Curried ground beef with peas and potatoes, wrapped in a delicious roti and cooked on a griddle or nonstick pan till golden brown and crispy. These warm, Spicy Curried Beef Roti are authentic Sri Lankan street food that are perfect for game day and tailgating!
(PIN IT FOR LATER)
We’ve been on an awesome Sri Lankan food kick lately. Maybe it’s because the cool, crisp Fall air is finally blowing in and we are craving comfort food. I thought I’d be craving for some creamy Mac n Cheese (not ruling it out, just yet), but we seem to be turning to our roots, instead.
I made a huge batch of Sri Lankan Curry Powder recently, and we have been feasting on some delicious curries – not limited to Sri Lankan curries, but also Thai green and red curries and Indian curries too.
Fall also means sports, tailgating, plenty of game days and food that’s worthy of feeding a crowd. And when Mr K sat down in front of the TV for the NBA season opener a few days ago, I had one amazing game day snack waiting for him – Sri Lankan Stuffed Curried Beef Roti!
Curried ground beef with peas and potatoes wrapped in a roti and cooked on a griddle to seal the wrap. This curried beef roti is straight up Sri Lankan street food that you can find with ease anywhere you go in the country. They are eaten warm usually with a tomato sauce or fiery chili sauce, but here I made a curry yogurt sauce and a spicy cilantro sauce in place of a dipping sauce.
October is also tailgating snacks month – organized by Debi from Life Currents too and I decided to bring something from our snacking culture to celebrate along with a few other fantastic food bloggers. 🙂 Just scroll down to see what everyone else brought to the party!
The roti dough used in this recipe has different names in different parts of South and South East Asia – Sri Lankans call it godhamba roti, Malaysians call it roti canai, Indians call it paratha roti. Whatever the name, it’s a delicious non-flaky roti that’s perfect for encasing that flavorful filling.
Sri Lankan “short-eats”
Like I said, these stuffed roti are a hot commodity in Sri Lanka. They can have different fillings – vegetarian and fish being the most popular. But since Mr K lives beef, I made a curried beef roti instead.
These snacks are an integral part of the Sri Lankan food culture. No matter where you go in the country, you will find different variations of Sri Lankan savory snacks (locally referred to as short-eats). They are like the Sri Lankan version of tapas. They range from stuffed roti like these, to deep fried crepes, cutlets (croquettes), pastries, patties (empanadas), to stuffed chiles and so much more! The flavors, the aromas, the textures are all very representative of the country’s food.
I can’t tell you how many great memories I have of sneaking off to eat short-eats with my school friends back in the day. They were these little morsels of comfort and deliciousness that were also very affordable. Although unfortunately that affordability seems to be a thing of the past now, because the last time Mr K and I were in that neck of the woods, they were ridiculously expensive – didn’t stop me from stuffing my face with them though.
These stuffed roti are special for me for another reason – I made stuffed vegetable roti all by myself, in front of an audience the family, in my grandmother’s kitchen when I was in grade school. It was the first recipe (which I learned in school) I made for the whole family, by myself with no help, and the nostalgia is pretty strong with that memory. 🙂
What the hell is godhamba roti?
Godhamba roti or roti canai is easy to make but takes a bit of patience. The dough is known for its soft, flaky texture and is seriously addictive. It’s a simple dough that’s kneaded and allowed to rest overnight after being coated with oil and then stretched out thin (to the point of being almost see-through). The kneading and the oil-covered resting period build the gluten structure and soften the dough, which helps you stretch the dough for cooking. The oil also helps keep the roti nice and flaky for canai or paratha.
From this point, there are a few different ways in which you can cook this dough.
- Cook as is for godhamba roti (also known as “lensu” roti – i.e. handkerchief roti, due to the resemblance of the dough to handkerchiefs).
- Fold the edges towards the middle and cook on a griddle – for roti canai.
- Bunch up the roti and then twist it into a ball (like a snail shell) and then roll it out – for paratha.
- Or once the roti is cooked, you can shred it and mix it with vegetables, meat and curry for a lip-smacking, ass-kicking, killer dish called kottu roti (I will share that recipe on another day – that dish deserves a whole lot more love than a passing reference!).
- And finally, add some filling/stuffing (delicious curried beef in this case), wrap the roti around the filling and cook it on a griddle for stuffed roti like these curried beef roti.
The stuffing for this spicy beef roti is also really easy, and easily adaptable.
- Substitute with another meat like chicken, lamb, turkey or pork for other kinds of Stuffed Roti.
- Substitute with extra potatoes and/or sweet potatoes for a vegetarian/ vegan version of this recipe
- Substitute with equal amount of cooked fish (canned or fresh) for fish roti.
- Add half a full boiled egg with any kind of mix for an added twist or
- Cook an egg INSIDE the roti for egg roti
When you add cooked potatoes, just don’t mash it all into the filling. I especially like having bits and chunks of potatoes to bite into, in the spicy filling.
