Paratha

For the similar South Indian dish, see Parotta.
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Paratha
Mintparatha.jpg
Mint Paratha from India
Origin
Alternative name(s) Parantha, Parauntha, Palata, Farata
Place of origin India, Pakistan
Region or state South Asia
Details
Main ingredient(s) Atta, maida, ghee/butter/cooking oil and various stuffing

A paratha/parantha/parauntha is an Indian flat-bread that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Paratha is an amalgamation of the words parat and atta which literally means layers of cooked dough.[1] In Burma, it is known as palata (ပလာတာ; pronounced: [pəlàtà]), while it is known as farata in the Maldives.

It is one of the most popular unleavened flat-breads in Indian cuisine, Pakistani cuisine and Bengali cuisine and is made by pan frying whole-wheat dough on a tava.[2] The paratha dough usually contains ghee or cooking oil which is also layered on the freshly prepared paratha.[3] Parathas are usually stuffed with vegetables such as boiled potatoes, leaf vegetables, radishes or cauliflower and/or paneer (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 (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 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 but some people also use oil or bake it in the oven for health reasons. Usually the paratha is eaten with tea and raita as part of a breakfast meal. Oftentimes, it may be stuffed with potatoes, paneer, onions, keema or chilli.

The Gali Paranthe Wali (literally: bylane of Paratha) at Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi was established in 1870s,[4] with shops like Pandit Gaya Prasad Shiv Charan Paranthewala shop, established in 1872 [5]

The southern Indian version is called Parotta.

Indian immigrants took this dish to Malaysia, Mauritius (where it is known as farata) and Singapore, resulting in variations such as roti canai and roti prata. In Myanmar (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 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

Mangalorean-style paratha served with other Indian dishes.
Aloo paratha from northern India.
South Indian Parotta.
Paratha served with tea in Pakistan.
Stuffed Bengali-style paratha served in a restaurant in Mumbai, India.
Trinidadian-style roti paratha.
In Burma, paratha is commonly eaten as a dessert, sprinkled with sugar.

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.[citation needed]

See also

References

  1. ^ Mughlai Cook Book - By Neera Verma
  2. ^ Climbing the Mango Trees - By Madhur Jaffrey
  3. ^ Breadtime - By Susan Jane Cheney
  4. ^ Magical Flavors of Chandni Chowk
  5. ^ "Why the 200-year-old taste shop won’t budge". The Times of India. Apr 22, 2012. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-04-22/special-report/31382302_1_family-business-chandni-chowk-walled-city. 
  6. ^ Recipe for Aloo Paratha / Flatbread Stuffed with Spiced Potatoes
  7. ^ Recipe for Mughlai paratha

External links

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