Paratha
Encyclopedia
A paratha/parantha/parauntha (Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...

: पराठा, Punjabi
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...

: ਪਰੌਂਠਾ, Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...

: پراٹھا) is an Indian flat-bread
Indian bread
Indian breads are a wide variety of flatbreads and crêpes which are an integral part of Indian cuisine. Their variation reflects the diversity of Indian culture and food habits....

 that originated in the Indian subcontinent
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...

. Paratha is an amalgamation of the words parat (: परत, Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...

: পরত, Urdu: پرت) and atta
Atta flour
Atta is the Hindi word for oven, and flour is the main ingredient of most varieties of Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani bread. Atta generally refers to the oven used in cooking the bread. Flatbreads made from atta, such as chapati, roti, naan and puri, are an integral part of Indian cuisine...

(: आटा, Punjabi: ਆਟਾ, : আটা, : آٹا) which literally means layers of cooked dough
Dough
Dough is a paste made out of any cereals or leguminous crops by mixing flour with a small amount of water and/or other liquid. This process is a precursor to making a wide variety of foodstuffs, particularly breads and bread-based items , flatbreads, noodles, pastry, and similar items)...

. In Burma, it is known as palata , while it is known as farata in the Maldives
Maldives
The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...

.

It is one of the most popular unleavened
Leavening agent
A leavening agent is any one of a number of substances used in doughs and batters that cause a foaming action which lightens and softens the finished product...

 flat-breads in Indian cuisine
Indian cuisine
Indian cuisine consists of thousands of regional cuisines which date back thousands of years. The dishes of India are characterised by the extensive use of various Indian spices, herbs, vegetables and fruit. Indian cuisine is also known for the widespread practice of vegetarianism in Indian society...

, Pakistani cuisine and Bengali cuisine
Bengali cuisine
Bengali cuisine is a culinary style originating in Bengal, a region in the eastern South Asia which is now divided between the Indian state of West Bengal and the independent country of Bangladesh. Other regions, such as Tripura, and Barak Valley region of Assam also have large native Bengali...

 and is made by pan frying
Pan frying
Pan frying is a form of frying characterized by the use of minimal cooking oil or fat ; typically using just enough oil to lubricate the pan...

 whole-wheat dough on a tava
Tava
A tava, tawa, saj, or sac is a large, flat or convex disc-shaped griddle made from metal, usually sheet iron, cast iron, sheet steel or aluminium. It is used in south, central, and west Asia for cooking a variety of flatbreads and as a griddle for meat...

. The paratha dough usually contains ghee
Ghee
Ghee is a class of clarified butter that originated in South Asia and is commonly used in South Asian cuisine....

 or cooking oil
Cooking oil
Cooking oil is purified fat of plant origin, which is usually liquid at room temperature ....

 which is also layered on the freshly prepared paratha. Parathas are usually stuffed with vegetable
Vegetable
The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....

s such as boiled potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...

es, leaf vegetable
Leaf vegetable
Leaf vegetables, also called potherbs, green vegetables, greens, leafy greens or salad greens, are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by tender petioles and shoots...

s, radish
Radish
The radish is an edible root vegetable of the Brassicaceae family that was domesticated in Europe, in pre-Roman times. They are grown and consumed throughout the world. Radishes have numerous varieties, varying in size, color and duration of required cultivation time...

es or cauliflower
Cauliflower
Cauliflower is one of several vegetables in the species Brassica oleracea, in the family Brassicaceae. It is an annual plant that reproduces by seed...

 and/or paneer
Paneer
Paneer is a fresh cheese common in South Asian cuisine. It is of Indian origin. In eastern parts of India, it is generally called Chhena...

 (South Asian cheese). A paratha (especially a stuffed one) can be eaten simply with a blob of butter spread on top, with chutney, with pickles and yogurt, or with meat or vegetable curries. Some roll the paratha into a tube and eat it with tea, often dipping the paratha into the tea.

The paratha can be round, heptagonal, square or triangular. In the former, the stuffing is mixed with the kneaded flour and the paratha is prepared as roti is, but in the latter two, the peda
Peda
Peda, Pheda or Pera is a sweet from the Indian subcontinent, usually prepared in thick, semi-soft pieces. The main ingredients are khoa, sugar and traditional flavorings, including cardamom seeds, pistachio nuts and saffron. The color varies from a creamy white to a caramel colour...

 (ball of kneaded flour) is flattened into a circle, the stuffing is kept in the middle and the flatbread is closed around the stuffing like an envelope. The latter two also vary from the first in that, while the former is like a thick (in terms of width) version of the roti
Roti
Roti is generally a South Asian bread made from stoneground wholemeal flour, traditionally known as atta flour, that originated and is consumed in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. It is also consumed in parts of the Southern Caribbean, particularly in Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and...

 with filling inside, the latter two have discernible soft layers if one "opens" the crispier shell layers.

