BEST! Elawalu Roti (Sri Lankan Vegetable Roti)

Learn to Make Elawalu Roti (Sri Lankan Vegetable Roti)! Elawalu Roti is a Sri Lankan-style stuffed flatbread with Curried Vegetables. It is a much-loved Sri Lankan street food. It is also a special part of Sri Lankan Short Eats (Savory Snacks).

Elawalu Roti (Sri Lankan Vegetable Roti)

In this post, I’ll show you how to make ‘Elawalu Roti ’ the easy way at home from scratch. Most importantly, they are more healthy, hygienic, and fresh than what you buy from restaurants.

You can serve them for breakfast or as a snack or light meal at any time of day. They go well with a cup of Sri Lankan (Ceylon) hot sweet plain tea or milk tea.

Elawalu Roti dough is easy to make. But the stretching part is tricky at first. It just takes some practice.

If you have ever seen how street vendors stretch the Elawalu roti dough, you would admire their skill. Professional cooks impressively stretch the dough. They flip the dough in the air in a spinning motion until it becomes a bigger, thinner, and transparent sheet.

NO, I don’t have that skill. I will show you how to stretch the dough the easy way.

Here you’ll find an easy-to-follow recipe with step-by-step pictures, helpful info plus top tips. I hope you will try the recipe and enjoy ‘Elawalu Roti ’ as much as I do!!

What is Elawalu Roti?

Elawalu Roti is sold everywhere in Sri Lanka in cafes and restaurants. They are also popular street food and you will easily find them in street food stalls, and mobile food trucks. A popular choice for busy people who want a tasty and satisfying snack or light meal on the go.

‘Elawalu’ means ‘Vegetables’ and ‘Roti’ means ‘Flatbread’.
So, ‘Ealawalu Roti’ literally means ‘Vegetable Flatbread’.
But the real meaning is ‘vegetable stuffed flatbread’

How Do I Make Elawalu Roti?

Elawalu Roti is made with a type of dough that is called Godamba (Godhamba) Roti.

The dough is stretched to a paper-thin and transparent sheet. Then it is filled with curried vegetable mix. It is then folded into a triangle. Then it is cooked on a hot griddle or cast-iron plate until crispy. This results in a warm, flaky pastry with a delicious, melted filling.

You need to thinly stretch the dough before you fill and shape it. This is necessary to make Elawalu Roti. I thought I would never manage to do that. But, after I started making them, I found that it was easier than I thought.

Well, I must admit that it was a kind of mess at the beginning. I had to try it a few times to get it right. In the end, as the saying goes, practice does make perfect (or maybe near-perfect).

What is Godamba Roti?

Godamba Roti is a paper-thin roti or flatbread from Sri Lanka. It is more or less like Indian Paratha, Malaysian Roti Canai, Indonesian Martabac Manis, and Arabic Murtabak (Motabbaq).

Sri Lankan Godamba Roti has Indian or Arabic Influence. Still, as all the nations in this world do, Sri Lankans have also adopted it to their taste. They use the ingredients available.

It’s a simple dough made with a mixture of flour, water, salt, and oil. After kneading, the dough balls are allowed to rest overnight covered with oil. This step makes the dough soften which helps you stretch the dough to a thin sheet that is almost see-through. The oil also helps keep the roti nice and flaky.

You can fry the Godamba Roti dough (Elawalu Roti Dough) after stretching it to a thin sheet. Do not fill it. Then serve it with curries.

Kotthu Roti Recipe to Try

Godamba Roti is also used to create Kotthu – a popular street side dish in Sri Lanka.

Similar Flatbreads Around the World

You will find similar types of flatbreads like Godamba Roti around the world. They are known by different names and made with or without the filling.

Godamba Roti is more or less akin to Indian Paratha and Malaysian Roti Canai.

Another one I have come across is Martabak. According to Wikipedia, Martabak is also known as motabbaq, matabbak, muttabak, metabbak, mutabbaq, mataba, etc.

You will find many varieties of Martabak, especially in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Southern Thailand, and Bangladesh. Depending on the location, the name and ingredients can be varied.

Variation

Godamba Roti is a versatile type of flatbread. You can fill it with the ingredients of your choice to suit your taste. The most common fillings are fish, meat, egg, and vegetable.

• Fish Roti (Maalu Roti) – With canned or cooked fresh fish
• Meat Roti (Mas Roti) With meat mostly chicken, or beef
• Egg Roti (Biththara Roti)-With eggs or with half of a full-boiled egg and any kind of mix
• Vegetable Roti (Elavalu Roti) With vegetables like potato, leeks, carrot, cabbage

Steps to Make Elawalu Roti

You can make Elawalu Roti in easy 6 steps. I usually make the dough first. Then, I let it rest overnight at room temperature, covering the dough balls with oil. While the dough is resting, I make the filling and then keep it in the fridge until use.

1-Make the Dough

You can easily knead the dough by hand but you can also use a stand mixer with a dough hook. The dough is made with bread or plain flour, salt, oil, and water. Adding sugar is optional. After making the dough, you need to divide it into small balls.

2-Soak in Oil and Rest

You need to soak the dough balls in oil and rest for at least 4 hours, or overnight. You will find that the dough is easier to handle after this step. It helps stretch the dough into a thin and transparent sheet. Yes, it’s a lot of oil. You can collect the excess oil without wasting it. Then keep it in a jar to use later for stir-frying or deep frying. I usually keep used oil in the fridge.

