Makki di Roti Recipe

Name: Makki di Roti
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: Pakistani
Ingredients: 2 cups Maize flour (makki ka atta); 2 tbsp Whole wheat flour (atta), helps bind; optional; ½ tsp Salt, adjust to taste; ¼ cup White radish (mooli), finely grated and squeezed; 1 cup Water, hot, add gradually; ¼ cup Desi ghee, for the tawa; ¼ cup Butter, white butter (makhan), to serve

مکئی کی روٹی بنانے کا طریقہ

Punjabi makki di roti: maize flour kneaded with hot water, patted out by hand on a sheet, then cooked slowly on the tawa and finished with white butter.

Prep

15 min

Cook

30 min

Total

45 min

Serves

Difficulty

Medium

Spice

Mild

Makki di roti is the winter bread of the Punjab villages and the classic partner for sarson ka saag. Maize flour has no gluten, so it cannot be rolled like wheat: it is kneaded with hot water to make it pliable, then patted out by hand, traditionally between the palms and now usually on a plastic sheet. It cooks more slowly than a wheat roti and should end up crisp-edged, slightly sweet and topped with a lump of makhan.

Ingredients

4 servings

For 4 servings

Cups & chamachGrams & ml

2 cups Maize flour (makki ka atta)≈ 230 g
2 tbsp Whole wheat flour (atta), helps bind; optional (optional)
½ tsp Salt, adjust to taste
¼ cup White radish (mooli), finely grated and squeezed (optional)
1 cup Water, hot, add gradually
¼ cup Desi ghee, for the tawa
¼ cup Butter, white butter (makhan), to serve

Method

Mix the maize flour, wheat flour if using, salt and grated radish if using in a wide bowl or parat.
Add the hot water a little at a time, mixing with a spoon until cool enough to touch, then knead with the heel of your hand for 3 to 4 minutes until smooth and soft with no cracks. Knead only enough for 2 rotis at a time if you are new to it, as the dough dries out.
⏱ 4 min
Heat a tawa on medium heat. Take a lemon-sized ball, put it on a piece of plastic sheet or butter paper, and pat it out with wet fingers into a 6-inch round, turning the sheet as you go. Smooth any cracks at the edge with a wet finger.
Lift the sheet and flip the roti onto your palm, peel off the sheet, and lay it gently on the tawa. Cook until the underside firms and gets light brown spots.
⏱ 2 min
Flip carefully and cook the other side the same way, then spread ghee on both sides and cook, pressing lightly, until crisp at the edges and cooked through.
⏱ 3 min
Serve each roti straight off the tawa with a lump of white butter on top. Knead the next batch of dough and repeat.

Tips for the best result

Hot water is the key. It partly cooks the maize starch so the dough holds together without gluten.
Grated radish or a handful of chopped methi or bathua in the dough is common in Punjab villages and makes the roti softer.

Common mistakes

Kneading all the dough at once with cold water. It cracks and crumbles; use hot water and knead in small batches.
Cooking on high heat like a wheat roti. Makki roti needs medium heat and more time, or it stays raw inside.

How to serve

Serve hot with sarson ka saag, white butter, a glass of lassi and some gur on the side.

Storing and reheating

Best eaten straight off the tawa, as it hardens as it cools. Leftovers keep 1 day wrapped in the fridge; warm on a tawa with a little ghee.

Nutrition and cost

Worked out from the ingredients, not measured in a lab. Treat both as a rough guide.

Per serving Estimate

Calories: 430kcal
Protein: 5g
Fat: 26g
Carbs: 45g
Fibre: 4.3g
Sodium: 400mg

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (April 2018), public domain values for the raw ingredients (100% of the recipe by weight had data). Deep-frying oil is counted at 20%; bones and water lost in cooking are not subtracted, so bone-in and fried dishes can read high. Not medical advice. Method

Cost per servingEstimate

≈ Rs 0

Whole dish ≈ Rs 0 · 1% of ingredients by weight priced

Prices in

From the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics weekly SPI, week ended 29 Oct 2026. Spices, herbs and some vegetables are not in the SPI and are left out unless you add your price, so the real cost is a little higher. How this works

Makki di Roti: questions people ask

Why does my makki ki roti break?

Maize flour has no gluten, so it cracks if kneaded with cold water or left to dry. Use hot water, knead well just before shaping, and pat it out on a sheet instead of rolling.