History and popularity

The Paratha is an important part of a traditional Indian breakfast. It originated in North India and was then accepted in different parts of the Indian Subcontinent. Traditionally, people make it using ghee
Ghee
Ghee is a class of clarified butter that originated in South Asia and is commonly used in South Asian cuisine....

 but some people also use oil or bake it in the oven for health reasons. Usually the paratha is eaten with chai and raita
Raita
Raita is an Indian/Pakistani condiment based on yogurt.Raita may also refer to:* Henna Raita, Finnish alpine skier* Marjatta Raita, Finnish actress* Mikko Raita, Finnish music mixing and recording engineer and producer- See also :...

 as part of a breakfast meal. Often times, it may be stuffed with potatoes, paneer
Paneer
Paneer is a fresh cheese common in South Asian cuisine. It is of Indian origin. In eastern parts of India, it is generally called Chhena...

, onions, or keema
Keema
Keema, Kheema, or Qeema is a traditional Indian meat dish. Originally this word meant minced meat. It is typically minced mutton curry with peas or potatoes. Keema can be made from almost any meat, can be cooked by stewing or frying, and can be formed into kababs...

.

The southern Indian version is called Kerala porotta
Kerala porotta
Kerala Porotta, simply known as Porotta in Kerala, is a flatbread made with fine maida, eggs and fat. As the name suggests, the recipe is a Kerala variant of the North Indian Paratha. It is prepared using a technique which involves waving and puffing the dough so that the flat bread is formed of...

.

Indian immigrants took this dish to Malaysia, Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...

 (where it is known as farata) and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

, resulting in variations such as roti canai
Roti canai
Roti canai or roti cane is a type of Indian-influenced flatbread found in Malaysia and Indonesia. It is often sold in Mamak stalls in Malaysia; also in Malay, Minangkabau and Aceh restaurants in Indonesia...

 and roti prata
Roti prata
Roti prata is a fried flour-based pancake that is cooked over a flat grill. It is usually served with a vegetable or meat based curry and is sold all over Singapore in food centres. Prata is also commonly cooked with cheese, onion, banana, red bean, chocolate, mushroom or egg...

. In Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....

 (Burma), where it is known as palata, it is eaten with curries or cooked with either egg or mutton, or as a dessert with white sugar. Htat ta ya, literally 'a hundred layers', is a fried flaky multilayered paratha with either sugar or boiled peas (pè byouk). Paratha in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...

 differs from the South Asian paratha in that it is generally thinner and larger. In Trinidad and Tobago there are two ways of having paratha the first is made large and can be eaten hot of the tawa, this is the common home version. The most popular is commonly called "buss up shot", an onomatopoeia referring to the method of making it; generally this involves the finished, hot roti being struck to break it up into smaller strip-like pieces. "Burst-up shirt" is a misnomer used by people unfamiliar with the local Trinidadian parlance, simply because of its similarity in appearance.

Types

  • Aloo paratha
    Aloo paratha
    Aloo Paratha is an Indian and Pakistani recipe and one of the most popular breakfast dishes throughout western, central and northern regions of India. Aloo stuffed Parathas are basically unleavened dough stuffed with a spiced mixture of mashed potato, which is rolled out and cooked on a hot tawa...

     (Paratha stuffed with spiced Aloo (potato))
  • Plain paratha (layered roti without any stuffing except ghee & baked with ghee - popular in most regions of India)
  • Bathua paratha
  • Qeema Paratha, also spelled Keema, Kheema (Paratha stuffed with minced meats, usually mutton mostly available in Punjab, Hyderabad in India, Pakistan and Myanmar)
  • Mooli Paratha (radish-stuffed paratha, popular in most regions of northern India and the Punjab region of Pakistan and India.)
  • Boondi Paratha (stuffed with salty boondi & baked with ghee)
  • Gobhi paratha
    Gobhi paratha
    Gobhi paratha is a type of paratha that is stuffed with flavored cauliflower and vegetables. It is a bread with North Indian origin, and is predominantly popular in South Asia....

     (stuffed with flavored cauliflower)
  • Aloo paratha (stuffed with spicy boiled potato and onions mix)
  • Tomato paratha (stuffed with tomatoes)
  • Channa Dal paratha (stuffed with channa dal)
  • Paneer paratha (stuffed with cottage cheese)
  • Dal paratha (stuffed with boiled, spiced and mashed dal
    Dal
    Dal is a preparation of pulses which have been stripped of their outer hulls and split. It also refers to the thick stew prepared from these, an important part of Indian, Nepali, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, and Bangladeshi cuisine...

     mostly available in North-western and western India)
  • Sattu paratha (stuffed with spiced sattu - roasted gram
    Pulse (legume)
    A pulse is an annual leguminous crop yielding from one to twelve seeds of variable size, shape, and color within a pod. Pulses are used for food and animal feed. The term "pulse", as used by the Food and Agricultural Organization , is reserved for crops harvested solely for the dry seed...

