Aish Cooks

Laccha Paratha | Layered Indian Flatbread with Cilantro & Cumin

“Is that Kawan paratha?” That’s what my brother-in-law this is. And if that’s not a compliment, what is? 🙂

Well, I might have never embarked on this journey trying to make layered parathas at home, had it not been for our trip to Dallas to meet some friends a few months ago. J had made these for dinner the day we got there, and it was one of the best home-made parathas we’d ever had – no stuffing, just layered. Simply perfect! It was too good to ignore – so much that I actually tried making it the very same day we got off the airplane and back home. D was too sleepy to even remember that I made it that day! Turns out, there are quite a few ways of making layered parathas. I first tried the one that is supposed to be easy – which is to make a cone-shaped-layer by turning the rolled-out roti like a cone and then flattening it to make parathas. It was good, but not great. So the next time, I decided to go with the more complex one – which I actually thought was easier than the previous method. That’s especially true if you’ve tried pleating a saree before! Well, you go about making pleats – i.e., folds – facing the outside, until the whole roti is folded up in a layer of pleats. Next, you wrap it around like a coil and then slam it down into a flat circle (looks really pretty at this stage). From here on it’s like making a regular roti or chapatti– dust flour, roll, flip, roll, dust more if needed, until you have an evenly flat and somewhat thin (does not have to be super thin or anything)  paratha. Oh, and the other thing I discovered was that butter or ghee does wonders to the layers – MUCH better than using oil! This was so good even when I froze fully cooked parathas, and just thawed/re-heated them in the microwave another day – flaky, fluffy and soft. Delish! Go ahead and make a batch – the more the better – you’ll be glad for those leftovers waiting in the freezer when mid-week-blues hit you!!

Laccha Paratha | Layered Indian Flatbread with Cilantro & Cumin

Makes: Approx. 10 | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cooking Time: 30 – 40 minutes (depending on skill level)

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups whole-wheat flour, plus some more for dusting and rolling
2. 2 tbsp melted butter / ghee, plus more for brushing when cooking
3. salt to taste
4. 1/3 cup cilantro, finely chopped (skip to make plain parathas)
5. 1 tbsp cumin seeds (skip to make plain parathas)

Method:

Prepare the dough:

1. Mix together the flour, butter/ghee, salt, chopped cilantro, cumin seeds in a large-wide bowl.
2. Add some water, about a 3/4 cup to start with and knead the dough. Add more water, a little at a time, until the dough comes together like a ball and is not too sticky to touch but also not too hard.
3. Knead with oiled hands at the very end to ensure dough is well-formed and not sticky.
4. Note: You need a med-soft dough that can make well-formed balls to roll out parathas, not too stiff/dry or too soft/sticky.
5. Optional step: Cover the dough with a moist cloth/paper towel for 10-20 minutes.

Prepare the layered rolls:

1. Divide the dough into about 10 equally sized portions, roll into smooth balls and set aside.
2. Take 1 dough ball, dust it with dry flour, flatten on a flat surface.
3. Use a rolling-pin to roll out the dough ball into a roti/tortilla-like flat circle.
4. Rub ghee/butter all over the dough circle, in a very thin layer.
5. Start making the pleats from the bottom of the circle  and work upwards all the way to the end, with the pleats/layers facing the outside (i.e., towards you and you move inwards).
6. Flatten length-wise after every pleat to set the layers in.
7. Flip the pleated layered dough by 90 degrees, so you’re seeing the layers facing upwards now.
8. Hold one end of the pleated dough, and roll into a coil  until it is completely wound together and finish off by pressing the tapering end into the coil.
9. Flatten the rolled dough by giving it a firm pat down with your palm.
10. Continue with the other dough balls, from steps 2 through 9, until you have them all done and ready for rolling out into parathas.

Rolling the parathas:

1. Take 1 prepared layered roll, and dust with dry flour on both sides.
2. Place it on a flat surface, and roll it into a flat circle with a rolling-pin. Does not have to be very thin, and roll it out to preferred level of thickness.
3. Dust with dry flour as needed. You will see the layers forming concentric circles as you roll out the paratha!
4. Continue with remaining layered rolls, until all are done and ready. Or proceed on to making parathas, 1 at a time, and simultaneously rolling out the dough on side while you’re making the parathas (sounds pretty complicated, but is fairly simple once you get the hang of it). To start with you could stack up rolled parathas and have them all ready to go before cooking them.

Cooking the parathas:

1. Heat a girdle / tava – keep it on med-high throughout.
2. Gently transfer a rolled out paratha to the girdle.
3. Allow the bottom layer to be half-cooked – you’ll notice small small bubbles form on the top and if you take a peek there will be light brown spots on the bottom.
4. Flip the paratha, and allow the uncooked side to cook to about the same level too.
5. Now rub some butter/ghee on the top layer, and flip again. Press gently and evenly to cook the greased side of the paratha.
6. Repeat with the other side – grease, flip and cook.
7. Repeat flipping another time or 2 if needed, until parathas are cooked and golden or dark brown patches are seen across both surfaces.
8. Remove onto hot pack / casserole with lid so the parathas remain warm and soft. Repeat until all parathas are done.

Serve warm, freeze the left overs!!

Serving suggestions: Dum aloo, Dal tadka, Malai Kofta Curry, Mattar Paneer, Rajma Masala, Palak Paneer, Chicken Korma

Notes:

1. Freeze in small batches of 4 or 5 parathas so even if they are stuck together when frozen it is alright to thaw/ re-heat them together and separate the parathas.
2. If freezing a large batch, use parchment/wax paper or aluminium foil to separate the parathas so they do not stick together and can be re-heated individually.
3. They stay good frozen for 2-3 months. Leftovers are good in the fridge for 1-2 days.