Parathas Recipes

PARATHA RECIPE, HOW TO MAKE PARATHA

Steps:

• Mix together wheat flour, salt, oil in a wide mixing bowl.
• Pour water little by little as needed & make a stiff non sticky dough.
• Knead well to make the dough soft and pliable. If the dough is hard or dry knead with moist fingers.
• When you press down the dough with a finger, you must feel it is soft and dent easily.
• Wrap it in a moist cloth or cover it in a container and set aside for 30 mins.
• You can also grease the ball with a few drops of oil and cover.
• Knead the dough lightly & divide to 8 parts.
• Then roll to balls & keep them covered.
• Take a few tbsp of flour to a small bowl & flour the rolling area lightly.
• Dip a ball in the flour and dust off the excess. Too much flour on the parathas can make them hard.
• Place the ball on the rolling area and flatten it slightly with fingers.
• With the help of a rolling pin begin to roll each ball to a round layer or roti of 7 inches. Do not put pressure on the dough, roll it with light hands.
• Apply ghee all over the paratha and fold ⅓ part of it. (check step by step photos in the post)
• Then apply the ghee to the folded part as well & repeat folding the other ⅓ part.
• Apply ghee over the 3 layered long strip and fold ⅓ part of it.
• Then repeat the other ⅓ part & you will have a square.
• Sprinkle little more flour if needed to prevent sticking.
• Then roll the square further to make a 7 inch square paratha.
• Apply ghee all over the roti & fold it to half to make a half circle.
• Next apply ghee over it & repeat folding it to get a triangle shape.
• Sprinkle a bit of flour & begin to roll evenly to a triangle paratha.
• Heat a griddle until hot on a medium high flame.
• Dust off any excess flour over the parathas. Transfer paratha to the griddle gently. Cook it until you begin to see bubbles, then turn it to the other side.
• Fry on a medium high flame on the other side as well pressing down with a spatula.
• Pressing down helps the parathas to puff up and the layers get separated and get cooked through.
• Turn the parathas too and fro. Cook until brown spots appear on both the sides.
• Drizzle ghee or oil on both sides.
• Remove the paratha to a wired rack or plate lined with a clean cloth or kitchen tissue.
• Stack them one over the other to keep them soft.
• To cook the next paratha make sure the pan is hot but not extremely hot that it burns the parathas. If you see any flour on the griddle gently and carefully wipe off with a thick clean cloth.
• Serve paratha with curry or chutney or just yogurt.

PARATHAS

Steps:

• Mix all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour in a bowl. Sprinkle salt on top. Add butter, sugar, garlic powder, and dried herbs. Mix together with your fingers. Pour water in gradually; continue to mix by hand until a soft dough is formed.
• Knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 7 minutes. Cover with a damp cloth; let rest for 30 minutes.
• Divide dough into 8 equal portions. Shape into smooth balls; lightly flatten. Dust with flour and roll into thin circles about 1/16-inch thick and 7 inches in diameter.
• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Fry each dough circle until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.

PARATHA

Steps:

• Combine the atta with 1 cup of water in a large steel or glass mixing bowl. Mix well and knead to form a smooth dough. It should not be too soft or too firm. You might need to add a few tablespoons of water if the dough is too firm, but be careful to add a little at a time so you don't overdo it. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 8 balls. Keep a bowl of atta and some kosher salt nearby. Flatten one of the balls into a patty and dip the patty lightly in the flour. Roll into a thin round (about 5 inches in diameter). Lightly brush the top with the ghee or oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt if desired and very lightly dust with a pinch of flour. Fold over to make a semicircle. Brush the top with ghee and sprinkle with salt and flour again. Fold over to make a triangle. Roll it again to end in a thin triangle (as thin as it was when you first rolled the ball). Don't worry if some of the oil oozes out or if the shape is not perfect.
• Heat a seasoned cast-iron skillet or a heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
• When the skillet is hot, add the paratha and dry-cook it until light brown spots appear on each side, about a minute per side. Then, add about 1/2 teaspoon ghee and cook each side until the spots darken and the paratha becomes slightly crispy and has a glazed look, about 30 seconds per side. If you like it extra crispy or 'karak' as we say in Hindi, cook it a little longer. Repeat with the other balls. Once you get the hang of it, you can roll the next ball while cooking the previous one.
• In India, we put the parathas in an insulated chapati box or insulated casserole dish to keep warm as we go. Alternatively, you could wrap them in a towel or kitchen cloth to keep warm.

