Paratha

For the similar South Indian dish, see Parotta.

Paratha/Parantha/Parauntha

Mint Paratha from India
Origin
Place of origin	India
Region or state	South Asia
Dish details
Main ingredient(s)	Atta, Maida, Ghee/Butter/Cooking oil and various Stuffings

A paratha/parantha/parauntha (Hindi: पराठा, Punjabi: ਪਰੌਂਠਾ, Urdu: پراٹھا, Bengali: পরোটা) is an Indian flat-bread that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Paratha is an amalgamation of the words parat (Hindi: परत, Bengali: পরত, Urdu: پرت) and atta (Hindi: आटा, Punjabi: ਆਟਾ, Bengali: আটা, Urdu: آٹا) which literally means layers of cooked dough.^[1] In Burma, it is known as palata (ပလာတာ; pronounced [pəlàtà]), while it is known as farata in the Maldives.

It is one of the most popular unleavened flat-breads in Indian cuisine, Pakistani cuisine and Bengali cuisine and is made by pan frying whole-wheat dough on a tava.^[2] The paratha dough usually contains ghee or cooking oil which is also layered on the freshly prepared paratha.^[3] Parathas are usually stuffed with vegetables such as boiled potatoes, leaf vegetables, radishes or cauliflower and/or paneer (South Asian cheese). A paratha (especially a stuffed one) can be eaten simply with a blob of butter spread on top, with chutney, with pickles and yogurt, or with meat or vegetable curries. Some roll the paratha into a tube and eat it with tea, often dipping the paratha into the tea.

The paratha can be round, heptagonal, square or triangular. In the former, the stuffing is mixed with the kneaded flour and the paratha is prepared as roti is, but in the latter two, the peda (ball of kneaded flour) is flattened into a circle, the stuffing is kept in the middle and the flatbread is closed around the stuffing like an envelope. The latter two also vary from the first in that, while the former is like a thick (in terms of width) version of the roti with filling inside, the latter two have discernible soft layers if one "opens" the crispier shell layers.

History and popularity

The Paratha is an important part of a traditional Indian breakfast. It originated in North India and was then accepted in different parts of the Indian Subcontinent. Traditionally, people make it using ghee but some people also use oil or bake it in the oven for health reasons. Usually the paratha is eaten with chai and raita as part of a breakfast meal. Often times, it may be stuffed with potatoes, paneer, onions, or keema.

The southern Indian version is called Kerala porotta.

Indian immigrants took this dish to Malaysia, Mauritius (where it is known as farata) and Singapore, resulting in variations such as roti canai and roti prata. In Myanmar (Burma), where it is known as palata, it is eaten with curries or cooked with either egg or mutton, or as a dessert with white sugar. Htat ta ya, literally 'a hundred layers', is a fried flaky multilayered paratha with either sugar or boiled peas (pè byouk). Paratha in Trinidad and Tobago differs from the South Asian paratha in that it is generally thinner and larger. In Trinidad and Tobago there are two ways of having paratha the first is made large and can be eaten hot of the tawa, this is the common home version. The most popular is commonly called "buss up shot", an onomatopoeia referring to the method of making it; generally this involves the finished, hot roti being struck to break it up into smaller strip-like pieces. "Burst-up shirt" is a misnomer used by people unfamiliar with the local Trinidadian parlance, simply because of its similarity in appearance.

Types

Mangalorean-style paratha served with other Indian dishes.

Aloo paratha from northern India.

South Indian Parotta.

Paratha served with tea in Pakistan.

Stuffed Bengali-style paratha served in a restaurant in Mumbai, India.

Trinidadian-style roti paratha.

In Burma, paratha is commonly eaten as a dessert, sprinkled with sugar.

• Aloo paratha (Paratha stuffed with spiced Aloo (potato))
• Plain paratha (layered roti without any stuffing except ghee & baked with ghee - popular in most regions of India)
• Bathua paratha
• Qeema Paratha, also spelled Keema, Kheema (Paratha stuffed with minced meats, usually mutton mostly available in Punjab, Hyderabad in India, Pakistan and Myanmar)
• Mooli Paratha (radish-stuffed paratha, popular in most regions of northern India and the Punjab region of Pakistan and India.)
• Boondi Paratha (stuffed with salty boondi & baked with ghee)
• Gobhi paratha (stuffed with flavored cauliflower)
• Aloo (pronounced Aalu) paratha (stuffed with spicy boiled potato and onions mix)^[4]
• Tomato paratha (stuffed with tomatoes)
• Channa Dal paratha (stuffed with channa dal)
• Paneer paratha (stuffed with cottage cheese)
• Dal paratha (stuffed with boiled, spiced and mashed dal mostly available in North-western and western India)
• Sattu paratha (stuffed with spiced sattu - roasted gram flour popular in Easter Uttar Pradesh and Bihar)
• Kerala paratha (popular version pronounced "porotta")
• Roti paratha (Singapore & Malaysia - highly variable)
• Sugar paratha (layered with caramelized sugar, usually after a meal or as dessert)
• Lachha paratha - Tandoori (Punjabi in origin. Round in shape with multiple layers traditionally prepared in a tandoor)
• Lachha paratha - Tawa wali (Popular in eastern India, triangular in shape with multiple layers interspaced with ghee)
• Anda paratha (stuffed with spiced egg)
• Podeena paratha (laced with dry mint)
• Ceylon paratha (from Sri Lanka)
• Ajwain paratha (layered paratha laced with ajwain)
• Pyaz ka paratha (stuffed with onion)
• Mughlai paratha (a deep fried stuffed paratha filled with egg and minced meat)
• Mattar paratha (stuffed with boiled, mashed and flavoured green peas)
• Jaipuri paratha
• Chili paratha/Mirchi Paratha (small, spicy shredded pieces)
• Methi wala paratha (stuffed with fenugreek leaves)
• Band gobi wala paratha/Patta gobhi paratha (stuffed with cabbage)
• Meetha Paratha (Stuffed with sugar)
• Palak Paratha
• Tandoori Paratha
• Putthay taway ka Paratha
• Bal wala Paratha
• Parton wala Paratha
• Chicken Paratha
• Mutton Paratha
• Shrimp (large) Paratha
• Shrimp (small) Paratha
• Paratha Pizza Pops (Invented in Cleveland, Paratha stuffed with pizza sauce, cheese and toppings)
• Loki Paratha
• Batuha Paratha
• Gajar Paratha
• Dhaniya Paratha
• Chena Paratha

Ready-made varieties

The process of layering the "skins" of dough in paratha can make preparation a difficult process. This, mixed with the popularity of this flatbread has opened the market to several ranges of frozen paratha — especially in Western markets where consumers seek the authenticity, but lack the time required to make a paratha from scratch.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Kerala porotta
• Chili parotha
• Roti prata, the Singaporean variant.
• Roti canai, the Indian Malaysian and Sumatranese variant
• Bhatura
• Green onion pancake (Chinese variant)
• Gali Paranthe Wali
• Kothu Parotta, the South Indian variant

References

1. ^ Mughlai Cook Book - By Neera Verma
2. ^ Climbing the Mango Trees - By Madhur Jaffrey
3. ^ Breadtime - By Susan Jane Cheney
4. ^ Recipe for Aloo Paratha / Flatbread Stuffed with Spiced Potatoes

External links

• Paratha Recipes
• Recipe for Paratha
• How to make Aloo Paratha Flatbread
• Easy to make Paratha Recipe
• Easy to Follow Paratha Recipes & Cooking Videos