Chilka roti is the morning end of the same batter. Rice and chana dal go into water before bed and are ground at first light, then poured thin onto a hot griddle so the edges lace and lift while the middle stays soft — chilka means skin, and the name is about how fine it goes. It is a household thing rather than a market thing, eaten with a chutney or a bowl of aloo chokha, and it carries no wheat at all, which is why it has quietly become the breakfast people reach for when they cannot eat gluten. In Jharkhand nobody frames it that way. It is simply what you make when there is rice, dal, and no time.
Zone: Gangetic Heartland
SOURCE: Adapted from a Hindi-language News18 recipe feature, January 2022 — chilka roti as made in Jharkhand households, rice and chana dal soaked overnight and ground fresh in the morning (Hindi-language news outlet)
LOCAL NAME: चिल्का रोटी
INGREDIENTS
- 250 g short-grain white rice (soaked overnight)
- 100 g chana dal (soaked overnight)
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 cm ginger
- 2 green chillies
- 1 small onion (very finely chopped)
- 1 tsp salt
- a handful of coriander leaves (chopped)
- water (to thin)
- oil or ghee (for the griddle)
METHOD
- Drain the soaked rice and dal and grind with the garlic, ginger and green chillies to a smooth batter, adding water as needed.
- Thin the batter with water until it pours easily, looser than a pancake batter — this is what lets it spread thin.
- Stir in the onion, salt and coriander.
- Heat a flat griddle or heavy pan over medium heat and wipe it with a little oil.
- Pour a ladleful into the centre and immediately spread it outward in a spiral with the back of the ladle, working quickly and in one pass.
- Drizzle a little oil around the rim. Cook for about 2 minutes, until the edges lift and turn lacy and brown.
- Turn once and cook the other side for a minute.
- Fold in half and keep warm under a cloth while you make the rest.
- Serve hot with green chutney or aloo chokha.
NOTES
UK adaptation: Short or medium-grain rice again rather than basmati. Chana dal from any South Asian grocer. A non-stick or well-seasoned cast-iron pan matters more here than for a wheat roti, because the batter is loose and will stick to anything else. Everything else widely available.
US adaptation: Short or medium-grain rice and chana dal from Patel Brothers or an Indian grocery. A well-seasoned cast-iron or non-stick skillet. Everything else widely available.
Cook’s note: Spread the batter outward from the centre in one continuous spiral the moment it hits the pan, and then leave it alone — go back for a second pass and you tear the skin, and a torn chilka will never crisp at the edge.
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