LACHHA PARATHAS

Steps:

• Combine the flour, salt, fenugreek and vegetable oil in a large bowl. Mix with your fingers until crumbly. Mix in the milk with your fingers. Knead the dough, adding water as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time, to make a smooth, soft ball. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth; let rest, 30 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 1 1/2-inch ball on a lightly floured surface. Working with 1 ball at a time, flatten the dough with a rolling pin, then dust with flour and roll out into a thin 6-inch round.
• Brush the dough with vegetable oil and sprinkle with more flour. Fold the dough with your fingers to make 3/4-inch pleats.
• Stretch the pleated dough as much as possible into a rope (it may only stretch 1 inch longer or so), keeping the pleats intact. Spiral the pleated dough around itself like a cinnamon bun. Pinch the end of the dough together to secure. Dust the spiral with more flour. Roll out the dough into a 6-inch round with a rolling pin. Repeat with the remaining balls of dough.
• Cook the parathas: Preheat a tawa or large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place a paratha in the hot pan and cook until golden brown spots appear on the bottom, about 1 minute. Flip the paratha with a spatula and cook until golden brown spots appear on the other side, about 1 more minute. Remove from the pan to a clean surface and brush both sides with vegetable oil. Return the paratha to the hot pan and cook until golden brown all over, about 1 more minute per side. Season with salt. Repeat with the remaining parathas. Bend the parathas gently in your palms to expose the spiral layers and make them more defined.

PARATHA

Steps:

• Sift the flours and salt into a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of ghee and mix well. Add the water and mix to create a firm dough. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, form into a ball and wrap with plastic. Let rest 1 hour.
• Divide the dough into 12 balls of equal size. On a lightly floured board, use a rolling pin to roll each ball into a thin disk about 7 inches in diameter. Brush each disk with 2 teaspoons of ghee. Using a knife, cut a straight line from the center to the outer edge of each disk. Starting at the cut edge, roll the dough into a cone shape. Stand each cone on its wide end and gently press down on the top, flattening it slightly into a roughly circular lump of dough. Lightly flour the board again and gently roll each lump into a circle about 5 inches in diameter.
• Heat a griddle or cast-iron pan over medium heat and brush generously with ghee. Cook the parathas, 1 at a time, turning them and brushing them with ghee, until they are golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Lower the heat if they begin to scorch. Serve hot.

ALOO PARATHA

Steps:

• Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil. Add potatoes, cover, and steam until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and cook until light brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chile peppers, curry leaves, and ginger; cook and stir for about 1 minute. Add potatoes, turmeric, and salt; cook and stir carefully for about 5 minutes.
• Transfer potatoes to a bowl and allow to cool, about 15 minutes.
• Place 1/2 cup flour into a shallow bowl. Combine the remaining flour and 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large mixing bowl; salt to taste. Mix with your hands while gradually adding water. Knead dough until a smooth ball forms. Divide into 6 evenly round balls.
• Roll each dough ball into a thick, circular shape. Form the cooled potato mixture into 6 round balls and place a potato ball on top of each dough circle. Fold all the dough sides over the potato filling to cover. Flatten each stuffed dough slightly while dipping both sides into the bowl of flour.
• Roll each dough to a thin, circular shape and set a few inches apart on parchment paper.
• Set a large skillet over medium heat and lightly spread with remaining oil. Place a stuffed paratha on the hot skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip over and cook the other side for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to a serving plate and continue this same process for all the parathas. Serve hot.

