GET STUFFED

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Gulf News

Once the ubiquitous recess fare, the paratha lost its place in Indian lunch boxes to a combined force of health-conscious parents, working mothers’ lack of cooking time in the morning and the lure of “cool” fast-food options to kids.

A paratha is an unleavened Indian bread, shallow fried in ghee (clarified butter) or oil, or baked in a clay oven and often stuffed with vegetables or meat. An excellent snack, it holds pride of place in north Indian breakfast history, served with fresh yoghurt or home-made butter and pickle. Eating it is, however, not restricted to the morning. It can serve as a quick dinner with anda bhurji (Indian-style scrambled eggs) when stuck for options.

It was so popular that an entire street has been named after it in the old quarter of Mughal Delhi, which exists to date. The Parathe Wali Gali is a famous icon of the Indian capital’s legacy and still serves some hundred sweet and savoury varieties of stuffed parathas, from the widely known aloo (potato) paratha to malai- (clotted cream) and mawa- (thickened, dried milk) filled ones. Though that cannot be recreated, Dubai offers some good options to check out the paratha.

Yet, you don’t necessarily need to visit a restaurant to sample this. It’s simple and very easy to make in your own kitchen. tabloid! on Saturday starts you off with the basic one and allows you to build on with some of our variations.

Tip: create your own versions with leftovers or fresh fillings.

Though almost all Indian restaurants

in Dubai serve parathas. Here are some of our favourites:

n Paratha King: 04-3979110

n Puranmal Restaurant: 04-3511466

n Bikanerwala: 04-3968813

n Bombay Chowpatty: 04-3964937

n Yasmin Restaurant: 04-3538844

n 200g plain flour

n 50g semolina

n 200g potatoes, boiled

n Salt to taste

n Paprika to taste

n Garam masala to taste

n Amchur (dried mango powder) to taste

n 1/2 tsp cumin seeds

n A few sprigs of fresh coriander and mint, chopped

n 1/2 tsp dried pomegranate seeds, crushed

n 250ml water

n Oil or ghee for frying

Make plain paratha dough but add semolina in this variation to give the cover a crunchier texture. Keep aside. Heat a griddle on medium flame.

For the filling, mash potatoes with salt, paprika, garam masala, amchur (for a tangy bite), cumin seeds, coriander and mint, and pomegranate seeds. Divide into four  portions.

Divide the dough into four portions. Roll one portion into a ball between your palms. Dust the ball with flour, flatten into a round shape and roll out into a 12-14cm diameter circle. With a brush or spoon, apply a little oil or ghee all over the circle. Sprinkle a little flour on it. Place one fourth of filling in the centre. Sprinkle again with a little flour. Fold in the edges in a circular movement, like a dim sum. Flatten the ball gently between floured palms and roll out evenly to 1cm thickness. Be careful not to let the dough to break. If it does, dust with flour and roll over slowly. Carefully, place it on the griddle and cook as you do the plain paratha.

Tastes best when served with fresh  yoghurt, sweetened or savoury and  a pickle.

Makes: 4

n 200g plain flour

n Salt to taste

n 250ml water

n Oil or ghee (clarified butter) to fry

Take flour in a mixing bowl and add salt to it. Add one teaspoon of oil if you like your paratha flakier. Adding water bit by bit, knead until you get a semi-soft dough. Divide into four portions. Heat a griddle on a medium flame.

Roll one portion into a ball between your palms. Dust the ball with flour, flatten into a round shape and roll out into a 12-14cm diameter circle. With a brush or spoon, apply a little oil or ghee all over the circle. Fold into a semicircle and apply a little oil on half, folding the other half to create a triangle. Press down the open edges to keep the oil in. Dust with some flour and roll it out evenly to about 0.5cm thickness.

Carefully, place it on the griddle and cook until one side is lightly toasted. Turn it over and let the other side toast. Brush oil on the upper side and turn over again. Press down, especially the edges, with a spatula for even cooking. Apply oil on the top and turn over again, pressing with the spatula. Remove when both sides are golden brown.

Taste best with day-old curry, dry or with gravy, anda bhurji or simply with mango pickle.

Makes: 4

This is another flavourful version of the plain paratha. The methi (fenugreek) adds a bittersweet taste while the hing (asafatoeda) provides the punch. The additional gram flour lends both texture and taste.

n 200g plain flour

n 50g gram flour

n 1 cup finely chopped fresh methi (fenugreek) leaves (can substitute with two tbs kasuri or dried methi

n Salt to taste

n Paprika to taste

n Amchur (dried mango powder) to taste

n A big pinch of hing (asafoetida) powder

n 250ml water

n Oil or ghee for frying

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and knead.

Divide into four portions and proceed to make parathas as in the plain paratha recipe. Serve with pickle or yoghurt.

Makes: 4