The roti can be shaped into whatever shape you want or find easy to form. Traditionally, different fillings are shaped differently in Sri Lanka so that it’s easy to identify which ones are vegetarian and which ones are fish and so on. I made triangles, but you can do squares, rectangles, rolls, rounds or whatever kind of geometry you fancy.
VIDEO RECIPE
These stuffed beef roti are really great for something creative and fun for game day or tailgating! They are like a Sri Lankan version of burrito or wrap, except they are sealed and the dough/roti itself is addictive! You can make these ahead of time and then re-heat them in the oven (or on the grill) before serving. The curry dipping sauce is also optional, they are typically served with chili sauce or ketchup. They have such great depth of flavor, you don’t honestly need a dipping sauce anyway.
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Curried Beef Roti (Sri Lankan Beef Roti)
Ingredients:
Godhamba Roti
- 500 g flour about 4 cups
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 ½ tsp sea salt
- Vegetable oil to coat
Curried Beef Filling
- 455 g ground beef 1 lb
- 226 g cooked potatoes boiled and peeled and at room temp.
- 2 tsp Sri Lankan Curry Powder
- 1 jalapeno chopped
- ½ medium red onion finely chopped
- 3 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- ¾ cup frozen peas thawed
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper optional (we like to add about 1½ tsp because we prefer a spicy filling)
- Oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Yogurt Curry Sauce
- 1 cup stock chicken or vegetable
- 2 tsp Sri Lankan curry powder
- ¼ onion yellow or red, finely minced
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 2 tsp uncooked rice crushed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup unsweetened greek yogurt or more to taste
Instructions:
Godhamba Roti (there will be extra dough leftover for plain roti)
- Combine the flour, water and salt in a mixer bowl and knead for 6 - 10 minutes until soft and smooth.500 g flour, 1 cup warm water, 1 ½ tsp sea salt
- Alternatively, mix the flour and water and salt until you form a scraggly 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 2 - 3 minutes until the dough is smooth.
- Portion out 12- 13 dough balls for regular sized stuffed roti, or 24 - 26 dough balls for mini rotis.
- Coat each dough ball with oil and place it on a well-oiled tray in one layer. Make sure the dough balls are not touching each other as they can stick together easily.Vegetable oil
- Cover and leave them to rest for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
Curried Beef Filling (make this while the roti dough is resting)
- Heat a non-stick pan with 1 tbsp of oil.Oil
- Add the onions, garlic and jalapeno (or green chili pepper) and saute until softened.½ medium red onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 jalapeno
- Add the curry powder and cayenne pepper and saute for just a few seconds.2 tsp Sri Lankan Curry Powder, ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- Add the ground beef, a generous pinch of salt, and tomato ketchup. Cook while stirring, until the beef is cooked through and separated. Make sure the moisture in the ground beef is cooked out completely. Add the peas and cook until the peas are heated though and cooked.455 g ground beef, 3 tbsp tomato ketchup, Salt and pepper to taste, ¾ cup frozen peas
- Season to taste.
- Let the filling cool slightly and add the potatoes. Gently crush the potatoes into the filling and mix through. Having small chunks of potatoes in the filling is preferred, so you don’t have to mash it all the way.226 g cooked potatoes
- Taste and season again, if needed.Salt and pepper to taste
- Let the filling cool completely.
Making Beef Roti
- Place 1 dough ball on a flat, smooth and clean surface. Use oiled hands to flatten out the dough ball into a fairly thin, round sheet. Place a generous amount of filling in the middle of the roti (2 generous tablespoons for mini stuffed roti). To make it easier, shape the filling in the same shape that you want your roti to be.
- Wrap the roti around the filling to form the shape you prefer (squares and rolls are the easiest shapes). Make sure you wrap the filling by stretching the roti around itself to double wrap, and the filling is properly sealed in.
- Place the prepared rotis on an oiled plate until you're ready to cook them.
- Heat a griddle or a non-stick pan to medium high heat. Lightly oil the surface with a pastry brush.
- When the surface is nice and hot, place the stuffed roti on the griddle a few minutes per side until the roti is cooked and turns golden brown and crispy. Make sure all the sides of the roti are cooked.
- Serve warm with spicy chili sauce or tomato ketchup or yogurt curry sauce.
Yogurt Curry Sauce
- Place all the ingredients (except yogurt), in a saucepan. Cook covered for 15 minutes. Uncover and cook for a further 5 - 10 minutes until the curry has thickened slightly. Season to taste and let it cool. You will end up with a little over ½ cup of curry sauce.1 cup stock, 2 tsp Sri Lankan curry powder, ¼ onion, 1 clove garlic, 2 tsp uncooked rice, Salt and pepper to taste
- When the curry is cooled, mix ½ cup of the cooled curry gravy with ¼ cup of greek yogurt. Season to taste. Add more yogurt to thicken the dip if needed.¼ cup unsweetened greek yogurt, Salt and pepper to taste
- Serve with the stuffed beef roti.
