1,000 Indian Recipes (297 page)

Variation:
Baste each freshly made chapati with butter or ghee and then top it with 3 to 6 coarse grinds from a peppermill filled with colorful peppercorns. (Finely ground peppercorns do not add as much flavor.) Sprinkle with salt, if you wish. Roll up loosely or cut into wedges and serve.

Griddle-Fried Breads (
Paranthas
)

Paranthas
differ considerably from other Indian breads. They are the enriched, griddle-fried breads that Indians couldn't imagine living without.

The common factor in just about all
paranthas
is some measure of oil, butter,
ghee
, or shortening mixed into the dough, and then some more that is used for individual pan-frying. Authentically,
paranthas
are made on a
tava
-griddle, but they can also be made on an ordinary pancake griddle (of any size).

Unfortunately, these objects of deep affection, especially the more elaborate versions, exemplify the adage: That which tastes so good, must be bad for you. While possibly transcendant for the soul, the heart may not appreciate the fat that is used. So, my recipes use the least amount of fat possible, but if you are watching your health, eat these breads sparingly or save them for when you are allowing yourself some indulgence.

The simplest
paranthas
are made with whole-wheat and water dough and minimal fat, such as
Basic Griddle-Fried Breads
. The next kind are slightly more elaborate affairs made with
ghee
(or any other fat), spices, herbs, and vegetables worked into the dough, such as
Griddle-Fried Spinach and Red Bell Pepper Breads
. Then come the kind that are layered (
lachaedar)
, and flaky (
khasta)
, such as
Griddle-Fried Layered Green Chile Pepper Breads
and
Griddle-Fried Mughlai Breads with Almonds and Poppy Seeds
.

Requiring a little more work, but well worth the effort, are yet another level of
parantha
breads—the stuffed kind, filled with every imaginable vegetable,
dal
, and meat.

And finally, there are the stuffed sweet
paranthas
, oozing with
ghee
or butter and melted sugars—jaggery (the British term for Indian brown sugar,
gur
), or regular table sugar.

Health notes:
Paranthas
can be cooked like a
chapati
—without any fat in the dough or any frying. Such
paranthas
are lightly basted with butter before serving. This renders a lighter, healthier
parantha
, such as
My Healthy Griddle-Fried Mashed Potato Breads
.

All
parantha
breads, even the stuffed kind, can also be made in the oven, like
naan
. Roll out the
paranthas
following any of the recipes, and then, instead of cooking them on the
tava
(griddle), place them on lightly greased baking trays and grill as for
Basic Oven-Grilled Leavened Breads
.

Chapati
breads can also be made in a similar manner, but you have to roll them much thicker, or they will dry out.

Basic Parantha Breads

Layered
paranthas
are a culinary blessing to the novice Indian bread maker. Because a new daughter-in-law making
chapatis
may be judged by a critical mother-in-law —"they're not round, they didn't puff up," she might say—
paranthas
are an easier choice of bread to work with. They need not be perfect rounds, or puff up like
chapatis
.

However, like all breads, you do need to have a good hand with the dough, so that the resulting bread is all the things
paranthas
should be—soft in the inside, crisp on the outside, with distinct layers. You want each layer to be distinct and adhere to each other, but not disappear into each other, yet you don't want the
parantha
too dry and flaky so the layers are rough on the inside of the mouth. It is customary and a sign of affection to slightly crumple up a freshly made
parantha
before serving. This releases each layer, and allows the
ghee
(or oil) that is used for basting to seep into every crevice. (Use a towel to crumple; the parantha may be too hot.)

Shaping Paranthas

Paranthas can be formed into triangles, squares, or rounds. For each of these, roll the dough into a circle, baste the top of the circle with oil (ghee or butter) then fold it (for triangles or squares) or roll and shape it (for circles) into the required shape.

To Make a Layered Triangle

1.
With lightly oiled clean hands, divide the dough equally into the required number of portions and cover with foil to prevent drying. Working with each portion separately, flatten into a disc with your fingertips, generously coat with flour, and roll into a 5- to 6-inch circle.

