Zaiqa

Parathas are my favourite variety of Indian flat breads. They are deliciously flavoured with ghee/oil. I prefer oil mostly and restrict ghee only for special occasions.

The combination of Parathas and Kawabs goes very well and is utmost delicious. We usually have Parathas and Rice with curries at meals. Its our staple diet.

Getting the perfect round shape with the correct thickness of each paratha is a bit difficult, but it comes with practice and time. You can use a platter and cut the ends to attain a perfect circular shape for your parathas. But it is not very necessary to get the perfect circular shape always. They are easy to prepare once you get the hang of it.

Tawa ~ flat griddle
Indian cooking utensil used for making flat breads

Paratha – Flat bread

Ingredients:
Makes-7 Parathas

Whole Wheat Flour/Durum Atta – 2 1/2 cups
Salt – 1 1/2 tsp
Water – 2/3 cups
Ghee/Oil – 6-8 tbsp
Extra ghee/Butter/Oil for cooking

Paratha – Indian Flat Bread,
kept warm stacked in a Milton hot-pot/casserole

Method:

1. Sieve the wheat flour, salt into a mixing bowl or a food processor bowl pour rub in one table spoon ghee. Add water all at once, and knead dough if you are preparing it with your hands for atleast 10 minutes (the more it is kneaded, the lighter the bread will be), or if you are using a processor, use the dough blade and pulse till the dough forms into a ball. Form dough into a ball and cover with clean plastic wrap and set aside for 1 hour.
2. Later divide the dough into 7-8 equal portions and roll each ball one by one on a lightly floured board into a very thin circular shape (approx 10 cm in diameter) with a rolling pin on a flat surface like the thoroughly clean platform of your kitchen. Pour 1 tsp melted ghee/oil into the centre of each and spread lightly with your fingers on the rolled out discs. With a knife, make a cut from the centre of each circle to the outer edge. Starting the at the cut edge, roll the dough closely into a cone shape. Pick it up and press the apex of the cone and base towards each other and flatten slightly. You will now have a small roughly circular piece of dough again.
3. Lightly flour the rolling board(girda)/platform again and roll over the dough with the rolling pin(belan) very gently, taking care not to press too hard and make them too thin. Sprinkle extra flour if needed while rolling. Cover the rolled out discs with a kitchen towels to prevent them from drying out.

rolled out Paratha’s, ready to be cooked

4. Heat a flat griddle/tawa on medium high heat. Once it is hot, put the rolled out disc on the heated griddle. Let it cook for 1 minute. You will notice small bubbles on the disc. Flip it with a rubber spatula or a flat spoon which you have and again cook it on the other side for a further 1/2 minute.
5. Now quickly brush it liberally with 1 tsp oil/ghee using a silicone basting brush or a teaspoon all over, and flip it over again and cook for a few seconds. Again, working quickly, spead the ghee/oil over the other side too and flip it to cook that side and remove into a plate lined with a paper towel. Keep stacking them over one another and cover the dish with a towel to keep them warm. I have a Milton hotpot/casserole which I had bought from India, and I use it to keep the Parathas warm until I finish cooking all.

Luv,
Mona