Crispy fried flatbread s uffed with spicy lamb, chilli and coriander KEEMA BAIDA ROTI

Eating these stuffed roti at Bademiya in Mumbai as a teenager has always been one of my favourite food memories. The Mughlai community made this stuffed bread so popular that it’s now a staple of street food stalls across India. Commonly served during festivities, a lot of places serve baida roti all year. Spicy ground lamb stuffed inside an eggy roti and fried in ghee, it’s one of the highlights on Ramadan menus as well.

SERVES 4 | PREP 30 MINS PLUS RESTING

COOK 40 MINS | MORE EFFORT

FILLING

3 tbsp vegetable oil

5 green cardamom pods

100g onions, finely chopped

6 garlic cloves, ground to a paste 5cm ginger, ground to a paste

2 tbsp tomato purée

350g lamb mince

1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder or mild unsmoked paprika

2 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi)

1 tsp garam masala

1 green bird’s-eye chilli, finely chopped 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

juice of ½ lime

BAIDA ROTI

210g plain flour

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2-3 eggs

50g ghee, for rolling and frying TO SERVE lime wedges chutney salad

1 To make the filling, heat the oil in a non-stick pan over a medium heat. Fry the cardamom pods for 10 seconds. Add the onion and fry for 7-8 mins or until light brown. Add the garlic and ginger, and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 min. Stir in the tomato purée and fry for 2 mins.

2 Add the lamb and cook, stirring continuously, for 3 mins. Add the chilli powder, stir well and cook for 2 mins until the meat is evenly coloured all the way through. Add the fenugreek, season to taste, cover with a lid and simmer over a low heat for 4 mins until everything is combined well. Turn off the heat and add the garam masala, chilli, coriander and lime juice. Tilt the pan slightly and spoon off any excess oil. Leave the keema to cool completely before making the baida roti.

3 To make the roti, combine the flour, oil and a pinch of sea salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix well, then add 110ml of water, a little at a time. Knead as the dough begins to come together. Leave the dough in the bowl, cover and set aside to rest for 1 hr.

4 Divide both the dough and filling mixture into four equal portions. Break one egg into a bowl, whisk lightly and set aside.

5 Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Working with one portion at a time, add a little ghee to the dough and roll out as thinly as possible to a 25cm round. The roti does not need to be perfectly round – that is not essential for a baida roti.

6 Spoon one portion of the filling mixture into the middle of the roti, make a little well in the keema and add half of the beaten egg. Working quickly, fold the sides of the roti inwards, overlapping one another to form a neat parcel.

7 Add 1 tsp of the ghee to the pan. Carefully lift the baida roti parcel, put it in the pan and fry over a medium heat for 3-4 mins on one side. Top the roti with a little ghee, flip it over and cook for 3-4 mins on the other side. Press down lightly on the parcel to ensure the filling is cooked through. Flip over the roti again and cook for a further 2 mins. Keep warm while you make and cook the remaining baida roti. Serve warm with lime wedges, chutney and salad.

PER SERVING 640 kcals | fat 38.3G saturates 14.4G | carbs 44.8G | sugars 3G fibre 3.9G | protein 26.9G | salt 0.4G