Malabar paratha – flaky, fluffy, crispy yet soft. An accompaniment to the world famous Syrian beef fry. An absolute favourite of the young and old, for the rich and the famous too. It’s a winning combination, most often at a thattukada, or even at a good mallu joint.

The process is a wee bit tedious but well worth it at the end After trying out so many recipes this is one recipe tweaked and full proof. Two basic factors you have to keep in mind while trying out this recipe is time and patience.

There are a few recipes I keep for the weekend when all are at home and time is forgotten. The whole family is so laid back, there’s no rush at all- everyone is catching up either on sleep or it could be reading, browsing through the net, going through videos, the list is endless. I then take it on myself to try out something different, and let me tell you, the fruit of my labour is well worth it. Sunday lunch at home is a noisy affair, all trying to make a point on various issues being discussed, and in the midst of all this chaos, the parathas seem to be disappearing faster than I thought. Well worth it my friends-

Here goes this awesome never – fail recipe: be patient!

Ingredients:

• Maida – 1 cup
• Wheat flour-1 cup
• Sugar-1 tbsp
• salt to taste
• Oil – 2tbsp + 2 tsp

Method :

• Take equal quantities of flour and wheat flour.
• Make a well in the center and add sugar and salt.
• Add warm water and knead to a soft dough (10-15 minutes)
• When you press the dough lightly, it should spring back to its normal shape.
• Take a teaspoon of oil and spread it all over the kneaded dough.
• Keep it covered lightly with a damp cloth for 10-15 minutes.
• Divide into equal portions. (8-10)
• Take a portion, on a lightly floured surface, roll it out to a thin layer and apply a little oil evenly on top.
• Stretch it sideways as much as possible and begin folding like a fan.
• Roll the pleated dough sideways as you would a jam roll.
• Seal the edge firmly under the roll.
• Repeat with the other portions and keep to rest for 5-10 minutes.
• On a lightly floured board, roll out a portion into a circular shape.Do not use force.
• On a medium flame, cook the parathas on both sides till brown spots appear.
• Lightly spread some oil on top and cook till done.
• Once 2-3 parathas are done, put them together one on top of each other and lightly crush them together so that the layers are seen .
• Serve hot with any curry.

Chefs tips:

• You could use only flour or only wheat flour, but I prefer equal quantities.
• You could use a little ghee or coconut oil when cooking.
• The towel should be just damp and not wet, as the dough could get sticky.
• You could always add chopped mint leaves while kneading for a pudina paratha.
• If the flame is too hot, black spots could appear too soon and the paratha may not be cooked.
• Always heat the griddle stone before placing the first paratha to cook.
• Will be putting up the recipe for Syrian beef fry soon.
• Have a noisy weekend friends.
• Serves 3-4.

“Pizza is the sibling of paratha who went abroad for post-graduation.”

Till my next post,

Cheers

Rose