After many trys of Frisbee like rotis (as a child my Dad's biscuits were sometimes compared to hockey pucks, these rotis would have made a great hockey puck but a better comparison probably is a frisbee) we switched our goal to a healthy version of Paratha. This bread turned out moist, fluffy, tasty, and up to Ilango's nutrition standards. However, we thought they were so tasty that we ate them so quickly before we took any pictures of the final product.
Paratha is one of the most popular Indian unleavened flat-breads. Its made by pan frying whole-wheat flour. The paratha dough usually contains ghee which is also layered on the freshly prepared paratha. Since ghee is considered "artery clogging non healthy oil" (Ilango says) we substituted the ghee for the more healthy olive oil.
Parathas are usually stuffed with vegetables, such as boiled potatoes or cauliflower. We pland to make stuffed paratha soon. In Indian cuisine paratha is normally served with thick spicy curries of meat and vegetables. However we like to eat them accompanying many varieties of food.
The prepartion of the paratha compared to the roti only differs in the layering effect caused by the pin wheel shape made with the dough. This causes the paratha to form discernible soft layers that are fluffy, crisp, and moist.
Ingredients:
1) Chapati flour (Stone Ground whole wheat flour found in Indian Grocery Stores)- 2 cups
2) Salt - 1/2 tsp
3) Olive Oil - 1 Tsp
4) Skim milk - 1/4 cup
5) Warm Water - 1/2 cup
Method:
1) Knead the flour into dough with all 5 ingredients. Use dusting flour until your ball of dough stops trying to stick to your hands. The result should be a well-bodied dough.
2) Continue kneading for 15 minutes.
3) Cover with a damp paper towel. Put this into an airtight container and set aside in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours or overnight.(This procedure tends to make your chapati softer). The gluten needs to do its thing perhaps!
4) After this refrigeration process, the dough is ready to be rolled out into frisbees (uncooked chapatis).
5) Make dough balls that are slightly bigger than a typical golf ball.
6) With a rolling pin, make a frisbee/disk/chapati that is about 6 - 8 inches in diameter.Use dusting flour as required.
7) The next step is important. This is covered in a picture below, where I show how to create the layers that make a paratha. Essentially, I oil the surface with about 1/4 tsp of oil and sprinkle dusting flour all over it. Now make several folds that resemble folds in sliced turkey or ham.
8) Once this effect is achieved, start at one end and create a coil. Tuck the other end into the center of the disk to complete a roughly circular wheel.
8) Set these wheels of dough aside for a few minutes
9) The next step is another rolling process. This involves flattening a wheel of dough into a layered uncooked paratha. The result is a thicker disk that could be between 4 and 5 inches in diameter.
10) Turn on the heat in a frying pan. Once the pan is hot, allow the top surface of the new paratha to turn slighly brown. One might also see little bubbles.
11) Turn over, add a few drops of oil (the alternative is not to use any oil at all at this point - from a health perspective), and cook for a while. Use a damp paper towel to apply gentle pressure while you move the paratha around. With some practice, the paratha will rise.
12) Turn over once again and make sure both sides are cooked evenly.
13) Your cooked paratha is ready.
Paratha is one of the most popular Indian unleavened flat-breads. Its made by pan frying whole-wheat flour. The paratha dough usually contains ghee which is also layered on the freshly prepared paratha. Since ghee is considered "artery clogging non healthy oil" (Ilango says) we substituted the ghee for the more healthy olive oil.
Parathas are usually stuffed with vegetables, such as boiled potatoes or cauliflower. We pland to make stuffed paratha soon. In Indian cuisine paratha is normally served with thick spicy curries of meat and vegetables. However we like to eat them accompanying many varieties of food.
The prepartion of the paratha compared to the roti only differs in the layering effect caused by the pin wheel shape made with the dough. This causes the paratha to form discernible soft layers that are fluffy, crisp, and moist.
Ingredients:
1) Chapati flour (Stone Ground whole wheat flour found in Indian Grocery Stores)- 2 cups
2) Salt - 1/2 tsp
3) Olive Oil - 1 Tsp
4) Skim milk - 1/4 cup
5) Warm Water - 1/2 cup
Method:
1) Knead the flour into dough with all 5 ingredients. Use dusting flour until your ball of dough stops trying to stick to your hands. The result should be a well-bodied dough.
2) Continue kneading for 15 minutes.
3) Cover with a damp paper towel. Put this into an airtight container and set aside in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours or overnight.(This procedure tends to make your chapati softer). The gluten needs to do its thing perhaps!
4) After this refrigeration process, the dough is ready to be rolled out into frisbees (uncooked chapatis).
5) Make dough balls that are slightly bigger than a typical golf ball.
6) With a rolling pin, make a frisbee/disk/chapati that is about 6 - 8 inches in diameter.Use dusting flour as required.
7) The next step is important. This is covered in a picture below, where I show how to create the layers that make a paratha. Essentially, I oil the surface with about 1/4 tsp of oil and sprinkle dusting flour all over it. Now make several folds that resemble folds in sliced turkey or ham.
8) Once this effect is achieved, start at one end and create a coil. Tuck the other end into the center of the disk to complete a roughly circular wheel.
8) Set these wheels of dough aside for a few minutes
9) The next step is another rolling process. This involves flattening a wheel of dough into a layered uncooked paratha. The result is a thicker disk that could be between 4 and 5 inches in diameter.
10) Turn on the heat in a frying pan. Once the pan is hot, allow the top surface of the new paratha to turn slighly brown. One might also see little bubbles.
11) Turn over, add a few drops of oil (the alternative is not to use any oil at all at this point - from a health perspective), and cook for a while. Use a damp paper towel to apply gentle pressure while you move the paratha around. With some practice, the paratha will rise.
12) Turn over once again and make sure both sides are cooked evenly.
13) Your cooked paratha is ready.
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