Paratha Recipe
This Paratha recipe gives you another sort of very simple Indian unleavened flatbread, almost like roti and chapati. The difference is that almost all paratha recipes use ghee or oil both within the dough mix and through the cooking, and also the dough should be layered in some way.
The word comes from a mixture of the Hindi words Parata and atta meaning 'layers of cooked flour. They originated within the Punjab region but are now popular over the entire Indian subcontinent, each region having its own slight variations.
Parathas also are frequently full of an entire range of things: potatoes, mooli, curry, cabbage, paneer - pretty much anything. This is the Indian equivalent of a sandwich and is often used as such, I have eaten stuffed paratha on long car journeys when I was in India.
I also very often spend leftover side dishes (actually I often confirm there'll be some leftover) in stuffed parathas which are an excellent snack or supper dish. There is a stuffed paratha recipe at the top.
Ingredients
8oz (225g) chapati flour (atta)
Salt
Ghee or oil
Milk or water
Preparing method
Flour. Good paratha recipes will always say atta or chapati flour, if you can't get this (and it's now fairly widely available) otherwise you have run out, you can use ½ wholemeal, ½ strong white flour. I sift the wholemeal into the white through a fine sieve as this provides a softer finish.
Salt. this is often optional - some people have an enormous thing close to much salt, and that they do have a point; we generally do eat far an excessive amount of of it. I tend to use a touch salt (maybe ¼ teaspoon or less in 8oz flour) as I personally think it is often a touch bland without it, you can leave it out if you wish.
Liquid. you'll use milk or water here, or a mix. Milk contains fat so this may increase the crispness. Bread made like this are less susceptible to go rubbery if left a short time.
Preparing Method
Add salt to the flour if you would like and blend in
Add 2 teaspoons ghee or oil and rub this in in order that it's well distributed and therefore the flour features a slight breadcrumb texture.
Add milk or water (use milk first then water if mixing) to the flour a touch at a time until you've got a soft pliable dough
Knead the dough for a minimum of 5 minutes preferably more
Separation the batter into balls - as I state most likely around 6-8
Start heating up your Thava or frying pan
For each ball of dough:-
With a touch more flour for dusting, roll out into a pleasant round, a thin little bit of dough, probably aim for about 5-6ins diameter
Overlap the round into quarters and turn out once more
Slap the dough into the pan cook for a few minutes
Turn it over and brush the cooked side with more ghee
Cook the opposite side for an additional few minutes
Now turn once again and brush the opposite side with ghee
Turn again and depress on the paratha with a turner (or another flat implement - preferably not your hand unless you're impervious to pain)
Keep turning and pressing both sides - this will cause the bread to puff up nicely
It will be done when it's a pleasant golden brown colour, probably with a couple of sepia spots.
Repeat for each dough ball
Notes on Method
Rubbing in oil maybe a little bit of a messy affair, you actually got to use your hands to urge a pleasant semi crumbly mixture.
If you read enough recipe books you'll have undoubtedly encounter things like '..make a touch well within the dough and pour within the water..' I even have never really figured the purpose of this, I just pour in some liquid and blend with a spoon (a lot less sticky), pour in some more liquid if required until it's of a consistency that I can begin working it without getting my fingers covered in goo.
Knead well! - many chapati and paratha recipes omit to worry about the importance of this. It will make the finished bread softer, kneading forms gluten within the dough (from the proteins gliadin and glutenin - such as you care) and this makes the dough springy and elastic. If you do not knead it enough the ultimate product are going to be crumbly and hard and fall to bits easily.
It is also good to let the dough rest for a short time before rolling it out. Some would suggest that you simply make the dough the day before, wrap it in cling film and put within the fridge overnight - well if you wish. Make sure it's not drying out while it's resting.
When you have made your little balls of dough you would like to prevent them from drying out; covering them with a humid cloth is OK.
Your tava or pan should be really hot once you start to cook. If it isn't, you will be drying out your dough before it starts to cook properly.
Another way to form the bread brag nicely is to place them directly over a coffee gas flame for about 5 seconds aside. If you've got an electrical cooker, then a few seconds under a very hot grill will do the trick.
Don't worry if you create an excessive amount of dough, wrap what you do not use in cling film and put within the fridge where it'll keep for a few days. You can make little pieces of bread and even stuff them with remaining curry or vegetables
Stuffed Paratha Recipe
You don't see many stuffed paratha recipes about but the entire idea is to layer the dough or stuff it with something. You can either make something to stuff it with or use something leftover from a meal. My favourite is to form a touch an excessive amount of aloo bhaji and use this, but I even have also used lentil dishes and vegetable curries.
More steps
Mashup the aloo bhaji (or whatever other fillings you're using) - big lumps won't roll out easily and can tear the dough.
Make the parathas as above but roll the sides of the dough thinner than the centre, once they are unrolled put a dollop of filling within the centre.
Fold the sides over the filling to seal it into a ball
Dust with a touch flour then roll out again
Cook as normal.
More Options
I have seen paratha plans that produce extremely flaky, yummy outcomes by expanding the layering impact:
Initially roll out quite thin
Get one fringe of the bread and roll up the bread to make an extended tube
Now roll this together with your hands to form it long and thin (remember doing this with plasticine as a kid?)
