Sri Lankan Coconut Roti – Pol Roti Recipe

Let’s make authentic Sri Lankan Coconut Roti(Pol Roti )! With 4- ingredients, make these easy, delicious, coconutty Sri Lankan flatbreads that you will always love.

Welcome to Day 2 of Flatbread Week! We are celebrating our favorite flatbread for this week. In case you have missed it, check on the introduction post for more details on the Flavors Recipe Series. 

Today I thought of posting Sri Lankan Coconut Roti, a flatbread recipe native to me. Sri Lankan Coconut Roti(Pol Roti) is a breakfast staple served with spicy chili onion sambol called lunu miris, Katta sambol(Maldive fish sambol), and curry (mostly dal and chicken curry). For a sweet breakfast option, it is perfect with coconut treacle, honey, or with some butter and jam.
We love having this flatbread for breakfast or dinner. I serve these with spicy onion chili sambol/ coconut sambol/ seeni sambol/ dal curry, and chicken curry. After having coconut roti with spicy sambol and curry, I like to have a piece with some butter and jam, or with treacle to satisfy my sweet tooth, and you should try too.

Whenever I make these rotis, it brings back memories. My mum cooks these for breakfast and plates it with some Katta sambol and dal curry. Sometimes, she makes a roti sandwich with butter and sambol and packs it in our lunch box. I always look forward to savoring everything she makes.

In Sri Lanka, we can easily find coconuts, and fresh coconut is used in our daily cooking. Coconuts are broken in half, and freshly grated ( scraped) to make this roti. After moving to Qatar, I am lucky that we can get freshly grated coconut that is readily available in supermarkets. I buy extra and freeze them for later use. 

 If you cannot find freshly grated coconut, you can use frozen shredded coconut or unsweetened shredded coconut ( unsweetened desiccated coconut). 

How to make Sri Lankan Coconut Roti:

This coconut flatbread doesn’t contain any leavening agent, and it’s easy to put together.
Authentic Sri Lankan Coconut Roti consists of flour, salt, freshly grated coconut and, water. However, some households add coconut milk to the dough. Apart from making plain coconut flatbreads, some add finely chopped onions, chopped green chilies, and curry leaves when mixing the roti dough, and this is how my mother-in-law makes these flatbreads, which is equally delicious.

Ingredients for Sri Lankan Coconut Roti:

Flour –  Use all-purpose flour for authentic flavor. Alternatively, you can use 50:50 all-purpose and whole wheat or 100% whole wheat. 

Coconut –   freshly grated coconut is the best option, but unsweetened shredded coconut or frozen shredded coconut is a great alternative. 

Water –  this recipe calls for room temperature water. However, if you prefer intense coconut flavor, coconut milk is fantastic. 

How to make Coconut Roti – Pol Roti:

In a large bowl, add flour, salt, shredded coconut, and mix well.

Next, gradually add water and mix well to form a soft dough. Water amounts can vary according to the flour that you are using. If the roti dough is too dry, add water, 1 Tablespoon at a time until it is soft. On the other hand, if the roti dough is sticky, add flour 1 Tablespoon at a time and avoid adding too much flour.

Knead the dough for 5 minutes and place it back in the bowl. Coat the dough with a teaspoon of coconut oil and cover with a cling wrap and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.

After resting, divide the roti dough into 8- equal size pieces to make small ones and shape them into a ball. Place them back in the bowl and cover.
Meanwhile, place a skillet / a griddle pan on medium heat.

Slightly grease a plate or work surface with coconut oil. Take a ball of dough, use your palm to flatten the dough by spreading it evenly until you get a 5-6 inch in diameter.

Place the flattened roti on the skillet and cook for 2 -3 minutes until brown spots appear. Flip the roti to cook the other side for another 2 minutes. Serve them warm with curry or with honey, jam, and butter for a sweet breakfast.

How to freeze coconut roti:

Cook all the rotis and cool them completely. Place them in a ziplock bag and freeze them for up to 2 months.
To reheat them, thaw the rotis first. Heat griddle pan on medium and place the roti, and warm it for 2 minutes on both sides. To warm these rotis from frozen, heat the griddle pan on low and cook the flatbread for 3 minutes each on both sides.