup Onion (finely chopped)
- 2 tsp Green chilies (finelychopped)
Ingredients for the Hot Chili Paste (side dish)
- ½ pcs Onions (roughly chopped)
- ½ pcs Tomatoes (rough chopped)
- 2-3 pcs Red chili
- ½ lemon Lemon juice
- As per taste Salt
- 1 tsp Chili powder
- 2 tsp Chili flakes
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients mentionedunder rotis and make a smooth dough. Add milk as required until you get a softdough.1 cup All purpose flour, ½ cup Coconut (grated), ¼ cup Milk/Coconut milk, As reqd Water
- Rest the dough for 10-15 minutes.
- Divide the dough into smallportions and roll them out.
- Preheat a cast iron skillet ora non-stick pan over medium heat.
- When the pan is hot enough, transfer the rolled out roti onto the pan and cook for about 2 - 3 minutes, until the bottom starts to develop brown spots.
- Flip the roti over and cook theother side for 2 - 3 minutes again, until you get brown spots on that side too.
- Repeat the same with the remainingrotis.
- For the hot chili paste, combineall the ingredients in a blender and blend into a smooth paste. Adjust theseasoning if required.1 pinch Salt, ¼ cup Onion, 2 tsp Green chilies, ½ pcs Onions, ½ pcs Tomatoes, 2-3 pcs Red chili, ½ lemon Lemon juice, As per taste Salt, 1 tsp Chili powder, 2 tsp Chili flakes
- Serve the rotis hot with the chilipaste and curry of your choice.
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