Take this long 'snake' and coil it round to make a tightly packed spiral
Presently turn this out again and cook as typical
This Paratha recipe gives you another sort of very simple Indian unleavened flatbread, almost like roti and chapati. The difference is that almost all paratha recipes use ghee or oil both within the dough mix and through the cooking, and also the dough should be layered in some way.
The word comes from a mixture of the Hindi words Parata and atta meaning 'layers of cooked flour. They originated within the Punjab region but are now popular over the entire Indian subcontinent, each region having its own slight variations.
Parathas also are frequently full of an entire range of things: potatoes, mooli, curry, cabbage, paneer - pretty much anything. This is the Indian equivalent of a sandwich and is often used as such, I have eaten stuffed paratha on long car journeys when I was in India.
I also very often spend leftover side dishes (actually I often confirm there'll be some leftover) in stuffed parathas which are an excellent snack or supper dish. There is a stuffed paratha recipe at the top.
Ingredients
8oz (225g) chapati flour (atta)
Salt
Ghee or oil
Milk or water
Preparing method
Flour. Good paratha recipes will always say atta or chapati flour, if you can't get this (and it's now fairly widely available) otherwise you have run out, you can use ½ wholemeal, ½ strong white flour. I sift the wholemeal into the white through a fine sieve as this provides a softer finish.
Salt. this is often optional - some people have an enormous thing close to much salt, and that they do have a point; we generally do eat far an excessive amount of of it. I tend to use a touch salt (maybe ¼ teaspoon or less in 8oz flour) as I personally think it is often a touch bland without it, you can leave it out if you wish.
Liquid. you'll use milk or water here, or a mix. Milk contains fat so this may increase the crispness. Bread made like this are less susceptible to go rubbery if left a short time.
Add salt to the flour if you would like and blend in
Add 2 teaspoons ghee or oil and rub this in in order that it's well distributed and therefore the flour features a slight breadcrumb texture.
Add milk or water (use milk first then water if mixing) to the flour a touch at a time until you've got a soft pliable dough
Knead the dough for a minimum of 5 minutes preferably more
Separation the batter into balls - as I state most likely around 6-8
Start heating up your Thava or frying pan
For each ball of dough:-
With a touch more flour for dusting, roll out into a pleasant round, a thin little bit of dough, probably aim for about 5-6ins diameter
Overlap the round into quarters and turn out once more
Slap the dough into the pan cook for a few minutes
Turn it over and brush the cooked side with more ghee
Cook the opposite side for an additional few minutes
Now turn once again and brush the opposite side with ghee
Turn again and depress on the paratha with a turner (or another flat implement - preferably not your hand unless you're impervious to pain)
Keep turning and pressing both sides - this will cause the bread to puff up nicely
It will be done when it's a pleasant golden brown colour, probably with a couple of sepia spots.
Repeat for each dough ball
Notes on Method
Rubbing in oil maybe a little bit of a messy affair, you actually got to use your hands to urge a pleasant semi crumbly mixture.
If you read enough recipe books you'll have undoubtedly encounter things like '..make a touch well within the dough and pour within the water..' I even have never really figured the purpose of this, I just pour in some liquid and blend with a spoon (a lot less sticky), pour in some more liquid if required until it's of a consistency that I can begin working it without getting my fingers covered in goo.
Knead well! - many chapati and paratha recipes omit to worry about the importance of this. It will make the finished bread softer, kneading forms gluten within the dough (from the proteins gliadin and glutenin - such as you care) and this makes the dough springy and elastic. If you do not knead it enough the ultimate product are going to be crumbly and hard and fall to bits easily.
It is also good to let the dough rest for a short time before rolling it out. Some would suggest that you simply make the dough the day before, wrap it in cling film and put within the fridge overnight - well if you wish. Make sure it's not drying out while it's resting.
When you have made your little balls of dough you would like to prevent them from drying out; covering them with a humid cloth is OK.
Your tava or pan should be really hot once you start to cook. If it isn't, you will be drying out your dough before it starts to cook properly.
Another way to form the bread brag nicely is to place them directly over a coffee gas flame for about 5 seconds aside. If you've got an electrical cooker, then a few seconds under a very hot grill will do the trick.
Don't worry if you create an excessive amount of dough, wrap what you do not use in cling film and put within the fridge where it'll keep for a few days. You can make little pieces of bread and even stuff them with remaining curry or vegetables
Stuffed Paratha Recipe
You don't see many stuffed paratha recipes about but the entire idea is to layer the dough or stuff it with something. You can either make something to stuff it with or use something leftover from a meal. My favourite is to form a touch an excessive amount of aloo bhaji and use this, but I even have also used lentil dishes and vegetable curries.
More steps
Mashup the aloo bhaji (or whatever other fillings you're using) - big lumps won't roll out easily and can tear the dough.
Make the parathas as above but roll the sides of the dough thinner than the centre, once they are unrolled put a dollop of filling within the centre.
Fold the sides over the filling to seal it into a ball
Dust with a touch flour then roll out again
Cook as normal.
More Options
I have seen paratha plans that produce extremely flaky, yummy outcomes by expanding the layering impact:
Initially roll out quite thin
Get one fringe of the bread and roll up the bread to make an extended tube
Now roll this together with your hands to form it long and thin (remember doing this with plasticine as a kid?)
Take this long 'snake' and coil it round to make a tightly packed spiral
Presently turn this out again and cook as typical
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