Paratha Recipes

Steps:

• Combine the atta with 1 cup of water in a large steel or glass mixing bowl. Mix well and knead to form a smooth dough. It should not be too soft or too firm. You might need to add a few tablespoons of water if the dough is too firm, but be careful to add a little at a time so you don't overdo it. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 8 balls. Keep a bowl of atta and some kosher salt nearby. Flatten one of the balls into a patty and dip the patty lightly in the flour. Roll into a thin round (about 5 inches in diameter). Lightly brush the top with the ghee or oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt if desired and very lightly dust with a pinch of flour. Fold over to make a semicircle. Brush the top with ghee and sprinkle with salt and flour again. Fold over to make a triangle. Roll it again to end in a thin triangle (as thin as it was when you first rolled the ball). Don't worry if some of the oil oozes out or if the shape is not perfect.
• Heat a seasoned cast-iron skillet or a heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
• When the skillet is hot, add the paratha and dry-cook it until light brown spots appear on each side, about a minute per side. Then, add about 1/2 teaspoon ghee and cook each side until the spots darken and the paratha becomes slightly crispy and has a glazed look, about 30 seconds per side. If you like it extra crispy or 'karak' as we say in Hindi, cook it a little longer. Repeat with the other balls. Once you get the hang of it, you can roll the next ball while cooking the previous one.
• In India, we put the parathas in an insulated chapati box or insulated casserole dish to keep warm as we go. Alternatively, you could wrap them in a towel or kitchen cloth to keep warm.

Steps:

• Combine the flour, salt, fenugreek and vegetable oil in a large bowl. Mix with your fingers until crumbly. Mix in the milk with your fingers. Knead the dough, adding water as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time, to make a smooth, soft ball. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth; let rest, 30 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 1 1/2-inch ball on a lightly floured surface. Working with 1 ball at a time, flatten the dough with a rolling pin, then dust with flour and roll out into a thin 6-inch round.
• Brush the dough with vegetable oil and sprinkle with more flour. Fold the dough with your fingers to make 3/4-inch pleats.
• Stretch the pleated dough as much as possible into a rope (it may only stretch 1 inch longer or so), keeping the pleats intact. Spiral the pleated dough around itself like a cinnamon bun. Pinch the end of the dough together to secure. Dust the spiral with more flour. Roll out the dough into a 6-inch round with a rolling pin. Repeat with the remaining balls of dough.
• Cook the parathas: Preheat a tawa or large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place a paratha in the hot pan and cook until golden brown spots appear on the bottom, about 1 minute. Flip the paratha with a spatula and cook until golden brown spots appear on the other side, about 1 more minute. Remove from the pan to a clean surface and brush both sides with vegetable oil. Return the paratha to the hot pan and cook until golden brown all over, about 1 more minute per side. Season with salt. Repeat with the remaining parathas. Bend the parathas gently in your palms to expose the spiral layers and make them more defined.

Steps:

• Mix together the flour, 1 tsp salt, the oil and 225ml water to make a stiff dough. Leave to rest for 15 mins. Meanwhile, make your potato filling by mixing all the ingredients together with 1½ tsp salt in a bowl. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions and do the same with the filling.
• Take a ball of dough, make an indent in the centre with your thumb and keep pressing and rotating the dough in your hand to make the cavity slightly larger than the size of a ball of the filling. The edge around the cavity of dough should be slightly thinner than the rest of it. Sit the ball of stuffing in the cavity and bring the dough together around the filling to cover it. Do not leave any cracks or the stuffing will spill out when you roll the parathas.
• Lightly dust the parathas with flour, gently flatten, then roll out into a circle, roughly 20cm in diameter.
• Heat a heavy-based frying pan over a medium-low heat and add a rolled-out paratha. Cook dry for about 2-3 mins on one side, then flip over and cook the other side for another 2-3 minutes. When both sides become dry and start to colour, brush with a little ghee to get an even colouring and transfer to a foil-lined plate. While this first paratha is cooking, prepare the next one, and so on. Keep the pile of parathas warm by loosely wrapping in foil.
• Mix the Greek yogurt with 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, the crushed cumin seeds and a splash of water to loosen slightly. Serve with the parathas, alongside an Indian pickle of your choice. Or, simply enjoy with cold salted butter.

Steps:

• You must use a stand mixer or handheld mixer with a dough hook for this recipe to develop the kind of body this dough needs. If you don't have an electric mixer, I really wouldn't waste my time, unless you have the perseverance to knead a very sticky dough vigorously for 45 minutes to achieve the same result. In that case you have my full blessing.
• In a bowl, using a stand mixer or handheld mixer with a dough hook, combine the bread and all-purpose flours, brown sugar, and salt. Microwave 1½cups (355 g) of water on high for 1 minute 30 seconds to bring it up to 130° to 140°F/55° to 60°C (please measure with a thermometer to be sure), then add 1¼ cups (297 g-again, I urge you to measure by weight) to the flour mixture. Start kneading on low speed. When a dough has formed, turn to medium-high speed and knead for 10 to 13 minutes. The dough will appear to be wet and sticky at first, but in the end it should pull away completely from the sides and bottom of the bowl when the machine's running and stick right back when the machine stops. It should appear extremely smooth and shiny, sticky to the touch. Adjust with more warm water or flour to get it right if needed. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest at room temperature for at least 2 hours before using.
• Transfer the dough onto a well-floured surface and divide it into 3 equal portions. (Cooking portions this size will require a flat, nonstick 12-inch [30-cm] skillet; if yours is smaller, divide the dough into 4 portions instead.) Dusting with flour as needed to prevent sticking, roll out one portion of the dough to a rough circle that's thin and 13 inches (33 cm) wide. The shape doesn't have to be perfect. Brush a generous layer of canola oil over the top, extending all the way to the edges (you'll need about 2 tablespoons for each portion of dough). Starting from one side, fold over the dough in 1½-inch (4-cm) increments, squeezing out any large air pockets as you go. When you have a long folded strip, fold it the other way in 1½-inch (4-cm) increments into a thick folded cube. Cover the ball with plastic wrap and repeat with the other dough portions. Let rest for 30 minutes.
• Dust one dough cube with flour. Set it between the palms of your hands, squeeze it, pause for a few seconds, and squeeze again to gently form it into a ball. Roll the ball out into a thin circle about 12 inches (30 cm) wide (or to the size of your skillet, as noted above). Heat a large, flat, nonstick 12-inch (30-cm) skillet over medium-high heat. Brush a thin coating of olive oil on the skillet, then transfer the dough sheet to the skillet. Brush the dough with olive oil. In a minute or so, the paratha will start to inflate with large air bubbles, puffing up almost like a pita bread. This is the sign that you did everything right. Now you can flip the paratha, back and forth a few times as needed, and cook until both sides are golden brown and crispy. Serve immediately.