An attempt to make the Sindhi Koki recipe

My Sindhi friend and colleague tells me this is veryyyyy close to her authentic Koki recipe.

Why did I tell you this?

Because it is difficult to nail the perfect Sindhi Koki. So I’m mighty pleased that I came thisssss close to the Koki she is used to. I’m going to keep trying. But apparently every Sindhi household has its own version of the Koki. So there are tonnes of possibilities.   

The Sindhu Koki is a kind of flatbread that you can eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner. You can serve it with curd (good old dahi!), pickles, chutneys, fried eggs or even papad. A Koki – unlike a Chapati or Paratha – isn’t soft per se. It is meant to be slightly crunchy, slightly chewy and slightly hard and yet soft enough. I know I’m not making sense. But if you do get the opportunity (if you haven’t already) to taste the authentic Koki, you’ll realize what I’m saying is true!

Made with wholewheat flour and flavored with onions and coriander leaves (among others), the Koki can be a great low-fat, low-sugar option to eat with your Dal too.

How to make Sindhi Koki

 

Prep time-20 mins

Cook time-1 hour

Total time-1 hour 20 mins

 

Flavoured: flatbread

Recipe type: Lunch

Cuisine: Sindhi

Serves: 6 large or 15 small Kokis

Ingredients

For the dough

• 2 cups Wheat Flour (Gehun ka atta)
• 1 Medium Onion – finely chopped
• 4 Medium Green chilli (Hari mirch) – finely chopped (adjust for spice)
• ¼ cup Coriander (Dhania) leaves – finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
• 1 teaspoon Pomegranate Seeds (anardana) – crushed coarsely
• 1 teaspoon Salt (adjust to taste)
• 1 Tablespoon Ghee (clarified butter)

Others

• Vegetable oil or Ghee to cook the Kokis in

Note

• Skip anardana if you don’t have
• If you don’t have or want to use Ghee anywhere, use Vegetable Oil

 

Instructions

1. Mix together the flour, salt, green chilli, onions, coriander leaves, cumin seeds, crushed pomegranate seeds (anardana), red chilli powder well.
2. Add some Ghee (clarified butter) and mix well. Slowly add lukewarn water and keep mixing with a fork / hand.
3. Once the dough starts to come together, stop adding water. Knead to a stiff dough. Add some oil to help combine the ingredients better. Cover with a damp cloth and let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes.
4. Divide the dough into equal portions and roll into smooth balls of dough. You can make 6 large or 12-15 smaller balls of dough.
5. Option 1: Add some oil to the rolling pin and the surface. Place the dough-ball and roll it into a thin ¼ inch Koki. If it breaks, you can use your hands to stick the dough pieces together. You can also patiently use your hand to flatten the dough out to a round flatbread
6. Option 2: If you have a tortilla-press / roti-maker, oil both sides and stick some parchment paper on both sides. Oil the parchment paper too. Place the dough-ball in the center and press the top twice or thrice carefully to form a nice round-shaped Koki.
7. Poke some holes on top of the surface of the Koki. This helps in even cooking. You can make and arrange the Kokis while one is cooking
8. Place the prepared Koki on a hot tawa (griddle pan). Add ½ teaspoon oil / ghee around the Koki (if it is a larger Koki, use 1 teaspoon). Cook on one side for 1-2 minutes on low heat. Flip and cook. With a spatula, press down the Koki from all sides. Keep flipping every 1 minute and press the Koki down onto the pan. Repeat the process 2-3 times until the Koki is golden brown on both sides. (Each Koki would take around 6-8 minutes)
9. Let it cool completely.
10. Serve with condiments like tomato chutney, chilli pickle (or any achaar), yogurt/curd, ketchup, fried eggs etc.

Note

1. A stiff dough is crucial for the soft-yet-crunchy texture of the Koki.
2. You can make bigger dough-balls to roll out bigger Kokis. Since the dough is tough and isn’t the easiest to roll, I prefer making smaller versions of the Koki.
3. The trick to getting the Koki structure is to cook the Koki on medium to low heat for a longer time. It gets crunchier and flakier.
4. If you pack or stack it while hot / warm, the Koki will get softer and lose its texture. Hence, let it cool completely.
5. This has a shelf life of around 24 hours. It is perfect for lunch, breakfast, dinner, picnics or snack too. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

 

Sindhi Koki Recipe – Step by Step pictures

Mix together the flour, salt, green chilli, onions, coriander leaves, cumin seeds, crushed pomegranate seeds (anardana), red chilli powder well.

Add some Ghee (clarified butter) and mix well. Slowly add lukewarn water and keep mixing with a fork / hand.

Once the dough starts to come together, stop adding water. Knead to a stiff dough. Add some oil to help combine the ingredients better. A stiff dough is crucial for the soft-yet-crunchy texture of the Koki. Cover with a damp cloth and let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes.

Divide the dough into equal portions and roll into smooth balls of dough. You can make bigger dough-balls to roll out bigger Kokis. Since the dough is tough and isn’t the most easy to roll, I prefer making smaller versions of the Koki.

Option 1: Add some oil to the rolling pin and the surface. Place the dough-ball and roll it into a thin 1/4 inch Koki. If it breaks, you can use your hands to stick the dough pieces together. You can also patiently use your hand to flatten the dough out to a round flatbread

If you have a tortilla-press, oil both sides and stick some parchment paper on both sides. Oil the parchment paper too. Place the dough-ball in the center and press the top twice or thrice carefully to form a nice round-shaped Koki.

Poke some holes on top of the surface of the Koki. This helps in even cooking.

Place the prepared Koki on a hot tawa (griddle pan). Add some oil / ghee around the Koki. Cook on medium low heat on one side for 1 minute. Flip and cook. With a spatula, press down the Koki from all sides. Keep flipping every 1 minute and press the Koki down onto the pan. Repeat the process 2-3 times until the Koki is golden brown on both sides.

If you pack or stack it while hot / warm, the Koki will get softer and lose its texture. Spread it out and let it cool completely.

Serve with condiments like tomato chutney, chilli pickle (or any achaar), yogurt/curd, ketchup, fried eggs etc.