2.
Brush the top surface lightly with oil, sprinkle on the spices, herbs, or vegetables, if you are using them, then sprinkle about 1 teaspoon dry flour over the spices and fold in half, forming a semi-circle.

3.
Brush the top of the semi-circle with oil and fold in half once again, forming a triangle. Flatten this triangle into a larger triangle with your fingertips, coat it with flour once again, and roll it into a 6- to 7-inch triangle, taking care to maintain its shape.

To Make a Layered Square

1.
Divide the dough into the required number of portions. Working with each portion separately, flatten into a disc with your fingertips, coat generously with flour, and roll into a 5- to 6-inch circle.

2.
Brush the top surface lightly with oil, sprinkle on the spices, herbs, or vegetables, if you are using them, then sprinkle about 1 teaspoon dry flour on top.

3.
In your mind, divide the circle into 3 portions lengthwise. Fold
¹
⁄
₃
over the center portion (making a D-shape), then fold the exposed portion toward the center, placing it on top of the first one. You should now have a long, triple-folded rectangle.

4.
Brush the top surface of this rectangle with oil and fold it one more time, bringing the two smaller edges toward the center, placing one over the other, to make a small square. Flatten this square into a larger square with your fingertips, coat it with flour, and roll it out into a 6- to 7-inch square, taking care to maintain its shape.

To Make a Layered Circle — Method 1

1.
Divide the dough into the required number of portions. Working with each portion separately, flatten into a disc with your fingertips, coat with flour, and roll it into a 5- to 6-inch circle.

2.
Brush the top surface lightly with oil, sprinkle on the spices, herbs, or vegetables, if you are using them, then sprinkle about 1 teaspoon dry flour over the spices, and roll it into a rope 7 to 8 inches long and
¹
⁄
₂
inch in diameter. Brush the rope with oil.

3.
Starting from one end, wind the rope in a spiral fashion into a coil, with all sides touching. Flatten this coil with your fingertips and coat it with flour, then roll it out into a 6- to 7-inch circle.

To Make a Layered Circle — Method 2

1.
Roll the dough into a 5- to 6-inch circle. Brush the top surface lightly with oil, sprinkle on the spices, herbs, or vegetables, if you are using them, then sprinkle about 1 teaspoon dry flour over the spices.

2.
Make a cut from the center to the edge (along a radius), then start rolling the dough up from the cut edge sideways around the center, ending at the second edge, forming a cone.

3.
Brush the cone lightly with oil, then press the pointed end into the wider, rounder end to form a disc. Coat this disc with flour, and roll into a 6- to 7-inch circle again.

Basic Griddle-Fried Breads

Saada Parantha

Makes 10 to 12 breads

Made with a whole-wheat flour and water dough, this recipe is the perfect example of a
parantha
at its most basic. When frying, keep the rhythm going—while one
parantha
is on the griddle being cooked, prepare the next one. This will save you a lot of time, but be sure to watch both.

Although freshly made
paranthas
are best, they can be cooked a few hours before serving. To cook ahead of time, store and reheat following directions in the box
Storing and Freezing Indian Breads
. Allow 2 to 3 per person.

2 cups stone-ground durum whole-wheat flour + 1 cup for coating and dusting

About 1 cup water or nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth

Rolling pin

3 to 4 tablespoons oil or melted ghee or butter, for basting

1.
Place the 2 cups flour in a mixing bowl, add
³
⁄
₄
cup water or yogurt, and mix with your clean fingers in round circular motions, until it starts to gather. (Add 1 or 2 tablespoons more flour if the dough seems sticky, or some water if it seems too firm.)

2.
Knead for about a minute, pressing your knuckles lightly into the dough, spreading the dough outward, then gathering the ends together toward the center with your fingers. Push down the center, then repeat pressing and gathering a few times until you have a soft and pliable dough that does not stick to the fingers. Cover and let it rest at least 1 and up to 4 hours at room temperature. (This allows the wheat gluten to develop.) If keeping for a longer period, refrigerate the dough.