Pol Roti
Sri Lankan Coconut Roti (Pol Rotti)
Pol roti is Sri Lanka's everyday coconut flatbread. You knead flour and plenty of freshly grated coconut into a simple dough, press it flat by hand, and dry-griddle it until golden and speckled. It's dense, a little chewy, and flecked with sweet coconut, and people eat it for breakfast or dinner with fiery lunu miris, a curry, or just a smear of jaggery. Some also spell it pol rotti. You need only a handful of ingredients and no oil at all.
This is the roti that turns a simple sambol into a meal. Hearty coconut flatbread, crisp-edged and flecked with fresh coconut.
- Total time
- 35 min
- 15 min prep · 20 min cook
- Serves
- 4 people
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Spice level
- Mild
- Country help
- USA · UK · AU · CA substitutes included
CeylonCooking
ceyloncooking.com/recipes/coconut-roti
Sri Lankan Coconut Roti (Pol Roti)
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Nutrition
Estimated values, per serving.
About This Dish
Pol roti is the everyday bread of Sri Lanka. It's the flatbread you cook fresh on a griddle when there's no time for hoppers or string hoppers, or when you just want something filling and good. 'Pol' means coconut, and that's the whole point: a generous amount of freshly grated coconut gets kneaded right into a basic dough of flour, water and salt. Press the roti flat by hand, cook it dry on a hot pan, and it comes out dense and satisfying, crisp at the edges, soft in the middle, and freckled with golden-brown spots.
This is humble, sustaining food. A couple of pol roti with a spoonful of lunu miris makes a complete breakfast for millions, and it's beloved. The same roti shows up at dinner next to a curry, or torn and dipped into dhal. It is endlessly flexible. Kept plain, it partners anything. Mixed with chopped onion, green chilli and curry leaves, it becomes a savoury roti good enough to eat on its own. Spread with jaggery or treacle, it edges towards a sweet treat. It travels well, too. That's why it's a favourite for lunch boxes and journeys.
A good pol roti comes down to the coconut and the cooking. Plenty of fresh coconut keeps the roti moist and gives it that sweet, nutty flavour and texture, and a hot, dry pan gives it the toasty, blistered spots and crisp edges. It's meant to be a little dense and chewy, not light and fluffy. That heaviness is the point: this is bread built to fill you up. Eat it hot off the griddle and it barely needs anything else.
Fresh vs Desiccated Coconut
The coconut is the whole point of pol roti, so what you use matters. Freshly grated coconut is best: it's moist and sweet, keeps the roti soft and tender, and gives it that unmistakable nutty flavour and texture. It also adds moisture to the dough, so you need less water. A generous amount, often nearly as much coconut as flour, is what makes a proper pol roti and not just a plain flatbread.
If fresh isn't an option, frozen grated coconut (thawed) is the next best thing and works beautifully. Desiccated coconut can be used in a pinch, but it's dry, so soak it briefly in a little warm water first to plump it up, and expect to adjust the water in the dough. Whatever you use, don't skimp. The more coconut, the moister and tastier the roti.
What It Should Taste Like
Dense, chewy and satisfying. Crisp, blistered edges, a soft middle, and flecks of sweet, nutty coconut all through. Mild and savoury on its own, built to carry a fiery sambol or a smear of jaggery.
Ingredients
This recipe makes 4 servings. Change the number and every amount below updates with it. Substitutes for hard-to-find items are in the sidebar.
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- Plain flour (or atta)2 cups
- Freshly grated coconut1½ cups
- Salt¾ tsp
- Warm waterto bindabout ¾ cup
- Green chillichopped, optional for the savoury roti1
- Onionchopped, optional2 tbsp
- Curry leaveschopped, optionala few
Method
Follow these 5 steps. Each one explains not just what to do, but why it matters.
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- 01
Make the Dough
Mix the flour, grated coconut and salt. If you're making the savoury version, add the chopped onion, chilli and curry leaves now too. Then pour in the warm water a little at a time, mixing until the dough comes together.
Add the water slowly, because fresh coconut holds a lot of moisture and you won't need as much as you expect. A wet dough is sticky and a pain to shape. You want a soft dough that isn't sticky, one that just holds together, with the coconut flecked right through every roti.
Tip: Start with less water than you think. You can always add more, but a wet dough is hard to fix.
- 02
Knead and Rest
Knead the dough on a board for a few minutes until it is smooth and pliable, then cover and leave it to rest for 10-15 minutes.