Nutrition Information:
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Colleen says
Could pre-made store bought roti bread be used in this recipe? I have a twisted triangle recipe that uses tortilla halves folded into triangle pouches, stuffed with similar meat/vegie mixtures, sealed with flour and water, then fried. Since tortillas and roti are similar, I wondered if this would work.
Dini says
Hi Colleen
Unfortunately it can’t be made with store bought roti. This roti is very different from store bought roti, as it’s very pliable and is rolled out fairly thin before being wrapped around the filling. The roti dough is also raw, and then cooked with the filling inside.
If you are able to buy paratha roti dough (raw), then it might be possible to make these. You can try to make it with store bought roti (which will be more like chapati and not the paratha/ roti canai that I have used here), but you will get a very different results.
Hope that helps
Colleen says
thanks!
Kaye says
Do I rest the dough in the fridge overnight or at room temperature please?
Dini says
Hi Kaye
I rest the dough at room temperature
I hope that helps
nayana says
hi dini
how to get the oily texture of the rotti??
Dini says
Hi Nayana
If you want the roti to be more oily, you can fry them with a little extra oil.
Jessie Haleemdeen says
I tried your recipe today and it came out well. Easy to follow and it was delicious, got compliments too.
Only, thing I found and my husband’s comment was, the stuffed rotti v buy in the store, the dough is soft but this was crispy and flaky.
Anything,I did wrong. I left the dough for 3 hours in oiled surface, and then started rolling.
Need your help.
Dini says
Hi Jessie
This meant to be fairly crisp and flaky on the outside. However it can be soft as well if it’s not rolled out too thin. The thinner you roll out the dough the crispier is is.
Hope that helps!
Amanda Foley says
A bit tricky to roll out and wrap as neatly as shown – haven’t quite got the knack yet – but I’ve now made about five batches over several months and daydream about them when there are none left in the freezer for snacks or a quick lunch.
Best fresh, of course, but really do freeze and re-heat well!
I just serve with ketchup and they’re awesome! Crunchy chewy yummyness!
calvin says
These look great, definitely would make !
Suat Inan says
This sounds & looks delicious! Can I make these in advance and freeze them until needed? Would save me lots of time.
Thanks
Dini says
Hi Suat
It is possible!
I recommend freezing them individually on a baking tray and then as soon as they are frozen, transfer them into an air tight container or bag. The cooking time will also change if you’re cooking them from frozen, so I recommend making them thinner so that they will heat through faster.
I hope that helps!
Georgie says
Hi, I notice there wasn’t an amount specified of yogurt for the yogurt dipping sauce.
Dini says
Hi Georgie!
I have indicated that it’s 1/4 cup (or more to taste) in the instructions, but had missed it in the ingredient list! I will add that now 🙂 Thank you for letting me know!
Jennifer says
Excellent. Dough turned out nice and stretchy though it didn’t look as soft and puffy as the picture. I really appreciated the video on the folding but I wasn’t able to get a nice triangle!
I couldn’t seem to get the beef filling spicy enough, maybe my curry powder is old. Next time I might add some curry paste.
I had two pieces of dough left so scrambled some ham and eggs and made breakfast roti too.
Daniel says
how do you make the spicy cilantro sauce?
Simi says
Did you use all purpose flour or wheat flour?
Dini says
Hi Simi,
I used all purpose flour for this recipe 🙂
Miss Food Fairy says
These look delicious! I love a good roti bread but have never tried a stuffed roti before & I can’t wait to try them
A question, can these be frozen & then baked? I have a party over a weekend (2 days of 15+ people each day) & the less I have to cook on the day the better
Pinned for later. Thanks for the recipe Dini
Dini says
Hi Miss food fairy!
I am so sorry for the late reply.
This roti bread is defintiely different from other kinds of roti because it’s a thinner and softer roti (but it is one of my favorites!).
Unfortunately these can only be frozen AFTER they have been cooked. Since the roti dough is very delicate and soft at room temperature, they would freeze better after they have been pan fried. Baking them while raw, could result in the dough becoming too dry and brittle. But I have had success freezing already cooked ones, and then reheating them in the oven before serving a crowd.
I hope that helps!
romain | glebekitchen says
I see your stuff popping up all over the place at FBC and I just wanted to stop by to say I really like what you are doing. Your photography is top notch and your recipes are inspired. Thanks for doing this.
Jennifer says
What an awesome tutorial! I love all the step by step instructions and all the variations explained. I am just learning the names of dishes from other cultures and I love how you broke it down. I need to break out my griddle and try these babies!
Christine says
This looks absolutely delicious!
Angela says
So unique and wonderful looking recipe. I’ve never made anything quite like this but look forward to giving it a try
Debra C. says
I have to say I was wondering what godhamba roti is also! 😀 But after all of your beautiful photos and amazing recipe….yep….perfect for GREAT #TailgatingSnacks – yum, yum, yum!!
Debi at Life Currents says
This looks great! I love the international flair for a tailgating snack! What a fun and flavorful recipe!