Making parotta is a pure art and this flatbread has been reigning the South Indian food world for many centuries…
When I think of parotta my mind will instantly dress up to attend a muslim wedding in South India. A mandatory flat bread served at every muslim wedding and other special occasions. I don’t think there would have been or would be any muslim weddings without parottas being served. Next, my mind will rush to a roadside restaurant seen widely in Kerala, where we could see the cook making the parottas. It’s always fun watching them make it from scratch which involves waving the thinly flattened dough, tapping of the folded dough, and finally patting the fried parottas stacked together while it is still hot. Not to mention the aroma that fills the air while walking down that road, it’s hard to resist!
For me, there is nothing more perfect than a chicken curry to go with the parottas. The mere thought of “parotta with chicken curry” has never failed to trigger my craving. Making parottas just like restaurant style needs a lot of practice and skills. If you are someone who can whip up parottas with much ease, then you must be one heck of a chef.
Making parottas flawlessly had been always at the top of my must to cook list. I had once tried making parottas using my mom’s recipe and didn’t quite succeed in it. After that first attempt, I gave up making parottas from scratch. However, recently after watching a documentary about Indian food in which they showed the art of making parotta, stirred up the sudden urge to make this from scratch. Coincidentally, my sister had given me the recipe for making eggless parotta a few weeks ago. Without much thought, I stepped into my kitchen and started making this.
This time I made it with all my passion and was quite happy about the result. The parottas came out good, though I wouldn’t dare to compare mine with the ones you get from the restaurant as I still have to work on my parotta-making skills. Hopefully, someday I’ll be able to make parottas like a pro.
Eggless Parotta
Makes: 5 parottas
Ingredients
- All-Purpose flour or Maida- 1 1/2 cups
- Water- 1/2 cup
- Salt- 1/4 tsp
- Oil- 3 tbsp + more while rolling the dough
- Ghee- while frying the parotta
Instruction:
- Into a bowl, add the all-purpose flour & salt, combine well.
- Gradually add water and knead to a slightly smooth dough. Don’t make it into a very soft dough.
- After kneading the dough, pour 3 tbsp of oil over the dough.
- Cover the dough with a damp muslin cloth and let the dough rest for 2 to 3 hours.
- After 2 to 3 hours, make medium-sized balls out of the dough and keep aside.
- Place the ball dough on a wooden cutting board or chapati board or you could use a clean dry surface.
- Grease the dough with oil which will help you to flatten the dough.
- Using a rolling pin, roll the dough and flatten it as thin as possible.
- It’s a little hard to flatten it as the dough will bounce back, apple some pressure while doing this.
- The flattened dough doesn’t have to be a perfect round.
- Our goal is to flatten the dough as thin as possible.
- Fold the flattened dough from one side to make pleats.
- Holding onto one end of the pleated dough, tap the other end of the pleated dough on the board.
- By doing this the length of the pleated dough will extend.
- Repeat this for 3 to 4 times until it is long enough.
- Now, starting from one end rotate the pleated dough to make it into a spiral.
- Repeat the same with the other dough and keep aside.
- Place the spiral-shaped dough over the wooden board.
- Apply a little oil, using your hands or rolling pin roll the dough to a medium round shape.
- You could apply oil while rolling the dough.
- Place a pan or tawa over medium-low heat and let turn hot.
- Spread 1/2 tbsp of ghee to the pan and place the rolled dough on the pan.
- Let the bottom side turn light golden in color.
- Flip it over to the other side, add 1 tsp ghee and gently press the edges using a spatula.
- Let the other side turn slightly golden in color.
- Keep flipping over, cook for some more time until both sides cook well and turn golden brown.
- Don’t cook over high heat, inside won’t be cooked & the outside will turn brown.
- Transfer the parotta to a plate.
- Whiles the parotta is warm, use both your hands to gently pat the sides of the parotta, this will help to separate the layers.
- If you are a hard-core non-veg enjoy parotta with chicken curry, if you are a hard-core vegan enjoy with vegetable korma.
Tips:
- Leftover parottas can be refrigerated.
- I’ve found that the refrigerated parottas when steam cooked (stack the parottas in a glass bowl and cover the bowl with aluminum foil, place it on a deep-bottomed pan with 1 cup water in it, cover the pan with its lid and cook for a few minutes) for few minutes or so makes it soft rather than heating it on the pan or microwaving it.
- Tear the leftover parottas into small slices and combine them with chicken roast to make a different dish called “Kothu Parotta” or “Stir fry Parotta”.
- Here is the recipe for Chili Pita I posted last year, you could make Chili Parotta using this recipe. Add parottas instead of pita.
- All-Purpose flour or Maida- 1½ cups
- Water- ½ cup
- Salt- ¼ tsp
- Oil- 3 tbsp + more while flattening the dough
- Ghee- while frying the parotta
- Into a bowl, add the all-purpose flour & salt, combine well.
- Gradually add water and knead to a slightly smooth dough. Don't make it into a very soft dough.
- After kneading the dough, pour 3 tbsp of oil over the dough.
- Cover the dough with a damp kitchen cloth and let the dough rest for 2 to 3 hours.
- After 2 to 3 hours, make medium-sized balls out of the dough and keep aside.
- Place the ball dough on a wooden board or chapati board or you could use a clean dry surface.
- Grease the dough with oil.
- Using a rolling pin, roll the dough and flatten it as thin as possible.
- It's a little hard to flatten it as the dough will bounce back, apple some pressure while doing this.
- The flattened dough doesn't have to be a perfect round.
- Our goal is to flatten the dough as thin as possible.
- Fold the flattened dough from one side to make pleats.
- Holding onto one end of the pleated dough, tap the other end of the pleated dough on the board.
- By doing this the length of the pleated dough will extend.
- Repeat this for 3 to 4 times until it is long enough.
- Now, starting from one end rotate the pleated dough to make it into a spiral.
- Repeat the same with the other dough and keep aside.
- Place the spiral-shaped dough over the wooden board.
- Apply a little oil, using your hands or rolling pin roll the dough to a medium round shape.
- You could apply oil while rolling the dough.
- Place a pan or tawa over medium-low heat and let turn hot.
- Spread ½ tbsp of ghee to the pan and place the rolled dough on the pan.
- Let the bottom side turn light golden in color.
- Flip it over to the other side, add 1 tsp ghee and press the edges using a spatula.
- Let the other side turn slightly golden in color.
- Keep flipping over, cook for some more time until both sides cook well and turn golden brown.
- Don't cook over high heat, inside won't be cooked & the outside will turn brown.
- Transfer the parotta to a plate.
- Whiles the parotta is warm, use both your hands to gently pat the sides of the parotta, this will help to separate the layers.
- If you are a hard-core non-veg enjoy parotta with chicken curry, if you are a hard-core vegan enjoy with vegetable korma.
I've found that the refrigerated parottas when steam cooked (stack the parottas in a glass bowl and cover the bowl with aluminum foil, place it on a deep-bottomed pan with 1 cup water in it, cover the pan with its lid and cook for a few minutes) for few minutes or so makes it soft rather than heating it on the pan or microwaving it.
Tear the leftover parottas into small slices and combine them with chicken roast to make a different dish called "Kothu Parotta" or "Stir fry Parotta".
Here is the recipe for Chili Pita I posted last year, you could make Chili Parotta using this recipe. Add parottas instead of pita.