A short knead brings the dough together and makes it smooth and easy to handle. The rest is what relaxes it, so it flattens out nicely instead of springing back or tearing. Pol roti is not a yeasted bread, so it doesn't need long proving. The rest is just to make shaping easier. You want the dough feeling soft and a little tacky, never dry or crumbly.
Tip: If the dough is crumbly and won't hold together, work in a little more water. If it is sticky, dust it with a little flour.
- 03
Shape the Roti
Divide the dough into balls, then flatten each one by hand, or with a rolling pin, into a disc about half a centimetre thick.
Traditionally, pol roti is patted out by hand. You press and turn the ball on a floured surface until it becomes a thick, rustic disc. A rolling pin works too if you want it neater. Keep them on the thicker side, about half a centimetre. Pol roti should be sturdy and a little chewy, not thin and crisp like some other flatbreads.
Tip: Dust your hands and the surface with flour so the coconut-rich dough doesn't stick while you shape it.
- 04
Cook on a Dry Pan
Heat a flat pan or griddle over medium heat. Cook each roti dry, with no oil, for a couple of minutes on each side until golden-brown spots appear and it's cooked through.
Pol roti is cooked dry, with no oil, which is exactly why it's such an easy everyday bread. A properly hot pan gives you those toasty, blistered spots and crisp edges, while the inside stays soft. Press the roti lightly with a spatula as it cooks, just enough to help it puff a little and cook evenly. It's done when both sides are speckled golden.
Tip: Don't have the pan too hot, or the outside will char before the inside cooks. Medium heat and a couple of minutes a side is right.
- 05
Serve Warm
Serve the roti warm, with lunu miris, a curry, or a little jaggery.
Honestly, pol roti is best straight off the pan, while it's warm and the edges are still crisp. As it cools it firms up, though it reheats well on a hot pan. Tear it by hand and eat it with a fiery lunu miris, dip it into a dhal or curry, or spread it with jaggery or treacle for a sweet finish.
Tip: Stack the cooked roti and keep them wrapped in a clean cloth so they stay soft and warm while you finish the batch.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Making the dough too wet, so it sticks and the roti is hard to shape.
- Rolling the roti too thin, so you lose its hearty, chewy character.
- Skimping on the coconut, so the roti ends up dry and plain.
- Cooking on too high a heat, so the outside chars before the inside cooks.
Serving Ideas
- With lunu miris and a cup of tea for a classic, filling Sri Lankan breakfast.
- Torn and dipped into dhal or any curry for a quick meal.
- Spread with jaggery, treacle or banana for a sweet version.
Building a whole plate around it? Start from our sri lankan breakfast menu, which sets out what to cook alongside it and in what order.
Storage and Make-Ahead
Best fresh and warm, but pol roti keeps well. Store it in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days and reheat on a hot dry pan. The uncooked dough keeps for a day in the fridge. Cooked roti also freeze for a month, separated by paper. Reheat from frozen on a pan.
Two Ways to Cook It
Mix all-purpose flour with frozen grated coconut, salt and just enough warm water to bind. Pat the dough into thick discs and cook on a dry non-stick pan until spotted golden. No yeast, no oil, no fuss.
Use freshly scraped coconut and a little atta flour, then knead in chopped green chilli, onion and curry leaves for a savoury roti. Shape by hand, and cook on a hot iron griddle for the best blistered, toasty finish.
Lighter and Healthier Version
Pol roti is already a fairly wholesome, no-oil flatbread. A few small swaps make it even more nourishing and keep that dense, chewy bite.
Cooked Dry, No Oil
Pol roti is griddled with no oil at all, so it is a lower-fat bread from the start. The richness comes from the coconut, not from frying.
Use Wholemeal Flour
Swap some or all of the white flour for atta or wholemeal flour. You get more fibre and a nuttier flavour, and it suits the hearty texture of pol roti properly.
Vegan and Dairy-Free
Plain pol roti is just flour, coconut, salt and water, so it is entirely plant-based. No dairy, no eggs, no oil.
Make It Savoury, Skip the Sweet
Knead in onion, green chilli and curry leaves and you get a savoury roti that needs nothing more than a sambol. No added sugar, no sweet toppings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sri Lankan coconut roti, or pol roti, is a hearty flatbread made from flour, freshly grated coconut, salt and water. You pat it flat by hand and cook it dry on a hot griddle until it turns golden and speckled. Dense, chewy and flecked with coconut, it is a popular breakfast and dinner bread, eaten with lunu miris, curry or jaggery.
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