3-Make the Filling

You can make the filling while the dough is resting and keep it in the fridge until use. Making the filling is easy and easily adaptable. I used boiled potato and leeks and I love that combination. Yet, just feel free to use vegetables of your choice like cabbage, carrots, green peas, sweet potatoes, etc.

4-Stretch the Dough

I don’t have that skill. So, I usually stretch the dough on my kitchen counter into a rectangular shape. I do this until it becomes thin and transparent. It is very much like laying a bed sheet. You take one corner of the sheet and pull and stretch to straighten it out. Then you repeat it with other corners. Don’t worry, the dough is so elastic and you can stretch it easily.

5-Fill and Shape

I made triangles, but you can shape them any shape you like; squares, rectangles, rolls, rounds. In Sri Lanka, these stuffed flatbreads are shaped differently according to the filling. Fillings can be meat, fish, or vegetables. This way, it’s easy to recognize the filling.

6-Cook

Heat some oil in a frying pan. Cook the roti one side at a time. Make sure all the sides are cooked and turn golden brown and crispy.

Tips for Making the Best Elawalu Roti

• Using bread flour is preferable but you can also use plain flour or all-purpose flour.
• When kneading, add water a little at a time. Continue until you make a shaggy dough. The dough shouldn’t stick to the bottom or side of the bowl. Add some flour bit by bit if needed. The dough should be soft but not sticky.
• You need to stretch the dough until it forms a thin, elastic, and transparent sheet. This sheet should not be too dense or heavy. Doing so will make a perfect Elawalu Roti with a crispy crust and soft center.
• Don’t worry about the holes (if few) developed in the dough when you stretch it. You can cover them when folding the dough sheet around the filling.
• Cook the Elawalu Roti on a hot griddle or frying pan. Preferably use a cast-iron pan. Add some oil. Cook until crispy and golden brown on all sides.

Serving Suggestions

Elawalu Roti is best enjoyed when it is freshly fried and still warm and crispy. You can serve them just plain as it is. Sri Lankans love to eat them dipped in sweet chili sauce.

Storing Suggestions

To store them, wrap them separately in plastic wrap. Place them in an airtight container or a zip-lock bag. Keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also freeze it for up to 2-3 months. Before serving, reheat it in an oven, on a griddle, or in a pan.

More Savory Snacks to Try

Elawalu Roti (Sri Lankan Vegetable Roti)
Step-by-Step Recipe

(Check out the printable recipe at the end of the post)

Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Resting Time: 4 to 8 hrs
Servings: 8

Ingredients

For the Dough
300g bread flour or plain Flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp sugar, optional
1 tbsp oil
150ml water
Oil, as needed

For the Filling
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tbsp ginger, minced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1 green chili, chopped
1 tbsp curry leaves, finely chopped, optional
2-inch piece of pandan leaf, optional
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
600g potato, boiled and roughly mashed
200g leeks, chopped

Make the Dough

Gather the ingredients for making the dough; flour, sugar (optional), salt, oil, and water.

Place the flour, sugar, salt, and oil in a large bowl and mix.

Add water a little at a time and mix until the dough comes together.

Knead into a shaggy dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, knead the dough on a lightly floured counter for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth.

The dough is ready.

Divide the dough into 8 small balls.

Soak the Dough Balls in the Oil and Rest

Place them in a shallow bowl. Pour the oil until the dough balls are covered with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave them to rest for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. You can also keep it in the fridge for about 2 days.

Make the Filling

Boil the potatoes.

Mash roughly leaving some small chunks.

Chop the leeks. I love to use a lot of them.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and garlic and stir fry for a minute. Add onions, green chilies, curry leaves, and pandan leaves, and saute until the raw smell is gone.

Season with turmeric, chili powder, salt and pepper. Add the boiled potato and mix well.

Add the chopped leeks and saute, stirring for a few minutes.

The vegetable filling is ready. Keep it in the fridge until use.

Stretch the Dough

After resting time, the oil makes the dough soft and easy to stretch.

• Apply some oil on the working surface.
• Take one ball and lightly flatten it. Stretch it into a rectangular sheet as thin as possible until you can almost see through it.
• Stretching the dough is very much like laying a bed sheet. Lift one edge of the dough and gently pull to stretch it even more. Repeat it with another corner.

Fill and Shape

Cut the rectangular sheet to make 2 sheets.

Shape the filling in the same shape that you want your Elawalu Roti to be. In this case, divide it into triangle-shaped portions, as needed, as shown in the photo.

Place the filling at one end of the sheet. Wrap the roti around the filling to form a triangle shape as shown in the photos below.

Make sure you wrap the filling properly to seal it in.

Place the prepared rotis on an oiled plate, covered, until you’re ready to cook them.

Cook

• Heat a griddle or a frying pan (preferably cast-iron) to medium-high heat.
• Add about one tablespoon of oil and move the pan to spread it.
• When the surface is hot enough, cook the roti one side at a time. Cook until all the sides are golden brown and crispy.

Make sure all the sides of the roti are well cooked. You can make a few rotis at a time with some practice. Keep them warm until serve.

Serve and enjoy!

Serve warm with sweet & spicy chili sauce, tomato sauce, or tomato ketchup. Enjoy!

THANK YOU FOR STOPPING BY
I love hearing from you so feel free to leave a comment on the post. If you make any of my recipes, I’d love to see pics of your creations #joyofeatingtheworld or @joyofeatingtheworld

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