Riaz Phillips’ Sada Roti, Tomato Choka, and Murtani

Riaz Phillips is a writer and photographer born and raised in London, with a passion for Caribbean food. This dish is from his brand new cookbook, East Winds, which celebrates the often unsung dishes from the eastern Caribbean.

Done in 1 hour

Serves 4

Dish by Tom Jackson

Ingredients

for the sada roti

600g plain flour (plus extra for dusting)

2 tbsp baking powder

1 tspinstant yeast

1 tspsalt

300mlwarm water

1 tbspunsalted butter (or cooking oil of your choice)

for the tomato choka

6tomatoes

1/2onion, chopped

1-3Scotch bonnet peppers, tops removed

3garlic cloves, peeled

4 tbspcooking oil of choice

1/2 tspcumin seeds (optional)

sea salt

for the murtani

2large aubergines, tops removed

3tomatoes

6-8okra, topped and tailed

1/2bell pepper, deseeded and finely diced

1/2onion, chopped

1-3scotch bonnet peppers, tops removed

3garlic cloves, peeled

4 tbspcooking oil

1/2 tspcumin seeds (optional)

salt, to taste

Sada Roti is an Indian-influenced flatbread popular across the Caribbean, and is a staple in Trinidadian cuisine. This one is stuffed with aubergine and okra murtani, and tomato choka. A vegan, Caribbean flavour explosion!

Method

Sift the flour, baking powder, yeast, if using, and salt into a bowl and slowly add the warm water.

Mix to combine, add the butter or oil if you like, then knead for 5 minutes, squeezing but not folding the dough. When it forms a soft ball that is slightly sticky, cover the dough with a damp dish towel and leave for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into 8 roughly equal-sized dough balls. Smooth into balls and place on a lightly floured surface. Cover, and leave to rest for a further 20 minutes.

Using your palm, flatten one of the dough balls out on a floured surface until it's 18-20cm in diameter. Preheat a tawa, baking stone, or non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Test your pan with a splash of water, and if it immediately sizzles and evaporates it's ready.

Place the dough disc on the pan or tawa, and cook for 40 seconds until you see bubbles rising. Flip, and cook the other sides for another 40 seconds.

For the choka and murtani, preheat the oven to 180 C/160 C fan. Place all the vegetables, garlic, and scotch bonnet on a tray lined with foil. Roast for 10-15 minutes until the skin begins to blacken and char.

Peel off most of the charred skin, leaving a little bit for extra flavour. Place everything in a large bowl or pestle and mortar, and mash until fairly smooth.

Next, in a small frying pan, heat the oil on medium-high heat and add the cumin seeds. When the oil starts to sizzle, carefully pour the oil into the bowl of vegetable mash and gently stir. Season to taste.

Slice the roti across, so it can be filled with the choka and murtani. Enjoy!

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Tom Jackson

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Originally hailing from Birmingham, England and with a culinary heritage sprawling around Britain, Tom, the host of Shelf Life and Alphabetti, is a cook from nowhere that takes inspiration from everywhere. Passionate about the shared food experience and the commonalities between supposedly separate cuisines, Tom showcases broad and thorough references in his cooking and has a particular love for spices. He is also obsessed with pasta salads and is currently waiting for Mr. Naga to get in touch regarding his Ambassadorship.