Paratha
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A paratha (or parantha) is a flatbread that originated in the Indian subcontinent. It is usually made with whole-wheat flour, pan fried in ghee or cooking oil, and often stuffed with vegetables, especially boiled potatoes, radish or cauliflower and/or paneer (Indian cheese). A paratha (especially a stuffed one) can be eaten simply with a blob of butter spread on top but it is best served with pickles and yoghurt, or thick spicy curries of meat and vegetables. Some people prefer to roll up the paratha into a "pipe" and eat it with tea, often dipping the paratha into the tea.
The paratha can either be round, square or triangular. In the former, the stuffing is simply mixed with the kneaded flour and the paratha is prepared like the roti, but in the latter two, the peda (ball of kneaded flour) is flattened into a flattened shape, the stuffing is kept in the middle and the flatbread is now closed around the stuffing like an envelope. The two variants differ in the fact 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.
The paratha has a social connotation too. The significantly higher expenditure and effort in preparing the paratha when compared with the daily roti means that the paratha is usually prepared as a special item, or for important guests.
The paratha was conceived in ancient North India especially in the region of Punjab. Regardless of its origins, it soon became popular all over India and is now available everywhere in South Asia. Even the South Indian states have their own versions of the ubiquitous paratha, the most popular being "Kerala paratha," also called Kerala porotta.
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 it is commonly called "buss up shut" ("burst-up shirt"), especially by non-Indo-Trinidadians.
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[edit] Some common types of paratha
Among these common types there are countless variations:
- Plain paratha (chapati with added ghee)
- Gobi paratha (stuffed with flavored cauliflower and vegetables)
- Aloo (pronounces as Aalu) paratha (stuffed with flavored potato and onions)
- Paneer paratha (stuffed with cottage cheese)
- Dal paratha (stuffed with boiled and mashed dal)
- Sattu paratha (stuffed with spiced Sattu - roasted gram flour popular in Bihar)
- Kerala paratha (popular version pronounced "porotta")
- Roti prata (Singapore & Malaysia - highly variable)
- Lachha paratha - Tandoori (Punjabi in origin. Round in shape with multiple layers traditionally prepared in a tandoor.)
- Lachha paratha - Tawa wali (Popular in eastern India. Triangular in shape with multiple layers interspaced with ghee])
- Qeema paratha (Kheema paratha in Southern India & Keema paratha in Eastern Pakistan) (stuffed with flavored minced meat)
- Anda paratha (stuffed with egg)
- Podeena paratha (laced with dry mint)
- Ceylon paratha (from Sri Lanka)
- Ajwain paratha (layered paratha laced with ajwain)
- Mooli paratha (stuffed with daikon radish)
- Pyaz ka paratha (stuffed with 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 (small, spicy shredded pieces)
- Methi wala paratha (stuffed with green leafy vegetables)
- Band gobi wala paratha (stuffed with cabbage)
- Meetha Paratha (Stuffed with sugar)
- Palak Paratha
- Tandoori Paratha
- Putthay taway ka Paratha
- Bal wala Paratha
- Parton wala Paratha
- Chicken Paratha
- Beef Paratha
- Pork Paratha
- Mutton Paratha
- Turkey Paratha
- Squid Paratha
- Veal Paratha
- Shrimp (large) Paratha
- Shrimp (small) Paratha
- Paratha Pizza Pops (Invented in Cleveland, Paratha stuffed with pizza sauce, cheese and toppings)
[edit] Other pieces of information
The best variety of parathas is served within the state of Punjab, the home of parathas. It is bathed in delicious homemade butter and eaten by dipping pieces of the paratha in homemade yogurt. Parathas go best with lassi, a buttermilk drink also originating in Punjab.
During Ramadan, Muslims from the Indian subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh), often eat parathas for breakfast. It is thought that the butter and flour mixture are not only a good souce of calories but also stave off hunger pangs and help sustain a person throughout the long day.
Parathas are commonly eaten with yoghurt or with vegetables. They too are often consumed with meat dishes, especially chicken, but don't particularly sit well with high oil content foods such as curries. Thus it's good advice to remove oil from such foods and eat parathas with the edible pieces from curries, susus and dishes[citation needed].
[edit] 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.
[edit] See also
- Kerala porotta
- Chili parotha
- Roti prata, the Singaporean variant.
- Roti canai, the Malaysian variant.
- Bhatura
- Green onion pancake (Chinese variant)
