Fish Roti: A spicy and flavourful appetizer for everybody

Yield – 8 Rotis

Prep time – 35 minutes                    Cooking time – 35 minutes                     

Resting time – 40 minutes 

This Sri Lankan street food is everyone’s favorite. It’s made with a mixture of potato and fish. Most of the time, the fish comes in the form of canned tuna, but sometimes people use boiled fish as well. It’s spicy and at the same time gives you a blast of flavor and aroma together. It’s crispy on the outside and chewy and starchy on the inside. 

Sri Lankans love to eat this with a side of tomato or chili sauce for extra flavor. Pairing this with a cup of ginger tea is even more delightful. This delicious fish roti is ideal as a snack in the teatime or a crowd-pleasing appetizer at a party. Sometimes we eat this as breakfast as well. Why not make it for a movie night too? 

The best thing is, you can batch cook them as meal prep and store them in the freezer for the next time you use them and enjoy them as fresh as it was. 

What you need: 

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 cups potato – fish filling 
• 4 tablespoon coconut oil, divided  

Let’s make it: 

1. Add flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl and mix with a spoon or fingertips. 
2. Add about 1 1/3 cups of warm water (40 – 50 ˚C) little by little to form a sticky dough. 
3. Transfer the dough onto a pantry top or a board and knead for about 5 minutes until it becomes a soft and nonsticky dough. 
4. Transfer the dough back to the bowl, cover the dough with a wet tea towel, and rest. 
5. After 30 minutes, divide the dough into 8 equal portions and create balls. 
6. Rest these balls again for 10 minutes by covering them with a wet tea towel. 
7. Apply some coconut oil on the tabletop or on the board and the surface of the dough ball. 
8. Stretch it by using your palm and fingers to make a circle with about 10 cm diameter.
9. Turn it on the other side and roll it to increase the size of the circle (about 10 cm in diameter) by using a rolling pin.  
10. Take a portion of the filling and keep it towards one end of the flattened dough. 
11. Cover and roll the dough to make the shape (Refer to the pictures). 
12. Seal the ends by applying some regular water as glue. 
13. Take a dry pan and add 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and heat on medium for about a minute. 
14. Place the roties on the pan and let them roast on each side on low heat until golden brown and cooked. 
15. Serve the fish roti as it’s or with tomato or chili sauce.   

 Tips for you: 

• Prepare the fish-potato filling during the rest time the dough.
• Divide the filling into equal portions same as the number of dough balls before using. This helps you to make even size fish roties.  
• If needed, dust the rolling surface with all-purpose flour to prevent sticking the flat dough to the surface.
• Make sure the turn the sides in between for even cooking. Use a tea towel for handling these roties.