A type of
Indian/
Pakistani flatbread (
roti), similar to
chapati, though made with some
ghee in the
dough, and sometimes
stuffed with various
fillings. Sometimes the dough is also flavored with spices. The bread is fried in the
griddle, with plenty of extra ghee. It is a very
flavorful,
crispy bread. It is a little
time-consuming, so don't try and make it by yourself while cooking other dishes that require
attention.
Paratha:
1 1/2 C. chapati flour (durum whole wheat flour, or, I'm informed, winter wheat flour or Canadian wheat)
1 1/2 C. wholemeal flour
1 1/2 Tsp. salt
6-8 Tbsp. ghee (vegetable oil can be used in a pinch)
1 C. water
Mix the two flours and salt together in a bowl. Add 1 Tbsp of ghee to the flour, and stir in. Then, add the water, and mix together until it forms a nice dough. (Use your hands, it's thick)
Place the ball of dough on a lightly floured surface, and knead for at least 10 minutes. After kneading, wrap in plastic wrap, and set aside for at least 30 minutes. The longer it's left sitting, the fluffier the parathas will be. Overnight is great, if you can manage it.
Divide the dough into about 12-14 equal-sized smooth balls, each about 1 1/2" - 2" in diameter. In the meantime, take about 3-4 Tbsp of ghee and melt it on the oven.
On a floured surface, roll the ball out until it's a quite thin and flat. After it's flattened, put 1-2 tsp of ghee on the dough, and spread it around. Now, it needs to be folded up - there are a variety of methods for doing this.
One possibility is to take a knife, and make a straight cut from the center to one edge of the dough. Then take one side of the cut, and start rolling it around the dough - it should make a cone shape. Pinch the tip and base of the cone to seal them, them push them together to bring the dough back to a rough ball. Carefully flatten the dough back out, trying to keep as much ghee and air inside. Don't flatten as much as the first time - perhaps to about 1/8" thickness. (This is the method described in The Complete Asian Cookbook)
If using a filling of some sort, instead fold the edges back over the middle, sealing the filling in, and flatten back out very carefully.
Cook in a hot griddle with plenty of melted ghee. Cook on each side for about 30 seconds, until nice and golden brown, spooning ghee onto it while it cooks.
Serve hot.