CHEWY LAYERED PARATHA

Steps:

• You must use a stand mixer or handheld mixer with a dough hook for this recipe to develop the kind of body this dough needs. If you don't have an electric mixer, I really wouldn't waste my time, unless you have the perseverance to knead a very sticky dough vigorously for 45 minutes to achieve the same result. In that case you have my full blessing.
• In a bowl, using a stand mixer or handheld mixer with a dough hook, combine the bread and all-purpose flours, brown sugar, and salt. Microwave 1½cups (355 g) of water on high for 1 minute 30 seconds to bring it up to 130° to 140°F/55° to 60°C (please measure with a thermometer to be sure), then add 1¼ cups (297 g-again, I urge you to measure by weight) to the flour mixture. Start kneading on low speed. When a dough has formed, turn to medium-high speed and knead for 10 to 13 minutes. The dough will appear to be wet and sticky at first, but in the end it should pull away completely from the sides and bottom of the bowl when the machine's running and stick right back when the machine stops. It should appear extremely smooth and shiny, sticky to the touch. Adjust with more warm water or flour to get it right if needed. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest at room temperature for at least 2 hours before using.
• Transfer the dough onto a well-floured surface and divide it into 3 equal portions. (Cooking portions this size will require a flat, nonstick 12-inch [30-cm] skillet; if yours is smaller, divide the dough into 4 portions instead.) Dusting with flour as needed to prevent sticking, roll out one portion of the dough to a rough circle that's thin and 13 inches (33 cm) wide. The shape doesn't have to be perfect. Brush a generous layer of canola oil over the top, extending all the way to the edges (you'll need about 2 tablespoons for each portion of dough). Starting from one side, fold over the dough in 1½-inch (4-cm) increments, squeezing out any large air pockets as you go. When you have a long folded strip, fold it the other way in 1½-inch (4-cm) increments into a thick folded cube. Cover the ball with plastic wrap and repeat with the other dough portions. Let rest for 30 minutes.
• Dust one dough cube with flour. Set it between the palms of your hands, squeeze it, pause for a few seconds, and squeeze again to gently form it into a ball. Roll the ball out into a thin circle about 12 inches (30 cm) wide (or to the size of your skillet, as noted above). Heat a large, flat, nonstick 12-inch (30-cm) skillet over medium-high heat. Brush a thin coating of olive oil on the skillet, then transfer the dough sheet to the skillet. Brush the dough with olive oil. In a minute or so, the paratha will start to inflate with large air bubbles, puffing up almost like a pita bread. This is the sign that you did everything right. Now you can flip the paratha, back and forth a few times as needed, and cook until both sides are golden brown and crispy. Serve immediately.

STUFFED PARATHA

Steps:

• Mix together the flour, 1 tsp salt, the oil and 225ml water to make a stiff dough. Leave to rest for 15 mins. Meanwhile, make your potato filling by mixing all the ingredients together with 1½ tsp salt in a bowl. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions and do the same with the filling.
• Take a ball of dough, make an indent in the centre with your thumb and keep pressing and rotating the dough in your hand to make the cavity slightly larger than the size of a ball of the filling. The edge around the cavity of dough should be slightly thinner than the rest of it. Sit the ball of stuffing in the cavity and bring the dough together around the filling to cover it. Do not leave any cracks or the stuffing will spill out when you roll the parathas.
• Lightly dust the parathas with flour, gently flatten, then roll out into a circle, roughly 20cm in diameter.
• Heat a heavy-based frying pan over a medium-low heat and add a rolled-out paratha. Cook dry for about 2-3 mins on one side, then flip over and cook the other side for another 2-3 minutes. When both sides become dry and start to colour, brush with a little ghee to get an even colouring and transfer to a foil-lined plate. While this first paratha is cooking, prepare the next one, and so on. Keep the pile of parathas warm by loosely wrapping in foil.
• Mix the Greek yogurt with 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, the crushed cumin seeds and a splash of water to loosen slightly. Serve with the parathas, alongside an Indian pickle of your choice. Or, simply enjoy with cold salted butter.