     flour popular in Easter Uttar Pradesh and Bihar)
  • Kerala paratha (popular version pronounced "porotta")
  • Roti paratha (Singapore & Malaysia - highly variable)
  • Sugar paratha (layered with caramelized sugar, usually after a meal or as dessert)
  • Lachha paratha - Tandoori (Punjabi in origin. Round in shape with multiple layers traditionally prepared in a tandoor
    Tandoor
    A tandoor is a cylindrical clay oven used in cooking and baking. The tandoor is used for cooking in Azerbaijan, India, Turkey, Iran, Armenia, Georgia, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, the Balkans, the Middle East, and Central Asia, as well as Burma and Bangladesh.The heat for a tandoor was...

    )
  • Lachha paratha - Tawa wali (Popular in eastern India, triangular in shape with multiple layers interspaced with ghee)
  • Anda paratha (stuffed with spiced egg
    Egg (food)
    Eggs are laid by females of many different species, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, and have probably been eaten by mankind for millennia. Bird and reptile eggs consist of a protective eggshell, albumen , and vitellus , contained within various thin membranes...

    )
  • Podeena paratha (laced with dry mint)
  • Ceylon paratha (from Sri Lanka)
  • Ajwain paratha (layered paratha laced with ajwain
    Ajwain
    Trachyspermum ammi, commonly known as ajowan, bishop's weed, ajwain, ajowan caraway, carom seeds, or thymol seeds, is a plant of India and the Near East whose seeds are used as a spice.-Characteristics:...

    )
  • Pyaz ka paratha (stuffed with onion
    Onion
    The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...

    )
  • Mughlai paratha (a deep fried stuffed paratha filled with egg and minced meat)
  • Mattar paratha (stuffed with boiled, mashed and flavoured green peas)
  • Jaipuri paratha
  • Chili paratha/Mirchi Paratha (small, spicy shredded pieces)
  • Methi wala paratha (stuffed with fenugreek leaves)
  • Band gobi wala paratha/Patta gobhi paratha (stuffed with cabbage
    Cabbage
    Cabbage is a popular cultivar of the species Brassica oleracea Linne of the Family Brassicaceae and is a leafy green vegetable...

    )
  • Meetha Paratha (Stuffed with sugar)
  • Palak Paratha
  • Tandoori Paratha
  • Putthay taway ka Paratha
  • Bal wala Paratha
  • Parton wala Paratha
  • Chicken Paratha
  • Mutton Paratha
  • Shrimp (large) Paratha
  • Shrimp (small) Paratha
  • Paratha Pizza Pops (Invented in Cleveland, Paratha stuffed with pizza sauce, cheese and toppings)
  • Loki Paratha
  • Batuha Paratha
  • Gajar Paratha
  • Dhaniya Paratha
  • Chena Paratha

Ready-made varieties

The process of layering the "skins" of dough in paratha can make preparation a difficult process. This, mixed with the popularity of this flatbread has opened the market to several ranges of frozen paratha — especially in Western markets where consumers seek the authenticity, but lack the time required to make a paratha from scratch.

See also

  • Kerala porotta
    Kerala porotta
    Kerala Porotta, simply known as Porotta in Kerala, is a flatbread made with fine maida, eggs and fat. As the name suggests, the recipe is a Kerala variant of the North Indian Paratha. It is prepared using a technique which involves waving and puffing the dough so that the flat bread is formed of...

  • Chili parotha
    Chili parotha
    Chili parotha, is a favorite at many restaurants across South India. It is essentially a plain paratha shredded into small, bite-sized pieces mixed with sauteed onions, tomatoes, and chili powder. It is usually garnished with coriander leaves or green onions...

  • Roti prata
    Roti prata
    Roti prata is a fried flour-based pancake that is cooked over a flat grill. It is usually served with a vegetable or meat based curry and is sold all over Singapore in food centres. Prata is also commonly cooked with cheese, onion, banana, red bean, chocolate, mushroom or egg...

    , the Singapore
    Singapore
    Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

    an variant.
  • Roti canai
    Roti canai
    Roti canai or roti cane is a type of Indian-influenced flatbread found in Malaysia and Indonesia. It is often sold in Mamak stalls in Malaysia; also in Malay, Minangkabau and Aceh restaurants in Indonesia...

    , the Indian Malaysian and Sumatranese variant
  • Bhatura
  • Green onion pancake (Chinese variant)
  • Gali Paranthe Wali
  • Kothu Parotta
    Kothu Parotta
    Kothu Parotta , is a delicacy popular in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is made using parotta, egg, meat, and salna, a spicy sauce. Other variants of Kothu Parotta are Muttai Kothu Parotta, Chilli Parotta....

    , the South Indian variant

External links

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